Plant Profile: Bush Violet (Browallia speciosa)
Karen Bush violet is an old fashioned plant that looks just right in my secret garden with other old fashioned plants that are right at home in a cottage garden. It…
Plant Profile: Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) ‘Strawberry Fields’
Globe amaranth is an annual in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, that also includes Russian thistle, beet, and spinach. Native to Texas and Mexico, it grows 1-3′ tall, depending on the…
Plant Profile: Mock Orange Miniature Snowflake (Philadelphus x virginalis ‘Miniature Snowflake’)
The clear white flowers of mock orange ‘Miniature Snowflake’ standout against the crisp dark green foliage and the citrus fragrance perfumes the air all around it as spring turns into…
Plant Profile: Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’)
When I first saw this plant over ten years ago I was thrilled by its unique look: black leaves. Of course there really are no truly black leaves in nature…
Plant Profile: Wishbone flower (Torenia fournier)
I first met this charming plant in a small nursery in Annapolis MD, run by a husband and wife who seemed to love plants. They had all sorts of annuals…
Plant Profile: Hardy Iceplant ( Delospera cooperi)
Hardy iceplant is a tough little plant as long as it doesn’t get too much water. The succulent leaves form a dense low growing mat and appear to have tiny…
Plant Profile: Garden Cosmos aka Tall Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Garden cosmos is a half hardy annual native to Arizona, Mexico and Guatemala to Costa Rica and is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow,…
Plant Profile: Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus)
Love-lie-bleeding is a very special plant and not just because of its melodramatic name. It’s red flowers grow in rope-like tassels 12” long or longer all over the coarse leaved…
Plant Profile: Pigsqueak (Bergenia cordifolia)
Native to Russia, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the Saxifragaceae family that also includes foam flower, coral bells, and astilbe. The plants form a rosette of shiny, heart-shaped…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Chinese Astilbe (Astilbe chinensis var. pumila)
I used to think of astilbes in general as needing shade and moisture until I met this one. It thrives in shade and moist soil but it tolerates considerably more…