Book Review: The Posy Book
Karen Meyers Terresa Sabankaya’s recent work, The Posy Book, celebrates the Victorian love for the language of flowers with fresh ideas on creating bouquets that convey meaning and express special feelings. The…
Poisonous Plants: Rough Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium)
Karen Also called clotbur, donkey bur, heartleaf, and woolgarie bur, this summer annual is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes sunflower, yarrow, and lettuce. It’s native range…
Plant Profile: Hart’s Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium aka Phyllitis scolopendrium)
This perennial evergreen fern is a member of the spleenwort family, Aspleniaceae, that also includes maiden-hair fern, bird’s nest fern, and eared lady fern. It is native to central and…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Red Gooseberry Wine
In her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines (published in 1909), my paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright, included 8 recipes for gooseberry wine. Although Grandmother did not specify…
Plant Profile: Perez’ Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii)
Also known as marsh rosemary and sea foam, this herbaceous perennial is native to the coasts of the Canary Islands but is valued as a garden plant worldwide. It is…
Book Review: Michelle’s Garden
Sharee Miller tells the story of Michelle Obama’s White house vegetable garden in her book, Michell’s Garden. The author begins when Michelle was a child and loved the vegetables her…
Common Diseases of Tomato and Their Control: Botrytis Gray Mold
Caused by the fungus, Botrytis cinerea, gray mold is responsible for a variety of diseases including damping off and blights. It affects the flowers, fruits, stems and foliage of over…
Plant Profile: Five Spot (Nemophila maculata)
Also known as five-spot baby or buffalo eyes, this trailing annual is endemic to California where it grows primarily in meadows and woodlands of the Sierra foothills. It is a…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Fig (Ficus carica)
Native to the Middle East and Asia this deciduous shrub or small tree is a member of the mulberry family, Moraceae, that also includes banyan, breadfruit, and Osage-orange. The edible…
Plant Profile: Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
Native to hot desert areas of northwestern Mexico, California, Arizona, and Nevada, the teddy bear cholla is a shrub or small tree in the cactus family, Cactaceae, and closely related…