Shakespeare’s Garden: Rye
Karen Rye, Secale cereale, is an annual grass related to barley and wheat, and grown for grain, and as a forage and cover crop. It can grow three to six feet…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Turnip
The turnip (Brassica rapa) belongs to the mustard (Brassicaceae) family that also includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprout and radish. Brassica rapa has several subspecies including bok choi, pak choi,…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Peach
A native of China, the peach (Prunus persica) is a small deciduous short lived tree in the Rosaceae family and in the same genus as plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots.…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Plantian
Common plantain,(Plantago major) is an herbaceous perennial native to Europe and northern and central Asia but naturalized in the US beginning in the time of the Puritans. It thrives in…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Stover
Wikipedia tells us that “stover is the leaves and stalks of field crops, such corn (maize), sorghum or soybean that are commonly left in a field after harvesting the grain.”…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Quince
The quince (Cydonia oblonga) belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae) along with apples, pears, and almonds. It is native to southwest Asia, Turkey, and Iran where it grows on rocky…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Pear
Pears are in the genus Pyrus and family Rosaceae. Shakespeare’s pear was probably the common pear (Pyrus communis) which is native to central and Europe, and southwest Asia. They are…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Barnacles
According to The Travels of Sir John Mandeville written in the fourteenth century, the barnacle tree, also called goose tree, bore a fruit that became flying birds. These trees were…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Parsley
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial native to the Mediterranean area. It grows wild from Sardinia east to Lebanon but is cultivated throughout the temperate zones. It belong to the…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Barley
Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a major cereal grain and a member of the grass family (Poaceae). It is an annual and grows over 36 inches tall so is considered a…