Plant Profile: Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Karen Dames rocket is a biennial or short-lived perennial known by a variety of names including dame’s violet, mother of the evening, and sweet rocket. It is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Rosa Silver Jubilee
Broad peaked buds open to large flowers 4.7″ across with pale pink outer petals, dark pink inner ones, and apricot ones in between. All of the petals have darker backs…
Book Review: Love & Lemons Every Day
If you are considering adding more vegetables to your diet, Jeanine Donofrio’s book, Love & Lemons Every Day, provides a wide array of plant based recipes for snacks, breakfasts, soups,…
Weeds and Their Control: Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolia)
Also called Christmasberry tree and Florida holly, this evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that also includes poison ivy, sumac, and smoke tree.…
Plant Profile: India Physic (Porteranthus trifoliatus aka Gillenia trifoliata)
Also called fawn’s breath, bowman’s root and American ipecac, this clump-forming herbaceous perennial is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes apple, lady’s mantle, and pyracantha. It…
Edible Mushrooms: Chestnut Bolete (Gyroporus castaneus)
The chestnut bolete usually grows in small groups in deciduous forests of Eastern US from summer to fall. It is especially fond of oak stands but also can be found…
Plant Profile: Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar lutea)
Also called brandy-bottle and spattercock, this aquatic deciduous perennial is a member of the Nymphaeaceae, a family of 75 specie of aquatic plants including and water lily. It is native…
Book Review: Seeds of Resistance
As our food supply is increasingly threatened by climate change, the importance of agricultural practices become more important and Mark Schapiro’s book, Seeds of Resistance, examines one of these: the…
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
This short lived perennial is native to southern Europe and North Africa but has naturalized in much of Europe where it is grown as an annual. It is a member…
Plant Profile: California Sea Lavender (Limonium californicum)
Also called western marsh rosemary, this mounding evergreen herb or subshrub is a member of the leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae, that also includes thrift. It is native to western US from…