Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Wren Family (Troglodytidae)
Karen Known for their loud songs and friendly ways, wrens are familiar backyard birds in most parts of the United States with House wrens being the most common. Members of the…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Rose de Rescht’
Spherical buds open to crimson flowers with tightly packed neatly arranged petals, and sometimes a button eye. The flowers are in clusters of three to seven and are carried on…
Book Review: Chez Panisse Café Cookbook
Here is a cookbook that elevates fresh ingredients to a new level. Chez Panisse Café Cookbook, like the other cookbooks written by Alice Waters, focuses on foods that are locally…
Plant Combination: Coral bells (Heuchera micrantha var. diversifolia) ‘Palace Purple’ and Variegated Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’)
These two herbaceous perennials will provide color in a shady spot all season long. The chocolate purple color of the wide coarse leaves of coral bells contrasts nicely with the…
Plant Profile: Century Plant (Agave americana)
This native of Mexico, and southeastern United States is a tender evergreen perennial or shrub. Large sword-like leaves form a basal rosette to six feet tall. The leaves are gray…
Plant Problems and Their Control: Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola) of Stone Fruits
Brown rot is a common disease of stone fruits including peaches, nectarines, cherries, and plum. It may also affect almond and pome fruits such as apples and pears. It is…
Plant Profile: African Lily (Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis)
A native of South Africa, Agapanthus praecox has naturalized in Australia, Britain, New Zealand, Mexico and elsewhere, and is considered a weed in some parts of Australia. It freely hybridizes…
Book Review: About Birds: A Guide for Children
Birds are easy to love and Cathryn Sill’s book, About Birds, is an excellent way of introducing birds to young children. The book presents the basic characteristics of birds and…
Weeds and Their Control: Hemp Nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit)
Hemp nettle is native to Europe and northwestern Asia but has been introduced into North American and is a problem in the cool areas of the United States. It is…
Plant Profile: Large Purple Aeonium (Aeonium arboreum) ‘Zwartkop’
This tender succulent subshrub is a native of Gran Canaria Island in the Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Also known as ‘Schwartzkopf’ and ‘Schwarzkopf’ meaning “black head’, it can…