Book Review: Blueberries Grow on a Bush
Karen As kids gobble up blueberries do they think about where they come from? Probably not yet learning a little about blueberry bushes brings a greater appreciation of food and it…
Explorer Series: Red Roses
The Explorer roses were developed at the agriculture research station in Ottawa, Ontario and l’Assumption, Quebec to withstand the cold Canadian winters. Using Rosa rugosa, R. kordesii, Hybrid Teas, and…
Plant Profile: Blood Flower (Asclepias curassavica)
Blood flower, also known as cotton bush, Mexican butterfly weed, and scarlet milkweed, is a tropical perennial subshrub native to South America often grown as an annual in the US…
Beneficial Insects and How to Attract Them: Robber Flies
Also called assassin flies, these true flies belong to the Asilidae family. There are over seven thousand different species in the family, with over one thousand in North American where…
Plant Profile: Silver Mound Artemesia (Artemesia schmidtiana)
Silver mound is a semi-evergreen perennial native to Japan and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisies, sunflowers, and lettuce. The species is rarely seen but…
Book Review: Everything I Want to Eat
Comfort food is great but sometimes I just want something new and unique. Jessica Koslow’s cookbook, Everything I Want to Eat, provides a plethora of such items. They are unique…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wine: Champagne Cup
Sparkling wine makes an everyday event special so champagne is a wonderful drink to lift the spirts and make an occasion memorable. My dear paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright, in…
Plant Profile: Wandflower (Galax urceolata)
Also called beetleweed, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to southeastern US from where it grows in the forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. It is…
Plant Combination: Bear’s Breeches (Acanthus spp.) and Coral Bells (Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia) ‘Palace Purple’
These two herbaceous perennials have outstanding foliage that will add texture and color all season long. The combination will peak, however, when bear’s breeches produces its stalks of pink or…
Plant Profile: Siberian meadowsweet (Filipendula palmata)
Siberian meadowsweet is a herbaceous perennial native to Siberia and a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes lady’s mantle, apples, and almonds. It is a compact plant…