Plant Profile: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare aka F. officinale)
Karen Fennel is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae, that also includes celery, sea holly, and dill. It is native to the shores of the Mediterranean…
Plant Profile: Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles x superba)
I first became interested in flowering quince because of a Japanese print I was given as a gift many years ago. The irregular branching pattern and the simple red flowers…
Plant Profile: Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Tansy is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It is native to Europe and Asia but was introduced…
Plant Profile: Kalenchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
When I saw a bright yellow kalenchoe plant at one of the local dollar-stores I could not resist buying it. Yes, it was small but it is such an easy…
Plant Profile: Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla syn. A. citrodora)
The scent of lemon is always welcome in my garden and lemon verbena is one of the most delightfully lemony. Just brush by the plant and it will release its…
Plant Profile: Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo bibloba)
The maidenhair tree is one of the most interesting trees alive! Fossil leaves from ancient trees have been found in rock dating to Jurassic times, almost 200 million years ago,…
Plant profile: Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
Endemic to Cypris, this tender perennial is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes basil, rosemary and deadnettle. It grows up to 2′ tall and has gray-green…
Plant Profile: Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
Crape myrtle is an outstanding plant with the only drawback that it is hardy only to zone 7. It comes in many varieties that produce frilly, crepe like flower heads,…
Plant Profile: Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Native to Eurasia, this short lived herbaceous perennial is also known as catmint and is a member of the mint family, Labiaceae, that also includes rosemary, basil, and beebalm. Plants…
Plant Profile: Japanese Weeping Cutleaf Maple (Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’)
The small walled garden off of our bedroom needed a diminutive, delicate tree and the weeping cutleaf maple I found at a local big box store filled the bill perfectly.…