Plant Profile: Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Karen Jack-in-the Pulpit is a herbaceous perennial in the arum family, Araceae, that also includes skunk cabbage, calla lily, and elephant ear. It is native to eastern North America where is…
Plant Profile: Weigela (Weigela florida ‘Variegata’)
Shurbs that bloom in the spring are always a big asset but when they have foliage as gorgeous as variegated weigela, they rise to the top of my list. The…
Plant Profile: Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis)
This is one of those plants that has a certain aura because of its association with the “doctrine of signatures”, a belief that links the shape of a plant with…
Plant Profile: Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
When I first grew Spanish bluebells they were called Scilla or Wood Squill and, in fact, many bulb catalogues list them with scillas. The Spanish bluebells are taller and bloom…
Plant Profile: Arkansas Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
I bought my first Arkansas bluestar at a Master Gardener’s Fall plant sale. It was a puny little plant but since I had never had one but had always heard…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Blooming Perennials 1
Chuck This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Plant Profile: Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Growing four to twenty feet tall, this evergreen shrub is native to moist woods and clearings, and along streams from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana…
Plant Profile: Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
admin Envision a gently flowing brook under trees newly leafed out in spring with a mass of fragrant blue flowers blowing in the breeze underneath. Those blue flowers could be Wild…
Plant Profile: David Viburnum (Viburnum davidi)
The dark green glossy leaves of this compact evergreen shrub are enough to recommend it but it also has large clusters of snow white flowers in early spring that brighten…
Plant Profile: Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
The delicate flowers of rue anemone are held in clusters of three to five flowers with the center flower being larger than the lateral ones. They are borne on slender…