Shakespeare’s Garden: Ash
Karen The ash tree of Shakespeare is probably the European ash, Fraxinus excelsior. It is native to most of Europe and southwestern Asia but grows in parts of the US, Canada,…
Plant Profile: Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata)
Also known as stinking ash and wafer ash, this deciduous small tree or large shrub is native to North and Central America where it grows in central and eastern US…
Book Review: Sidewalk Flowers
Urban life with its miles of streets clogged with traffic, ribbons of sidewalks, and massive buildings often seems lacking in some of the things that make life special. JonArno Lawson’s…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
The common buckeye is easily recognized by the striking eyespots that adorn their brown scalloped wings. Although the female is larger than the male and has more rounded forewings, they…
Plant Profile: Treasure Flowers (Gazania x rigens) ‘Daybreak’ Series
Gazanias are tender perennials native to South Africa and members of the aster family (Compositae). They hybridize readily and one of the outstanding hybrids is the’ Daybreak’ series that is…
Weeds and Their Control: Redstem filaree (Erodium cicutarium)
Redstem filaree is a member of the geranium family, Geraniaceae, which includes the bedding geranium (Pelargonium spp, as well as true geraniums (Geranium spp.) aka crane’s bills. Redstem filaree is…
Plant Profile: Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Blackthorn is a suckering deciduous shrub or small tree native to Europe, western Asian, and areas of northwest Africa where it grows in hedgerows, thickets, scrubland, and woodland edges. It…
Book Review: The Gardener & the Grill
Grilling is easy, gets you outdoors, and allows the kitchen stay cool when temperatures rise, but there is a whole lot more to enjoy with this popular method of cooking…
Witch’s Broom
Witches broom is characterized by abnormal growth in a tree or shrub that results in multiple stems growing from a common point forming a mass of twigs that resemble a…
Plant Profile: Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum)
Laborador tea is a braodleaf evergreen shrub native to Alaska east to Greenland, south to New England and northern areas of the US where it grows in cold bogs and…