Plant Profile: Sun Rose (Cistus ladanifer)
Karen Also known a rock rose and gum cistus, this flowering evergreen shrub is native to the western Mediterranean region. It is a member of the Cistaceae family, a small group…
Plant Combination: Fragrant Aster (Aster oblongifolius) ‘October Skies’ and Ornamental Onion (Allium thunbergii)’ Ozawa’
Asters are a traditional fall favorite but what about bulbs? We rarely think about fall blooming bulbs and, in truth, there are not a lot of them. This combination for…
Book Review: Sterns Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners
The botanical names for plants are often unfamiliar and challenging to pronounce so many gardeners avoid them. Sterns Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners is a giant step towards becoming…
Gardens for Cats
If you are both a gardener and a cat lover you might want to share your garden with your furry friends. Ideally, this garden would be an enclosed or contained…
Plant Profile: Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica )
Native to Japan and South Korea, this low growing, long-lived deciduous shrub is a member of the rose family, Roseaceae, that also includes cherry, almond, and lady’s mantle. It grows…
Fall Clean Up for Disease and Pest Control
Some people clean-up their garden in the fall, some in the spring and still others do both. There are good reasons for a fall clean up, and equally good ones…
Plant Profile: Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Alexanders is a biennial herb native to the Mediterranean region and known to the ancient Greeks. It grows wild in many parts of Europe and was introduced into England by…
Book Review: Garden Revolution
Sustainable landscape and environmentally friendly are key ideas in the gardening world today and Larry Weaver’s book, Garden Revolution, addresses the topic in a fresh new way. Based on the…
Edible Flowers : Daylily (Hemerocalis fulva)
Daylily (Hemerocalis fulva) is also known by several other names including ditch lily, outhouse lily, and twany lily. It is native to Asia but was introduced into North America in…
Plant Profile: Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium)
Squirting cucumber is a half hardy perennial native to the Mediterranean, northern Africa and temperate areas of Asia where it grows in disturbed soil such as roadsides and waste areas.…