Plant Profile: Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)
Karen Also known as cucumberleaf sunflower, and East Coast dune sunflower, this short-lived tender perennial is a native of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US where it grows in…
Plant Profile: Turk’s Cap Lily (Lilium martagon)
Karen Meyers Known since 1568, this herbaceous perennial is a native of Europe and Asia. It is a member of the Liliaceae plant family that also includes tulips, fritillaries, and Quamash. Plants…
Plant Profile: Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
This clump-forming herbaceous perennial is native to woodlands of eastern US from Maine to Georgia and west to the Dakotas and Oklahoma. It is a member of the Geraniaceae plant…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpoides) “Eyes of Mary”
The small, delicate, blue forget-me-not flowers link the plant to the Virgin Mary. The modest, yet beautiful appearance of the flowers reflects Mary’s humility and the blue color symbolizes her…
Plant Profile: Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
Sneezeweed is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial in the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce. It is native to eastern and north central North America where it…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Larkspur (Consolida ajacis aka C. ambigua) “Mary’s Tears’
The name “Mary’s Tears” is derived from the resemblance of the droplet-shaped larkspur flowers to tears and is associated with the sorrow and compassion of Mary especially during the Passion…
Plant Profile: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides)
Also known as scorpion grass, this rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that also includes lungwort, heliotrope, and Siberian bugloss. It is native to Europe and Asia…
Plant Profile: Yellow Monkshood (Aconitum anthora)
Also called anthora, yellow helmet flower, hanging wolfsbane, and healing wolfsbane, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, anemone, and hellebore.…
Plant Profile: Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Also called noble goldenrod, this rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is native to central and eastern US where it grows in open woods and fields. It is a member of the aster…
Plant Profile: Arrowwood (Viburnum dentata)
Native to grasslands, woodlands, marshes, swamps and shores of rivers and lakes from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas, this deciduous shrub is a member of the moschatel…