Plant Profile: Candy Corn Plant (Cuphea micropetala)
Karen Native to Mexico, this tender evergreen or deciduous perennial shrub is often grown as an annual or houseplant. It is a member of the loosestrife family, Lytharaceae, that also includes…
Plant Profile: Rose Pink Perpetue
Vigorous, compact plants bear upright clusters of 5-7 flowers in flushes throughout the summer. The flowers are almost 3″ across and have short petals that are clear pink on their…
Plant Profile: Strawflower ( Xerochrysanum bracteatum aka Helichrysum brateactum)
Also called golden everlasting, this short-lived tender perennial or annual is native to Australia where it grows in grasslands. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also…
Book Review: Family
Family is a vegetarian cook book based on the belief that at the heart of every family there is a complex story of food. Chef and author Hetty McKinnon believes…
Plant Profile: Statice (Limonium sinuatum)
Also known as sea lavender, sea pink, and notch leaf marsh rosemary, this tender short-lived perennial is often grown as an annual, and is a member of the leadwort family,…
Plant Profile: Annual Baby’s Breath (Gypsophilia elegans)
A native of the Caucasus, this short lived annual is a member of the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae, that also includes pinks and campions. Plants grow 12-18″ tall, tend to branch…
Plant Profile: Larkspur (Consolida ajacis aka C. ambigua)
Also called doubtful knight’s spur and rocket larkspur, this cool weather annual is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It is in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes…
Book Review: The Grouchy Ladybug
Eric Carle’s book, The Grouchy Ladybug, tells the story of an ill-tempered ladybug who doesn’t like to share and challenges 13 other animals to a fight. The animals range in…
Plant Profile: Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)
This Mediterranean native is a thistle-like tender perennial and a member of the Aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and artichoke. Plants form an impressive 3′ tall clump…
Plant Profile: Redvein Abutilon (Abutilon pictum)
Redvein abutilon is a tender evergreen shrub native to southern Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay but has naturalized in Central American and is a popular ornamental in subtropical areas. It…