Plant Profile: Japanese Poplar (Populus maximowiczii)
Karen 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,…
Book Review: From Plant to Plate
Karen Meyers In their book, From Food to Plate, Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips share their knowledge of cooking, gardening and plant-powered food in a comprehensive guide to growing your own produce…
Groundcovers for Shade: Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Lily of the valley is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere and grows best where summers are warm but not hot. Each plant…
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.…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum sp.) Our Lady’s Hair
Mary is usually shown in Medieval and Renaissance art with most of her hair covered by a veil or scarf as was the Jewish custom of her time. Women, especially…
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…
Growing Bulbs in the Natural Garden
Internationally acclaimed designer, Jacqueline van der Kloet, shares her extensive knowledge and expertise in her book, Growing Bulbs in the Natural Garden. Comprehensive in nature, the book includes the basic…
Groundcovers for Shade: Hardy Begonia (Begonia grandis)
Blooming from mid-summer to through fall, this herbaceous perennial produces white or pink male and female flowers 1″ across in pendant clusters on the same plant. Branching stems carry heart-shaped…
Plant Profile: Thinleaf Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
Also called rough sunflower and ten-petal sunflower, this herbaceous perennial is native to the woodlands and forests of Eastern and Central US. It is a member of the daisy family,…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Common Speedwell (Veronica officinalis) Our Lady’s Resting Place
According to the Bible, Mary made several significant journeys in her adult life that could have involved a resting place along the way: to the hill country of Judea to…