Plant Profile: Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Karen Also called American witch hazel and beadwood, this deciduous shrub or small tree is native to woodland margins and stream banks of eastern North America from from Canada to Mexico…
Book Review: Grow Bonsai
Aimed at beginning bonsai enthusiasts, Peter Warren’s book, Grow Bonsai provides a guide to successfully grow bonsai. The book covers all the essential knowledge, tools and skills needed to get…
Weeds and Their Control: Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia)
Also known as creeping Jenny and creeping loosestrife, moneywort is a vigorous, prostrate, evergreen perennial in the primrose family, Primulaceae, that also includes shooting star, cyclamen, and scarlet pimpernel. It…
Plant Profile: Daphne x burkwoodii
This semi evergreen to deciduous shrub is the result of a cross between D. caucasica and D. cneorum and is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, a plant family of just…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Pearl Gooseberry Wine
Karen Meyers My paternal grandmother, Helen S. Write includes several recipes for gooseberry wine in her book, Old Time Recipes for Homemade Wines, published in 1909. Most of the recipes Grandmother titled…
Plant Profile: Hybrid Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia)
This deciduous shrub or small tree is the result of a cross between H. mollis and H. japonica and is a member of the witch hazel family, Hamamelis, that also…
Book Review: Vegan Vietnamese
Helen Le, author and creator of YouTube’s Helen’s Recipes! , presents 70 vegan versions of popular Vietnamese dishes. Her goal was to provide recipes that people could enjoy without realizing…
Weeds and their Control: Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Also known as eagle fern, bracken fern is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the Dennstaedtiaceae family that includes 10 genera and 240 species of ferns. It is one…
Plant Profile: Winter Daphne (Daphne odora)
Native to southern China, Vietnam and Taiwan, this broadleaf evergreen shrub is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, a plant family of just under 900 species, most of which are unfamiliar…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Six Row Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
This annual cereal grain is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes rice, corn, and bamboo. It was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent about 11,000 years ago…