Book Review:Gardening with Biochar
Karen Everyone wants bigger, more productive, more nutrient filled plants and Jeff Cox shows you one way to have them by supercharging the soil with biochar. This soil amendment is wood…
Poisonous Plants: Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)
Common vetch is climbing annual vine brought to North American from southern Europe as a covercrop but has since escaped and become a troublesome weed in shrub and perennial beds…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Plantian
Common plantain,(Plantago major) is an herbaceous perennial native to Europe and northern and central Asia but naturalized in the US beginning in the time of the Puritans. It thrives in…
Plant Profile: Saged-leaved Bellflower (Campanula collina)
A native of the Caucusus Mountains, sage-leaved bellflower is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the Campanulaceae family that also includes ladybells (Adenophora), balloon flowers, and Lobelia. It has…
Book Review: Cooking from Scratch
ooking from Scratch comes from the Puget Consumer Co-op Community Markets, a Seattle based grocer dedicated to local producers, sustainable food practices, and healthful, organic seasonal food. The recipes are…
Weeds and Their Control: India Mock Strawberry (Duchesnia indica aka Potentilla indica)
Native to eastern and southern Asia, mock strawberry is a herbaceous perennial that was introduced as an ornamental to the US where it has naturalized in lawns and waste areas…
Plant Profile: Snake Flower (Bulbine frutescens aka B. caulescens)
Snake flower is an evergreen perennial and is a member of the Asphodelaceae that also includes aloe, torch lily (Kniphofia), and foxtail lily (Eremus). It is native to southern Africa…
Asclepias for the Garden
Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous perennials and belongs to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes bluestar, periwinkle, and oleander. Many species are native to the North America and…
Plant Profile: Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Also known as moccasin flower and stemless lady’s slipper, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to the Great Lakes Region, Northeast and…
Book Review: 100 Bugs
Kate Narita’s book, 100 Bugs, is a virtual smorgasbord of fun for kids. Written for children ages 5-7, the book uses 10 different bugs to get to 10 by combinations…