Book Review: How Do You Know It’s Summer?
Karen A picture of children in bathing suits eating watermelon introduces young children to summer in Lisa Herrington’s book, How Do You Know It’s Summer? A picture of the same tree…
Plant Combination: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) ‘Magnus’ and Ornamental Oregano (Origanum x ‘Rotkugel)’
Take a popular garden plant like purple coneflower ‘Magnus’ and combine it with a lesser known plant like ornamental oregano and you have a unique combination. These two herbaceous perennials…
Plant Profile: Viola labradorica
Native to moist woodlands in Canada, northern United States and Greenland, Labrador violet does well even in much of the South. It is a low growing herbaceous perennial and spreads…
Genus Adenophora (Ladybells) for the Garden
Ladybells are herbaceous perennials in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, that also includes balloon flower and lobelia. The genus has about 50 species most of which are native to Asia, some…
Plant Profile: Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)
Indian Pink is a clump-forming perennial native to southeastern US and parts of the Midwest where it thrives in moist woodlands. The glossy green leaves are lance-shaped to ovate, one…
Book Review: Garden Design
Whether you want an English style garden, a Japanese garden or a prairie garden there are certain underlying design principles that will lead to success. Sylvia Crowe, a distinguished and…
Plant Combination: Flower of an Hour (Hibiscus trionum) and Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum purpurescens)
A lovely echo is set up in this combination between the purple eyes of Hibiscus trionum and the purple leaves of the basil. The effect is ephemeral, however, because the…
Plant Profile: Southern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia)
This low growing deciduous shrub is native to southeastern United States where it grows in woodlands, bluffs, roadways and stream banks. The glossy dark green leaves often have red veins,…
Perennial Cornflowers (Centaureas) for the Garden
The genus, Centaurea, belong to the aster family, Asteracea, and contains about five hundred species and including both annuals and perennials that are useful garden plants. They can all be…
Plant Profile: Lamb’s Tail (Chiastophyllum oppositifolium)
Native to limestone outcroppings in shady mountin areas of the Caucasus, this rhizomateous perennial succulent slowly grows to form a low mound of large fleshy ovate leaves with scalloped edges.…