Plant Profile: Firecracker Plant (Cuphea ignea aka C. platycentra)
Karen Also known as cigar flower, this tender evergreen sub-shrub is native to Mexico and the West Indies but is often grown as an annual in elsewhere. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Love in the Mist (Nigella damascena)
Also called ragged lady and devil in the bush, this annual is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes anemone, columbine and delphinium. It is native to…
Plant Profile: Purple Leaf Sand Cherry ( Prunus x cistena)
Purple leaf sand cherry is a deciduous medium sized shrub or small tree and a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes almond, pyracantha, and ladies mantle. It…
Plant Profile: Woollyhead (Craspedia uniflora)
Native to New Zealand and Australia, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, sunflower, and lettuce. It has simple, opposite green leaves…
Plant Profile: Trailing Abutilon (Abutilon megapotamicum)
Trailing abutilon is a deciduous or partially evergreen shrub native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay where it grows in dry mountain valleys. It is a member of the mallow family,…
Book Review: The Little Tree That Would Not Share
Nicoletta Costa’s book, The Little Tree That Would Not Share, tells the story of young tree living in a city that takes great delight in his new leaves as they…
Plant Profile: Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
This cereal grain is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes rice, corn, and bamboo. Early evidence for barley indicates that it has been grown in Eurasia…
Plant Profile: American Senna (Senna hebecarpa)
American senna is a herbaceous perennial native to eastern US from Michigan and Maine through the Appalachians and Atlantic plains south to Georgia where it grows in moist open woodlands,…
Plant Profile: Mountain Heliotrope(Valeriana sitchensis)
In spite of its common name, mountain heliotrope is not a true heliotrope and is not even in the same family. It is a member of the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae,…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘Fame!”
Cherry pink buds open to semi double flowers that are carried singly or in clusters of up to 5 and strong straight stems. The notched petals are dark pink with…