Primroses (Primula spp.) for the Garden
Karen 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…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Narcissus
Narcissus is a genus in the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) and also includes plants known as daffodils and jonquils. The narcissus that Shakespeare is referring to is probably Narciss pseudonarissus also…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Alba Maxima’
Also known as the ‘Jacobite Rose’,’ Great Double White’, ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Rose’, and’Cheshire Rose’ this rose is very old and dates back to before 1499. The flowers have a…
Book Review: It’s a Good Thing There Are Butterflies
Butterflies add life and beauty to the garden thereby enhancing everyone’s experience there. Children are especially attracted to butterflies and Lisa Herrington’s book, It’s a Good Thing There Are Butterflies,…
Ten Interesting Facts about Woodlice (Sowbugs and Pillbugs) and How to Control Them
Woodlice can be a pest in the garden when the eat young seedlings. Altough sowbugs and pillbugs look very much alike, those that roll up into a ball when distubed…