Plant Profile: Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
Karen Although there are many perennial sunflowers there is only one annual that is garden worthy but that one has dozens of cultivars and is very popular. A native of western…
Book Review: Designing with Dried Flowers
Karen Meyers Designing with Dried Flowers, by Hannah Rose Rivers Muller, is based on the extensive experience of the author growing, harvesting, drying, and arranging flowers on her 400 acre, organic farm…
Groundcovers for Shade: Canadian Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
A native of woodlands in Eastern North America, this herbaceous perennial has bright green, deciduous, kidney-shaped leaves. They are up to seven inches across and carried on hairy petioles one…
Plant Profile: Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Native to Japan and north-central China, this evergreen herbaceous perennial also called carpet box, is a member of the boxwood family, Buxaceae. It grows 8-12″ tall from a rhizomateous root…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis aka Chamaemelum nobile) Mary’s Plant
Roman Chamomile has been valued for over 2000 years. The ancient Egyptians associated it with their sun god, Ra, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it medicinally to promote…
Plant Profile: Rubber Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus aka Ericameria nauseosus)
Rubber rabbitbrush is a deciduous shrub and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisies, yarrow, and lettuce. It is naive to the western third of the…
Book Review: The Fragrant Flower Garden
Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harrampolis combine their talents and experience in gardening and floral design in their book, The Fragrant Flower Garden. With an emphasis on eco-friendly methods, the authors…
Ground Covers for Shade: Deadnettle (Lamium maculata)
Native to Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia, this semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial forms attractive mats of silvery green leaves with large silver blotches on the upper surface. The 1″ long…
Plant Profile: Pineleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon pinifolius)
Native to southern New Mexico and Arizona, this long-lived evergreen perennial or subshrub is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes snapdragon, turtlehead, and foxglove. The compact…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) Mary’s Tears
In the Catholic tradition, Mary endured seven sorrows and is often shown grieving in art related to the Crucifixion, Lamentation, and Pietà. Tears are a part of sorrow and grieving…