Plant Profile: Amur Cork Tree (Phellodendron amurense)
Karen A native of northern China, this cork tree takes its name from the Amur River, the boundary between China and Siberia, and is not related to the true cork tree.…
Five Spring Perennials with Pink Flowers for the Rock Garden
The color pink can do many different things in the garden. It can bring a feeling of nostalgia and romance, suggest happiness and contentment, or refresh our souls with thoughts…
Plant Profile: Horsetail Restio (Elegia capensis)
A native of South Africa, Elegia capensis is a rhizomatous , rush-like, evergreen perennial with striking foliage and stature. The needle-like leaves are borne in whorls on the bamboo-like stems…
Book Review: The Well-Designed Mixed Garden
Designing a garden is one of the most creative aspects of gardening but can also be one of the most difficult. Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s book, The Well-Designed Mixed Garden, provides the…
Weeds and Their Control: Prostrate Vervain (Verbena bracteata)
Prostrate vervain is a native weed that grows as an annual or short-lived perennial throughout the United States. It likes a sunny site with dry, infertile soil and often grows…
Plant Profile: Jacobinia (Justicia carnea)
Jacobinia, also known as flamingo plant, is an upright evergreen shrub native to Brazil. It has coarse, dark green, heavily veined leaves, and produces plumes of tubular flowers in white,…
How to Care for Bonsai: Fukien Tea (Carmona microphylla)
This tropical evergreen shrub is native to southern China and is a good subject for bonsai. The brownish red trunk becomes thick and attractive with age and the small leaves…
Plant Profile: Rosa ‘Reve d’Or’
Given the top rating for Old Garden Roses by American Rose Society (ARS), Reve d’Ore’ is a fast-growing, vigorous, healthy Noisette especially appreciated in warm climates as a climber. The…
Book Review: Jack’s Garden
In spring when you want to interest a young child in planting a garden reach for Henry Cole’s book, Jack’s Garden. It provides step by step directions for planting and…
Weeds and Their Control: Canadian Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
The attractive flowers on Canadian thistle belie the fact that this plant is one of the most persistent weeds that can come into the garden. A native of Eurasia, it…