Plant Profile: Red Cuphea (Cuphea llavea aka C. blepharophylla)
Karen Also known as bat cuphea, this tender evergreen sub-shrub is native to Mexico but is grown as an annual or houseplant in areas with hard frost. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Firecracker Plant (Cuphea ignea aka C. platycentra)
Also known as cigar flower, this tender evergreen sub-shrub is native to Mexico and the West Indies but is often grown as an annual in elsewhere. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Trailing Abutilon (Abutilon megapotamicum)
Trailing abutilon is a deciduous or partially evergreen shrub native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay where it grows in dry mountain valleys. It is a member of the mallow family,…
Genus Bulbine for the Garden
Bulbine is a genus of succulent shrubs, tender perennials, and annuals and a member of the Asphodelaceae family that also includes aloe, tritoma, and foxtail lily. It is native to…
Book Review: The Plant Recipe Book
Gardener and floral designer Baylor Chapman presents 100 living arrangements in her work, The Plant recipe Book. Believing that everyone can bring a little bit of greenery inside no matter…
Book Review: Beginner Gardening
DK’s book Beginner Gardening presents the basic principles involved in making and maintaining a garden from conception to birth. It breaks down the process into small segments and presents each…
Genus Cannas for the Garden
Canna is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the Cannaceae family that is most closely related to plants such as banana, ginger, and bird of paradise. It is native to…
Plant Profile: Indian Shot (Canna indica)
Indian shot is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the Cannaeceae family that is most closely related to ginger, banana, and bird of paradise. It is native to the…
Plant Profile: Snake Flower (Bulbine frutescens aka B. caulescens)
Snake flower is an evergreen perennial and is a member of the Asphodelaceae that also includes aloe, torch lily (Kniphofia), and foxtail lily (Eremus). It is native to southern Africa…
Plant Profile: Mallow Bindweed (Convolvulus althaeoides)
Mallow bindweed is a herbaceous perennial climbing vine and a member of the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, that also includes sweet potato, water spinach, and dodder. Native to southern Europe…