Plant Profile: Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
Karen Although there are many perennial sunflowers there is only one annual that is garden worthy but that one has dozens of cultivars and is very popular. A native of western…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Fuller’s Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) “Our Lady’s Little Brushes”
Karen Meyers 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…
Plant Profile: Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
This clump-forming herbaceous perennial is a native of central and eastern North America from Ontario and Quebec south to Florida and Louisiana, and west to Oklahoma and Iowa where it…
Plant Profile: Willowleaf Sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius)
Willowleaf sunflower is a clump forming perennial native to south-central US, primarily in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas where it grows in limestone prairies and rocky outcrops. It is a…
Plant Profile: Common Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Common blanket flower is a herbaceous perennial native to northwestern and north central US where it grows in meadows. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also…
Plant Profile: Royal Azalea (Rhododendron schlippenbachii)
This dense flowering deciduous shrub is native to Korea, Manchuria, Japan and far east Russia where it grows in the understory of mountain forests. It is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Woodbine (Lonicera periclymenum)
Also known as European honeysuckle, this twining deciduous shrub has a vine-like growth habit. It is native to woodlands, hedgerows and scrublands of Europe, North Africa and western Asia and…
Plant Profile: Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)
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)
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…