Plant Profile: Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis ‘Blue Danube’)
Karen I always look forward to the flowering of Stokesia. It only blooms for 3-4 weeks in my garden but its flowers are very special. Their color is a fusion of…
Plant Profile: Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)
Also called wild carrot, bird’s nest, and bishop’s lace, this herbaceous biennial is a member of the parsley family, Apiaceae, that also includes celery, dill, and poison hemlock. It is…
Plant Profile: Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria)
For sizzle in the garden, torch lily is at the top of my list. Some may call the colors brassy but I like the combination of orange and yellow and…
Plant Profile: False Spirea (Astilbe x arendsii)
When the astilbes come into bloom, my secret garden takes on a soft and delicate look and I take special pleasure in spending time there. The feathery panicles of flowers…
Plant Profile: Cardinal Vine ( Ipomoea × multifida)
Also called hearts and honey, this annual twinning vine is a hybrid of Ipomoea coccinea (scarlet morning glory) and I. quamoclit (cypress vine) and is a member of the morning…
Plant Profile: Red Valerian/Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber)
Karen Meyers Also known as spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox’s brush, and devil’s beard, this herbaceous perennial or subshrub is native to the Mediterranean area. It is a member of the honeysuckle family,…
Plant Profile: Spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana aka T. virginiana)
Also called spider lily, this herbaceous perennial is native to eastern US North, where it grows in moist soils of prairies, woodlands, meadows, and hillsides. It is a member of…
Plant Profile: Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora)
Some flowers conjure up visions of an English cottage garden and foxglove is one of them. The ones you see in this vision are a lovely shade of strawberry pink…
Plant Profile: Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Native to meadows, woodland borders and streamsides of eastern and central US, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the bean family, Fabaceae, that also includes lupine, mimosa, and black…
Plant Profile: Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ )
Native to Japan, this delicate perennial is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes corn, rice, and bamboo. It forms loose cascading mounds of gold variegated leaves…