Book Review: Dandelion & Quince
Karen When you go grocery shopping and peruse the produce department do you find that there are vegetables and fruit that are unfamiliar or that you have never used? If so,…
Weeds and Their Control: Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea aka sororia)
The common blue violet is a herbaceous perennial belonging the Violaceae family that also includes pansies. It is native to eastern US where it prefers moist soil but is drought…
Plant Profile: Black Willow (Salix nigra)
Black willow is a deciduous single to multiple-stemmed tree native to North America from New Brunswick to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas where it grows in low woods, floodplains,…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Parsley
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial native to the Mediterranean area. It grows wild from Sardinia east to Lebanon but is cultivated throughout the temperate zones. It belong to the…
Plant Profile: Rose Fourth of July
Known in England as ‘Crazy for You’ , Fourth of July ‘bears clusters of five to twenty red and white splashed flowers with attractive golden stamens. The flowers are crimson…
Book Review: American Grown
In her book, American Grown, Michelle Obama details her experience establishing a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn in an attempt to start a national conversation about the…
Growing Plants From Seeds: Melons (Cucumis melo)
Muskmelon, honeydew, Crenshaw, casaba, cantaloup, Persian melon Christmas melon, and Armenian cucumber (not really a cucumber) are all varieties or cultivars of Cucumis melo and can cross with each but…
Plant Profile: Cushion Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila muralis)
Cushion baby’s breath, also called low baby’s breath, is an annual native to Europe, Asia and North Africa where it grows in disturbed sites such as meadows, fields, and roadsides.…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Love-Lies-Bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus)
Also known as tassel flower, this annual is native to India, Africa, and Peru, and a member of the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), a diverse family that also includes beets, spinach,…
Book Review: Because of an Acorn
Introducing children to ecology when they a young is a very good thing and Lola Schaefer’s book, Because of an Acorn, is a good way to do it. The author…