Plant Profile: Borage (Borago officinalis)
Karen Borage is an annual herb native to south eastern Turkey but has naturalized in the Mediterranean area, North America, and parts of Europe. The Romans fed it to gladiators and…
Book Review: Armitage’s Garden Perennials
As more and more new cultivars and varieties of plants appear each year in nurseries, selecting perennials for the garden becomes increasingly difficult. A visit to a garden center can…
Garden Pests and Diseases: Preventative Measures
Problems with pests and diseases are constant problems in the garden. You can’t entirely eliminate them but you can do something to minimize them. Good garden practices go a long…
Plant Profile: Dalmatian Bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana)
Dalmatian bellflower is a mound-forming herbaceous perennial native to the Dalmatian mountains in Croatia but widely grows in southern Europe. It is evergreen, vigorous, and low-growing so makes an excellent…
Primroses (Primula spp.) for the Garden
Growing primroses (Primula spp) is a great way to welcome spring. Their colorful flowers rising above their attractive rosettes of foliage brighten any place in the garden and are excellent…
Plant Profile: Rusty Foxglove (Digitalis ferruginea)
A native of southern Europe, the northern Mediterranean, Lebanon,the Balkans and Caucasus, rusty foxglove is a biennial or short lived perennial. Seeds planted in late spring give rise to a…
Botanical Latin: Angophora
An GO phor a from the Greek words aggeion meaning vessel and phoreo meaning to carry; refers to the form of the fruit. Angophora is a genus of trees and…
Book Review: What’s Wrong with my Fruit Garden?
Gardeners who grow fruits and nuts face special problems in their attempt to grow tasty and attractive produce. The book , What’s Wrong With My Fruit Garden?, by Deardorff and…
Edible Flowers: Capers (Capparis spinosa var. inermis)
Caper is a broad leaf evergreen creeping shrub native to the Mediterranean, East Africa, Madagascar, parts of Asia, Himalayas, the Pacific Islands, Indomalaya, and Australia where it grows on lean,…
Plant Profile: Leopard Plant (Ligularia dentata)
Leopard plant is a clump forming perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and a native of Japan and China where it grows in moist sites. It has leathery, dark-green, kidney-shaped…