Plants for a Plant Zoo: Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos spp)
Karen The small appealing flower buds of the kangaroo paw plant are a must for the plant zoo! The best part is that there are many different colors of “paws” and…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Chenille Plant (Acalypha pendula)
Also called kitten-tail, red hot cat’s tail, and strawberry firetail, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti and is a member of the spurge family,…
Plants of the Bible: Kotschy’s Crocus (Crocus kotschyanus aka C. zonatus)
Native to parts of Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, this perennial corm is a member of the iris family, Iridaceae, that also includes gladiol a,freesia, and crocosmia. Plants produce goblet-shaped pale…
Plants of Colonial Williamsburg: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This evergreen shrub is native to the dry rocky hills of the Mediterranean area and is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes beebalm, basal, and lavender.…
Plant Profile: Wandering Fleabane (Erigeron peregrinus)
Native to bogs, streamsides, wet meadows and moist mountain soils from the Rockies to the Coastal Range, wandering fleabane is also called subalpine fleabane, coastal fleabane, and mountain daisy. It…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)
Native to the tropical forests of eastern Brazil, this tender evergreen shrub is best grown in an indoor plant zoo of houseplants. Although it has beautiful foliage and striking, long…
Plant Profile: Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
Also known as hounds berry, black nightshade is an annual or short-lived perennial native to wooded areas and disturbed sites of Europe and Asia but is found in the United…
Plants of the Bible: Common Reed (Phragmites australis aka Phragmites communis)
Native to temperate wetlands world wide, this perennial aquatic grass is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes corn, rice, and bamboo. It is a vigorous grower…
Genus Acalypha for the Garden
The genus Acalypha is in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that also includes pointsettia, caster oil plant, and crotons. There are 450 species in the genus including perennial herbs, shrubs and…
Plant Profile: Moss Sandwort (Arenaria verna)
Also called Scotch moss, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is not a moss or even closely related to mosses. It is a member of the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae, that also includes,…