Plant Profile: Purple Milk Thistle (Galactites tomentosa)
Karen Purple milk thistle, also called boar thistle, is an annual or biennial and a native of the Mediterranean area where it grows in disturbed soil such as wastelands, pastures, and…
Plant Profile: Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus)
Chocolate cosmos is a tender perennial native to Mexico where it is extinct in the wild. It is a member of the aster family (Asteraceae) that also includes daisy, yarrow,…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Jeanne Lajoie’
Large clusters of ten to forty flowers are produced in profusion continuously. The flowers are flat, round, and full of petals that are rich mid-pink at first fading to pale…
Plant Profile: Miner’s Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
Miner’s lettuce is a rosette-forming annual native to Western North America from British Columbia to California and Mexico where it grows is moist disturbed areas. It is a member of…
Plant Profile: Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum)
Sea holly is an evergreen herbaceous perennial and a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae) that includes Queen Anne’ lace, dill, and parsley. It is a native to Europe where…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
The viceroy can be found through out most of the US, southern Canada and northern Mexico where it inhabits moist open or shrubby areas such as land around lakes, along…
Plant Profile: Eastern Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana var salicifolia)
Native to eastern US from New Jersey to Florida and west to the Mississippi River , this herbaceous perennial is a member of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) that also includes…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements Golden Alder (Alnus incana) ‘Aurea’
This small deciduous tree offers winter interest with its colorful shoots in shades of reddish yellow or orange. In late winter or early spring pink tinged catkins appear and are…
Plant Profile: Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) ‘Fat Spike’
Also commonly known as tassel flower, this annual is native to India, Africa, and Peru, and a member of the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), a diverse family that also includes beets,…
Botanical Latin: Hypericum
Hypericum (hy PER i cum): The genus name, Hypericum, is from the Greek word hypereidon and is derived from hyper, meaning above, plus eikon meaning picture. The plant was believed…