Plant Profile: Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Karen Native to Japan and north-central China, this evergreen herbaceous perennial also called carpet box, is a member of the boxwood family, Buxaceae. It grows 8-12″ tall from a rhizomateous root…
Plant Profile: Treasure Flower (Ganzania rigens)
Also called African daisy, this native to South Africa and Mozambique is a spreading tender perennial that has become naturalized on the shores of the Mediterranean and is now considered…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum) “Madonna’s Milk”
Karen Meyers The name “Madonna’s Milk” for Lamium maculatum probably arose from Christian folklore and medieval plant symbolism. The white markings on the leaves of spotted dead nettle probably suggested drops of…
Plant Profile: Crystalline Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
This evergreen prostrate annual or biennial is native to southern Africa, Sinai, Canary Islands, and southern Europe where it grows on cliffs, coastal bluffs, sand dunes and disturbed areas. It…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Heather (Calluna vulgaris) “Our Lady’s Adversary”
The connection between heather and the Virgin Mary is obscure and speculative. Most of the legends about heather come from areas where it grows abundantly, such as Scotland, Ireland, 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: Prostrate Sand Verbena (Abronia umbellata)
Also known as beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena, this tender perennial is often grown as an annual and is a member of the four o’clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that…
Plant Profile: Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum aka Asperula odorata)
Also known as sweetscented bedstraw, this herbaceous perennial is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that also includes gardenia and…
Plant Profile: Redwood Inside-Outside Flower (Vancouveria planipetala aka V. parviflora)
Also known as redwood ivy, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is a member of the barberry family, Berberidaceae, that also includes nandina, mahonia, and epimedium. It is native to northwestern California…
Plant Profile: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis aka Chamaemelum nobile)
Also known as English chamomile, garden chamomile, ground apple, low chamomile, mother’s daisy or whig plant, this herbaceous perennial is native to dry sunny fields of Western Europe and northwestern…