Plant Profile: Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum)
Karen In spite of its name, summer snowflake appears in early spring with the daffodils. They do well under deciduous trees where they can get sun in late winter and spring…
Plant Profile: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
There are few flowers that can light up a their surroundings like nasturtiums can. Their intensely colored flowers in red, yellow and orange add zip to any garden border and…
Plant Profile: Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis)
If you want an unusual flower for your garden in late spring, try crown imperial. At 3 feet tall it is no shrinking violet and with its whorl of downward…
Plant Profile: Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Every year I have a private little war with the stinging nettles that grow in both my rose garden and formal garden. No matter how many I pull up, there…
Plant Profile: Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
One of the earliest bulbs in my garden to emerge in the spring is grape hyacinth. The dense spikes of fragrant cobalt-blue urn-shaped flowers resemble upside down bunches of grapes…
Plant Profile: Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus gunnii)
There are many different species of eucalyptus but this one is a good choice because it is more frost tolerant than most and can be kept as a shrub if…
Plant Profile: Japanese Primrose (Primula japonica)
Picture a shady glen with lots of moisture. Then put a large drift of Japanese primroses into the picture and you have created a beautiful scene. Japanese primroses are not…
Plant Profile: Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)
I planted a clump of garlic chives in my vegetable garden and within a couple of years had garlic chives growing all over my patio, 30 feet away. The garlic…
Plant Profile: Polyanthus Primrose (Primula hybrid)
A recent trip to a local dollar store resulted in the purchase of a bright yellow polyanthus primrose. How could I resist? Spring was in the air and the desire…
Plant Profile: Sweet Violet (Viola odorata)
Native to Europe and Asia, the sweet violet is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the plant family Violaceae, that also includes pansies and johnny jump ups. It grows 4-10″ tall…