Plant Profile: Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata)
Karen Also called spreading yew, this evergreen tree or large shrub is native to Japan, Korea, and China. It has scaly reddish brown bark and can grow up to 50’ tall…
Language of Flowers: Aloe
Aloe is a genus of succulent plants consisting of about five hundred species and belonging to the Asphodelaceae family that also includes day lily, fox tail lily, and red hot…
Plant Profile: Rosa Mrs. R. M. Finch (aka Australia Felix)
This Polyantha rose is very floriferous and produces well spaced clusters of 10-30 loosely cupped flowers in flushes throughout the season. The small flowers have short heart-shaped petals that are…
Plant Profile: Shrub Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)
This small deciduous shrub is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes anemone, columbine, and delphinium. It is native to damp woods and stream edges in eastern…
Poisonous Plants: Agave spp.
Agaves is a large genus of almost 3000 plants native to hot arid regions of Mexico and Southwestern US and belongs to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae, that also includes yucca,…
Plant Profile: Smallflower Tamarisk (Tamarix parviflora)
Smallflower tamarisk is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to southeastern Europe but has become as an introduced species in the US has become invasive in western North America.…
Plant Combination: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) ‘Paprika’ and Hardy Carnation ( Dianthus caryophyllus) ‘King of the Blacks’
For some plants, changing color during the bloom time is a problem but this is not the case for yarrow ‘Paprika’ or Dianthus ‘King of the Blacks’. ‘Paprika’ starts out…
Plant Profile: Strawberry Foxglove (Digitalis x mertonensis)
Strawberry foxglove is a short-lived herbaceous perennial and member of the plantian family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes snapdragon, turtlehead, and Veronica. It is a tetraploid hybrid resulting from a cross…
Book Review: A Bright Future
International Relations professor, Joshua S. Goldstein and Swedish nuclear engineer, Staffan A. Qvist collaborated to produce book, A Bright Future, that presents their solution to the problem of climate change.…
Book Review: Simple Green Meals
In her book, Simple Green Meals, author Jen Hansard, has a strightforward message: eat more plants. Hansard is an enthusiastic vegetarian who shares her experience going from an exhausted, stressed…