Book Review: Ten Little Caterpillars
Karen Caterpillars are not everybody’s favorite critter but they are fascinating animals. Bill Martin Jr.’s book, Ten little Caterpillars, presents a peek into the lives of ten caterpillars in a beautiful…
How to Care for Bonsai: Southern Yew (Podocarpus macrophyllus)
Also known as Buddhist pine, southern yew is neither a yew nor a pine. It is native to Japan and China where it is a popular landscape tree especially in…
Plant Profile: Hairy Goldenaster (Heterothece villosa)
Hairy goldaster, is a herbaceous perennial native to North America from Canada to southern California, east to Texas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. It grows in open sunny dry sites forming clumps…
Weeds and Their Control: Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua)
A native of Europe, annual bluegrass is widespread in the United States occurring in all states including Alaska and Hawaii In mild climates it grows from fall to spring and…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Great Maiden’s Blush’
Also known as ‘Cuisse de Nymphe Emue’, this old alba rose has pale pink petals that fade to white on the edges. The cupped flowers are borne singly or in…
Book Review: Attracting Native Pollinators
As gardeners we appreciate the value of pollinators. Without them we would not have many of the flowers, vegetables, and fruits that we enjoy in our gardens and on our…
Plant Combination: Tulip ‘Angelique’ and Common Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
What could be more romantic that pale pink tulips growing beside the dainty flowers of bleeding heart? A color echo is created by the soft pink of the tulip and…
Plant Profile: Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)
A native of North America, twinleaf is found in damp woods on limestone soil from Ontario, Canada, south to Georgia and Alabama, and northwest to Iowa and Minnesota. It is…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Vireo Family (Vireonidae)
The vireos are a group of small to medium sized birds with dull gray to greenish plumage that allows them to blend in with the foliage they inhabit. They are…
Plant Profile: Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)
A native of Europe and western Asia, sneezewort is a rhizomaceous perennial that spreads and naturalizes if the soil is good. It is a membet of the aster family, Asteraceae,…