Plant Profile: Barberry (Berberis valdiviana)
Karen This native of Chile is a large evergreen shrub and resembles a holly. The shiny dark green leaves are pointed, and leathery. They are about three inches long and almost…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Mockingbird and Catbird Family (Mimidae)
The Mimidae are American birds and include the thrashers as well as mockingbirds and catbirds. They are also known as mimic thrushes but this name applies best to the mockingbird…
Plant Profile: Barberry (Berberis temolaica)
Found in Tibet in 1924, this barberry is relatively unknown. It has gracefully arching stems that are whitish gray at first, turning purple to shiny brown as they mature. The…
Birds in the Garden: Plants that Attract the Vireo Family (Vireonidae)
The vireos are a group of small to medium sized birds with dull gray to greenish plumage that allows them to blend in with the foliage they inhabit. They are…
Name This Plant Game: Foliage Shrubs 4
Chuck This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Garden Journal: September 5, 2010
What a great week! We had nice sunny warm days with low humidity. No rain, however so we had to get the irrigation system going. The week was a busy…
Garden Journal: July 25, 2010
We are back to high temperatures; everyday is well over 90 (as high as 99) with high humidity and evening showers. I think the plants went on vacation and I…
Garden Journal: July 11 2010
And the heat goes….and on…and no rain. We had to increase the irrigation system to include the areas where hand watering was not sufficient. Most of the perennials struggle to…
Garden Journal: July 26, 2009
Morning clouds and cooler temperatures with a tad of rain made gardening very enjoyable this week. Much time was spent cutting back both annuals and perennials and I am hoping…