Plant Profile: Engelmann Oak (Quercus engelmannii)
Karen Engelmann oak, also known as mesa oak and Pasadena oak, is rare tree native to the open woods and chaparral in the foothills of Southern California and northern Baha California.…
Garden Plants for Flower Arranging: Peachleaf Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia)
Peachleaf bellflower is an herbaceous perennial native to the mountains of Europe, North Africa, and Asia where it grows in meadows and woodland edges. It forms a evergreen basal rosette…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Rosa ‘Blanc Double de Coubert’
This rugosa rose is hardy, healthy and vigorous, and blooms almost continuously. Its pure white flowers have ten to twenty petals and are 3.5 inches across. They have a strong…
Plant Profile: Boris Avens (Geum x borisii)
This clump forming herbaceous perennial is the result of a cross between Geum bulgaricum and Geum reptans and a member of the rose family (Rosaceae) that also includes apples, pyracantha,…
Book Review: A Beetle Is Shy
Beetles may not be your favorite critter but Dianna Hutts Aston’s book, A Beetle Is Shy, certainly will help you look at them differently. The book is full of fascinating…
Earth-Kind Roses: Climbers
Earth-Kind is a designation given to roses by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service after extensive testing that evaluates pest tolerance as well as outstanding landscape performance. It tells the public…
Plant Profile: Paradise Tree (Simarouba amara)
The paradise tree is an evergreen understory tree native to the rainforests and savannahs of the Caribbean, and South and Central America. It is a member of the Simaroubaceae family…
Beneficial Insects and How to Attract Them: Rove Beetle
Rove beetles belong to the family Staphylinidae, one of the largest family of beetles, with over sixty thousand species worldwide and over three thousand species in North America. Since there…
Plant Profile: Maiden Pink (Dianthus deltoids)
Maiden pink is an evergreen herbaceous perennial native to Europe and western Asia. It is a member of the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae.that also includes baby’s breath, Lynchnus, and soapwort (Saponaria).…
Book Review: The Flavor Bible
Cooking can be a very creative process if you have an understanding of the aesthetic of flavor. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dorneburg presents a guide to…