Book Review: My Secret Garden
Karen British author, TV presenter, and professional horticulturalist, Alan Titchmarsh’s book, My Secret Garden, chronicles the development of his private garden on a four acre plot surrounding a Georgian home in…
Plant Profile: Japanese Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema sikokianum)
Also called cobra lily, this herbaceous perennial is indigenous to the island of Shikoiu, Japan where it grows in moist shaded woodlands. It is in the same genus as the…
Botanical Latin: Malacoides
Mal a COI des meaning soft, mucilaginous, resembling a mallow; refers to the softness of the leaves Used as a specific name, malacoides is part of the botanical name for…
Plant Profile: Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’
A hybrid of A. amellus x A thomsonii this perennial aster from Switzerland combines the large flowers of A. amellus and the long bloom time of A. thompsonii. The leaves…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Alain Blanchard’
The flowers are borne on thin stems in twos or threes and are a mix of crimson and purple. As the flowers mature they become more purple with paler blotches…
Plant Profile: Rose Felicite Parmentier
Round buds with long sepals open to lightly cupped flowers that are usually quartered and may have a button eye. As the flowers mature they go from light pink to…
Book Review: Lily
Reading a whole book called Lily may not intrigue you at first glance but take a look and you will be amazed at how interesting the subject is. Author, Marcia…
Plant Profile: Plectranthus argentatus
Silver spurflower is a tender evergreen subshrub in the mint family (Lamiaceae) and native to eastern Australia. The downy pink-purple stems carry gray-green ovate leaves up to six inches long…
Plant Profile: Eastern Goat’s Rue (Galega orientalis)
This herbaceous perennial is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae) and native to the meadows and open forests of the Caucasus but is grown elsewhere as a fodder crop.…
Book Review: The Spice and Herb Bible
As more and more people become interested in the diverse foods available around the world the need for a knowledge of spices and herbs becomes more important. Ian Hemphill’s book,…