Book Review: Gardening at Longmeadow
Karen If you have ever wondered about the intimate details of an English garden and how the gardener started and maintains it, Monty Don’s book, Gardening at Long Meadow will tell…
Old Time Recipe for Holiday Apple Wine
With a fresh crops of apples at hand during the holidays what could be better than an old fashioned apple wine made the way it was done over 100 years…
Plant Profile: Autumn Crocus ( Colchicum speciosum)
Although the common name suggests a relationship to the spring blooming crocus, they are two very separate kinds of plants and are not even in the same botanical family. The…
Botanical Latin: Cucurbita
Cucurbita (ku KUR bi ta) from the Latin cucurbita meaning gourd. This Latin word is used as the genus name for summer and winter squash, pumpkins and some gourds. Cucurbitae…
Plant Profile: Shieldleaf (Astilboides tabularis aka Rogeresia tabularis)
This clump-forming perennial is native to northern China and Korea where it grows in moist shady areas. It has large bright peltate leaves up to three feet across that are…
Book Review: The Garden Floor
How many gardeners focus on the garden floor? I for one, take itfor granted and assume it will be grass unless there is a compelling reason to do something else.…
Weeds and Their control: Beaked Corn Salad (Valerianella radiata)
This native annual is a common weed in the Southeast and parts of the Mid-West where it is found in disturbed areas such as abandoned fields, meadows, and waste areas.…
Plant Profile: Crimson Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus aka Melaleuca citrina)
Native to Australia, this broadleaf evergreen shrub is a member of the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that also includes clove, allspice, and eucalyptus. Plants grow up to 18′ tall and have…
Yuccas for the Garden
Native to hot dry areas of North, South and Central America, yuccas are tough perennial shrubs and trees that have adapted to a variety of conditions and some even grow…
Plant Profile: Judas Tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
This deciduous small understory tree also is native to the the woodlands of southern Europe and western Asia and is believed to be native to Palestine. It is also called…