Genus: Clethra for the Garden
Karen Clethra is a genus 75 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the Clethraceae plant family, in the order Ericales that includes azaleas. There are two recognized species native…
Drought Tolerant Plants: Annuals and Perennials with Blue, Lavender and Purple Flowers
Water is essential for plant growth but plants vary greatly in their need for it. Since the amount of water on earth is finite but the demand is not, we…
Plant Profile: Fraser’s Sedge (Carex fraseriana)
Also known as lily leaf sedge, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is endemic to the southern Appalachian mountains and a member the Cyperaceae, a plant family of over 2,000 species that…
Plant Profile: Mountain Pepperbush (Clethra acuminata)
Also known as cinnamon pepperbush, this deciduous shrub or small tree is native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern US. It grows up to 8-20′ tall and has an…
Plant Profile: Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)
Also known as clammy azalea, and swamp honeysuckle, this flowering deciduous shrub is native to the wetlands of eastern and southern US and a member of the heath family, Ericaceae,…
Genus: Illicium for the Garden
Illicium is a genus of 40- 50 species of broadleaf evergreen shrubs and small trees and belong to the the starvine family, Schisandraceae. They are found principally in east and…
Poisonous Plants: Red Bugbane (Actaea rubra)
This herbaceous perennial is native to shady areas with moist to wet soils of most of North America except the southeast US (from Virginia to Texas). It is a member…
Plant Profile: Water Hyssop (Bacopa monniere)
Also called thyme-leafed gratiola, herb of grace, and Indian pennywort, this herbaceous perennial is native to moist to wet places such as on streams, river and pool margins, and in…
Plant Profile: Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila)
Native to shorelines and dunes in northern US from Maine to Montana, south to Virginia and Colorado, this deciduous shrub is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also…
Plant Profile: Indian Tobacco (Lobelia inflata)
Also known as puke weed, this herbaceous annual or biennial is native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada, south to Alabama and west to Kansas, where it grows in…