Genus Rock Cress (Arabis) for the Garden
Karen Arabis is a genus of herbaceous annuals and perennials and a member of the mustard family, Cruciferaceae, that also includes broccoli, radish, and stock. Although there are over 100 species…
Plant Profile: Abutilon Hybrids aka Flowering Maple (Abutilon x hybridum)
Abutilon hybrids are tender evergreen shrubs and members of the mallow family, Malvaceae, that also includes hibiscus, cotton, and okra. They have been popular since the Victorian era when they…
Plant Profile: White Corydalis (Corydalis ochroleuca aka Pseudofumaria alba)
This short-lived evergreen perennial is native to Italy and the Balkans where it grows in rocky woodland areas. It is a membe of the poppy family, Papaveraceae, that also includes…
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Dill is an annual herb native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia Minor but widely grown in North America. It is a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae) and…
Plant Profile: False Dittany (Ballota pseudodictamnus)
Also known as false divinity and Greek horehound, this evergreen perennial shrub is a native to dry Mediterranean areas in Europe and western Asia, including the south Aegean, Egypt, Libya…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Common water hyacinth is a floating perennial native to the Amazon River Basin where it grows it wet habitats but was introduced into the US in 1884 at the World’s…
Plant Profile:Horsefly Weed (Baptisia tinctoria)
Horsefly weed is a shrubby herbaceous perennial native to eastern US from Maine to Minnesota south to Georgia and Iowa where it grows in dry meadows, fields and open woodlands.…
Book Review: The Vegetables We Eat
Gail Gibbon’s book, The Vegetables We Eat, is both an introduction to the different kinds of vegetables and a mini botany lesson. Gibbons begins with the concepts of perennials and…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Aloe
Aloes are succulents in the Asphodelaceae family that also includes daylily (Hemerocallis), red hot poker (Kniphofia), and foxtail lily (Eremurus) The genus includes over 500 species in that are native…
Plant Profile: Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
This herbaceous perennial is native to dry sandy soils in North America and parts of Asia, and is a member of the aster family (Asteraceae) that also includes daisy, yarrow,…