Book Review: The Fragrant Flower Garden
Karen Meyers Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harrampolis combine their talents and experience in gardening and floral design in their book, The Fragrant Flower Garden. With an emphasis on eco-friendly methods, the authors…
Ground Covers for Shade: Deadnettle (Lamium maculata)
Native to Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia, this semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial forms attractive mats of silvery green leaves with large silver blotches on the upper surface. The 1″ long…
Plant Profile: Pineleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon pinifolius)
Karen Native to southern New Mexico and Arizona, this long-lived evergreen perennial or subshrub is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes snapdragon, turtlehead, and foxglove. The compact…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) Mary’s Tears
In the Catholic tradition, Mary endured seven sorrows and is often shown grieving in art related to the Crucifixion, Lamentation, and Pietà. Tears are a part of sorrow and grieving…
Plant Profile: Four Angled Sundrop (Oenothera tetragona)
This short-lived perennial is native to eastern North America where it is found in open places and along woodsides. It is a member of the willowherb familiy, Onagraceae, that also…
Book Review: A Journalist’s Book of Wildflowers
Laura C. Martins’s book, A Naturalists Book of Wildlflowers, provides a fresh, new look at wildflowers. Written to resemble the author’s field journals, the book includes notes, sketches, ideas and…
Meadow Garden: Native Flowering Annuals
Native annuals can be used to enhance the meadow garden in many ways. Most annuals bloom with vibrant colors over a long bloom time and are easy to grow from…
Plant Profile: Hybrid Japanese Anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
Hybrid Japanese anemone is a herbaceous perennial often sold as A, japonica. It is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, clamatis, and hellebore. Plants form…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Fuller’s Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) “Our Lady’s Little Brushes”
The association between the the Virgin Mary and fuller’s teasel is tenuous and rests on tradition and folklore rather than on biblical evidence. According to legend, Mary was dedicated to…
Plant Profile: Lebanon Stonecress (Aethionema coridifolium aka A. jacunda aka Iberis jacunda)
Native to the mountains of southern Turkey and Lebanon this evergreen compact subshrub is a member of the mustard family, Brassicacea, that also includes broccoli, cabbage, and asylum. It grows…