Wildflowers: Iris Native to the Southwest
Karen Meyers Iris is a genus of 310 species and is in the plant family Iridaceae that also included gladiolus, crocus and freesia. The plants are all perennial and grow from rhizomes…
Wildflowers: Iris Native to the Mid-Atlantic States
Iris is a genus of 310 species and is in the plant family Iridaceae that also included gladiolus, crocus and freesia. The plants are all perennial and grow from rhizomes…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Fuller’s Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) “Our Lady’s Little Brushes”
The association between the the Virgin Mary and fuller’s teasel is tenuous and rests on tradition and folklore rather than on biblical evidence. According to legend, Mary was dedicated to…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Garden Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica) “Our Lady’s Eardrops”
The name Our Lady’s Eardrops for Fuchsia magellanica is relatively recent and is based on the shape and appearance of its flowers. The plant was introduced to Europe in the…
Plant Profile: English Holly (Ilex aquifolia)
Also known as common holly, European holly, and Christmas holly this evergreen tree is native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia where it grows in the…
Book Review: 100 Plants to Feed the birds
Laura Erickson’s book, 100 Plants to Feed the Birds, offers information and plants lists for creating a bird-friendly landscape in your own backyard. By planting a variety of native species,…
Plant Profile: Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Karen This herbaceous perennial is native to North America where it grows in prairies, dry rocky woods, tickets, and abandoned areas in most of the US. It is a member of…
Plant Profile: Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Native to swamps, woodland clearings, wetland forests, and outcroppings in eastern North America from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, south to northern Florida, Alabama and Arkansas, this deciduous shrub…
Plant Profile: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
This deciduous holly is native to eastern North America from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Alabama where it grows in wetlands such as bogs, swamps, and along…
Plant Profile: Blue Haw (Viburnum cassinoides)
Also known as Appalachian tea, wild raisin, swamp haw, withe-rod and witherrod viburnum, this deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America from Newfoundland to Manitoba and Minnesota, south to…