Plant Profile: Purple heart (Setcreasea pallida/Tradescantia pallida)
Karen Although experts can’t agree on a name for purple heart they do agree that it is one of the toughest plants for the South. Give it high heat and humidity…
Plant Profile: Creeping Zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens)
When you see this plant for the first time covered with flowers you can’t help wonder how it ever got the name “zinnia”. Creeping is understandable, as it is very…
Plant Profile: Rose Mallow (Lavatera trimestris)
Check out the botanical name on this one because there are several plants that go by the name rose mallow. This plant is a large, bushy annual with the flowers…
Plant Profile: Perwinkle (Vinca minor)
Also called myrtle, this perennial evergreen vine is a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes milkweed, oleander, and bluestar. It is native from central and southern Europe…
Plant Profile: Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
Sweet William has charmed flower lovers for centuries and even in modern times Kate Middletown included it in her bridal bouquet to honor her groom. The fringed and toothed flowers…
Plant Profile: Arend’s Saxifrage (Saxifraga x arendsii)
Of the many different kinds of saxifraga that exist the hybrids developed by the German nursery Arends, these are among the best and most readily available. The delicate flowers in…
Plant Profile: Winter Heather (Erica carnea)
Winter heather is a low growing compact evergreen shrub that gets up to 12” tall and up to 24” wide so makes a very good ground cover. It grows slowly…
Plant Profile: Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
Baby’s breath is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae, that also includes pinks and campions. It is native to central and eastern Europe but is…
Plant Profile: Pumpkin Galeuse D’Eysines (Cucurbita maxima)
You will either hate or love this pumpkin but if you put it on your doorstep at Halloween you will be sure to turn heads or perhaps scare some trick…
Plant Profile: Fire Flame Tulip (Tulipa acuminata)
This tulip is so strange that I am tempted to call it bizarre. The bright orange color streaked with yellow is only part of its appeal; the petals are long,…