Plant Profile: Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)
Karen For bright orange colored berries in the garden during the fall and winter you can’t beat firethorn. The berries (actually a fruit related to an apple) can persist into winter…
Plant Profile: Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
The culinary herb, chives, is a bulb-forming herbaceous perennial native to temperate areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a member of the Amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae , and…
Plant Profile: Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
Snapdragons are tender perennials usually grown as annual and are native to Europe, North Africa and the US. They are members of the plantago family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes foxgloves,…
Plant Profile: Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Native to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, this perennial grass is a member of the grass family, Poaceae, that also includes bamboo, rice, and corn. Plants form large clumps of arching,…
Plant Profile: Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima aka Nasellela tenuissima)
Also known as ponytail grass, finestem needle grass, fineleaved nassella and Argentine needle-grass this perennial grass is native to south-western US, northern Mexico and Argentina. It is a member of…
Plant Profile: Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) ‘Strawberry Fields’
Globe amaranth is an annual in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, that also includes Russian thistle, beet, and spinach. Native to Texas and Mexico, it grows 1-3′ tall, depending on the…
Plant Profile: Mountain Bluet (Centaurea montana)
Also known as perennial bachelor’s button and montane knapweed, this clump forming herbaceous perennial is native to the upper montaine and sub-alpine zones of Europe where it grows in meadows…
Plant Profile: Spike Winter Hazel (Corylopsis spicata)
Native to Japan, this flowering deciduous shrub is in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes fothergill and loropetalum. The unusual fragrant flowers that appear in late winter to…
Plant Profile: Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)
Pussy willow is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to moist and wet soils of northern regions of North America including parts of the US. It is a member…
The Story of the Olympic Bouquet, Vancouver, 2010
When the winners are given their medals at the Olympic Games, do you look at the bouquets? I do. Every medallist gets one and this year at the winter games…