Genus: Heucheras for the Garden
Karen The genus Heuchera is in the saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae, that also includes foamflower (tiarella), pigsqueak, and false spirea (Astilbe). It consists of over fifty species of herbaceous perennials that are…
Plant Profile: Stemless Carline Thistle (Carlina acaulis)
Also called dwarf thistle and silver thistle, this short-lived herbaceous perennial is a native of alpine regions of central and southern Europe where it grows in poor soil in dry…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
Baby’s breath is a herbaceous perennial native to central and eastern Europe and central and western Asia but naturalized in North America and is now considered invasive from new Brunswick…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Oxeye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum aka Leucanthemum vulgare)
Oxeye daisy is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to Europe and Asia but was introduced to North America and is now found throughout the US where it grows in lawns,…
Plant Profile: Chinese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi)
Also called bladder cherry and strawberry ground cherry, this herbaceous perennial is native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. It is a member of the nightshade family, Solonaceae, that…
Genus Alchemilla for the Garden
Alchemilla is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the rose family (Rosaceae) that also includes cherries, spirea, and hawthorn. Most of the three hundred species of the genus live in…
Plant Profile: Hyssop (Hysoppus officinalis)
Hyssop is a small semi-evergreen subshrub up to 24″ tall native to southern Europe, the Middle East, and the area around the Caspian sea but has naturalized in parts of…
Plant Profile: Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
Virginia mountain mint is a herbaceous perennial native to eastern US from Maine and north Dakota, south to Georgia and Oklahoma where it grows in wet prairies, and on stream…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Common Bird’s-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
This herbaceous perennial is also known as eggs and bacon and bird’s-foot deer vetch and is native to grasslands of Eurasia and North Africa. It was introduced to the US…
Plant Profile: x Solidaster luteus ‘Lemore’
This herbaceous perennial is the result of a cross between two plants native to North America, Aster ptarmicoides and Solidago canadensis (goldenrod). From its aster parent it inherited a more…