Plant Profile: Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum)
Karen Known as rush broom and weaver’s broom, this flowering deciduous shrub is native to southwestern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Azores where it grows on dry, sandy, sunny sites. It…
Plant Profile: Diascia fetcaniensis
This sprawling, semi-evergreen perennial is native to South Africa and is a member of the figwort family, Scrophylariaceae, that also includes butterfly bush, mullein, and nemesia. It grows up 10-…
Plant Profile: Mormon Tea (Ephedra viridis)
Also known as Indian tea and green ephedra, this evergreen coniferous shrub is native to western US from the Arizona deserts to California, east of the Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin…
Plant Profile: Tall Anemone (Anemone virginiana)
This rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is also known as timbleweed (along with several other plants) and is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, clematis, and hellebore.…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Karen Meyers Hawthorn has a long history in folklore, religion and herbal medicine. In ancient times it was associated with fertility and used as a charm to ward off witchcraft and vampires…
Plant Profile: Spiny Bear’s-Breeches (Acanthus spinosus)
This clump-forming evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to woodlands and scrub of southern Europe from Italy to western Turkey. It is a member of the Acanthaceae family that also includes…
Plant Profile: Rose Acacia (Robinia hispida)
Also known as bristly acacia, this flowering deciduous shrub is native to eastern and central US and is a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, that also includes mimosa, lupine,…
Plant Profile: Japanese Poplar (Populus maximowiczii)
This deciduous tree is native to China, Japan, and Korea where it grows in sunny fluvial plains, river banks, and woodlands. It is a member of the willow family, Salicaceae,…
Plant Profile: Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
This deciduous shrub is known by several names including blue huckleberry and swamp huckleberry and is a member of the heath family, Ericaceae, that also includes heather, cranberries, and azaleas.…
Plant Profile: Rayless Sunflower (Helianthus radula)
Also known as pineland sunflower, this tender perennial is native to southeastern US from South Carolina to Florida and eastern Louisiana where it grows in sandy uplands, along moist to…