Characteristic of Old Garden Roses: Portland
Karen Portlands are a small group of roses with a mixed and uncertain heritage but probably have damask and gallica in their background. The group is named after the English Duchess…
Plant Profile: Broadleaved Bears Breeches (Acanthus mollis) ‘Latifolius’
The ancient Greeks admired the large deeply lobed and cut leaves of this tender herbaceous perennial and used it as a model for the decorative capitals on their Corinthian columns.…
Apricot-Colored English Roses for Cottage Gardens
The old fashioned look of English roses fit beautifully into a cottage garden. English roses, as the term is commonly used, refers to a modern type of shrub rose that…
Plant Profile: ‘Dwarf Pagoda’ Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’)
For those of us who live in the mid-Atlantic or Southeast where summers are hot and humid there are a limited number of dwarf evergreen shrubs that we can grow…
Book Review: The Art of Botanical Drawing: An Introductory Guide
With the increasing interest in nature and gardening more and more people are becoming interested in trying their hand at botanical illustration. You don’t have to be an artist or…
Sweet Potatoes and Yams: What is the Difference?
When you sit down at the Thanksgiving table you are likely to see sweet potatoes; or are they yams? Whether they are baked, fried, or smothered in marshmallows their sweet…
Plant Profile: Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea)
Anyone who has seen the huge blue flowers of this columbine under the blue skies of the Rocky Mountains knows what a special plant this is. So special, in fact,…
Six Purple-Flowered Plants that Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies
A garden a flutter with butterflies sipping nectar from the flowers on a sunny day is a beautiful sight. A visit of a hummingbird to the garden is a treat.…
Plant Profile: Olympic St. John’s Wort (Hypericum olympicum)
There are over 200 species of Hypericum, from shrubs, to sub-shrubs, to herbaceous perennials, and Hypericum olympicum is an excellent one for rock gardens. A native of southeast Europe and…