Plant Profile: Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Karen Native to Eurasia, this short lived herbaceous perennial is also known as catmint and is a member of the mint family, Labiaceae, that also includes rosemary, basil, and beebalm. Plants…
Plant Profile: Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii)
It is difficult to resist a plant with the name “turtlehead’. I knew it as a child when it grew along a stream near my home forming a great mass…
Plant Profile: ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’)
When I saw a picture of this in a perennial nursery catalogue I had my doubts that it would live up to expectations but I ordered it anyway and found…
Plant Profile: Turf Lily (Lirope muscari)
This evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to China,Korea,and Japan where it grows as an understory plant in shady forests. It is a member of the asparagus family, Asparagaceae, that also…
Plant Profile: Hardy Verbena (Verbena x hybrida)
Chuck Every year I look forward to seeing the two large patches of hardy verbena that I have at one entrance to my formal garden. I grow the cultivar ‘Homestead Purple’…
Five Fabulous Perennials to Get Rid of the Summer Blahs
By the time August rolls around my garden usually looks like it needs a new lease on life. The heat and humidity have taken their toil, the insects, fungi, and…
Plant Profile: Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’)
When I first saw this plant over ten years ago I was thrilled by its unique look: black leaves. Of course there really are no truly black leaves in nature…
Plant Profile: Hardy Iceplant ( Delospera cooperi)
Hardy iceplant is a tough little plant as long as it doesn’t get too much water. The succulent leaves form a dense low growing mat and appear to have tiny…
Plant Profile: Pigsqueak (Bergenia cordifolia)
Native to Russia, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the Saxifragaceae family that also includes foam flower, coral bells, and astilbe. The plants form a rosette of shiny, heart-shaped…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Chinese Astilbe (Astilbe chinensis var. pumila)
I used to think of astilbes in general as needing shade and moisture until I met this one. It thrives in shade and moist soil but it tolerates considerably more…