Characteristics of Chinese Gardens
Karen A visit to a Chinese garden is a very different experience than visiting an American or European one. Like many other art forms of China, garden design is closely related…
Plant Profile: Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Native to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, this perennial grass is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes bamboo, rice, and corn. Plants form large clumps of arching,…
Name This Plant Game: Summer Blooming Perennials 9
Chuck This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Coring your Lawn: What, Why, When and How
A well grown lawn is a beautiful thing and the result of many choices and much labor and one of the jobs that may be needed to keep a lawn…
Plant Profile: Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata)
When I was looking for a vine to plant in a container in the middle of the formal garden the head gardener saw a yellow flowered black-eyed Susan vine and…
How to Bring House Plants Indoors
I like to put my house plants outdoors in summer and as the days shorten and the temperatures fall I have to plan for the move back into the house.…
Plant Profile: Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima aka Nasellela tenuissima)
Also known as ponytail grass, finestem needle grass, fineleaved nassella and Argentine needle-grass this perennial grass is native to south-western US, northern Mexico and Argentina. It is a member of…
Name This Plant Game: Summer Blooming Perennials 8
This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Five Favorite Dwarf Blue Conifers
I have a special interest in dwarf conifers. They are evergreen and so provide year round interest, and because they are dwarf they will fit into small spaces and I…
Plant Profile: Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii)
It is difficult to resist a plant with the name “turtlehead’. I knew it as a child when it grew along a stream near my home forming a great mass…