Botanical Latin: Malacoides
Karen Mal a COI des meaning soft, mucilaginous, resembling a mallow; refers to the softness of the leaves Used as a specific name, malacoides is part of the botanical name for…
Plant Profile: Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’
A hybrid of A. amellus x A thomsonii this perennial aster from Switzerland combines the large flowers of A. amellus and the long bloom time of A. thompsonii. The leaves…
Book Review: Living with Japanese Gardens
Authors, Chadine Flood Gong and Lisa Parramore, draw on are their wide experience designing Japanese gardens to show readers how the Japanese aesthetic can be used to create their own…
Growing Plants from Seed: Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Parsley is a biennial native to the Mediterranean area where it grows wild from Sardinia east to Lebanon. It is usually grown as an annual by those who just want…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Alain Blanchard’
The flowers are borne on thin stems in twos or threes and are a mix of crimson and purple. As the flowers mature they become more purple with paler blotches…
Shakspeare’s Garden: Myrtle
Common myrtle (Myrtus communis) is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean area. It grows up to fifteen feet high but takes well to shearing and so is often kept…
Plant Profile: Rose Felicite Parmentier
Round buds with long sepals open to lightly cupped flowers that are usually quartered and may have a button eye. As the flowers mature they go from light pink to…
Book Review: Lily
Reading a whole book called Lily may not intrigue you at first glance but take a look and you will be amazed at how interesting the subject is. Author, Marcia…
Edible Flowers: Lilac (Syringa vulagaris)
Syringa vulgaris is a deciduous shrub in the olive family (Oleaceae) and is native to the Balkan Peninsula but is widely grown in Europe and the US. It can grow…
Plant Profile: Plectranthus argentatus
Silver spurflower is a tender evergreen subshrub in the mint family (Lamiaceae) and native to eastern Australia. The downy pink-purple stems carry gray-green ovate leaves up to six inches long…