Plant Profile: Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata)
Karen Native to Southeast Asia, this herbaceous perennial is known by many names including fish mint, rainbow plant, heart leaf and Chinese lizard tail. A member of the lizard-tail family, Saururaceae,…
Plants For A Plant Zoo: Leopard’s Bane (Doronicum caucasicum aka Doronicum orientalis)
The profusion of yellow, daisy-like flowers of this herbaceous perennial are welcome in spring and can brighten a shady spot in the garden while it sparks the imagination of little…
Plant Profile: Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus)
Native to tropical areas from Polynesia and Hawaii west to Southeast Asia, Australia, and Madagascar , this slow growing epiphytic fern is a member of the spleenwort family, Aspleniaceae. The…
Plants of the Bible: Common Grape (Vitis vinifera)
Also called European grape, this deciduous woody vine is native to the riversides and damp wood in the Mediterranean region including central Europe, southwestern Asia, and north Africa, and was…
Old Time Recipes For Home Made Wines: Currant Shrub
The word “shrub” is from the Arabic word sharab meaning to drink. Historically, there are two kinds, the first is a fruit liqueur that was popular in 17th and 18th…
Plant Profile: Lion’s Tail (Leonotis leonurus)
A semi-deciduous shrub, lion’s tail is native to damp grasslands of South Africa and southern Africa, and is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes basil, adjuga,…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Skunk cabbage may not be the first plant that comes to mind when considering plants for your plant zoo but it offers a lot and is ripe for consideration. Also…
Plant Profile: Parrot Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
This emergent perennial aquatic plant is native to the Amazon River and is a member of the water milfoil family, Haloragaceae. The plants have wood stems that grow over 5′…
Plants of the Bible: Eaglewood (Aquilaria agallocha aka A. malaccensis)
Also known as agarwood, this large evergreen tree is native to Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and parts of Southeast where it grows as an undercanopy tree mainly in the plains…
Poisinous Plants: Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica)
Also called green arrow arum and Tuckahoe, this aquatic plant is a member of the arum family, Aracaeae, that also includes Jack in the pulpit, peace lily, and skunk cabbage.…