Plant Profile: Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia)
Karen This evergreen shrub is native to western North American where it grows in chaparral and wooded areas in Oregon, California, Baja California and Arizona. It is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Bunchleaf Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus)
Also known as foothills penstemon and foothills beardtongue, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is endemic to California where it grows in grassland, chaparral, and forests of all of the major coastal…
Butterflies In The Garden and How to Attract Them: Common Sulphur (Colias philodice)garden
The common sulphur probably was originally a northern and eastern species but it has now spread and can be found coast to coast except in southern California, south Texas, and…
Plant Profile: Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)
Also called fly-trap dogbane and bitterroot, this lanky herbaceous perennial is a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes milkweed, bluestar, periwinkle, and oleander. It is native to…
Plant Profile: Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Buttonbush, also called honey-bells and button-willow, is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to wetlands such as swamps, marshes, riverbanks, and floodplains from New Brunswick and Minnesota south to…
Plant Profile: Sweet Pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia)
This suckering deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America where it may form dense colonies in moist to wet areas in woodlands and along the sea coast from Maine…
Plant Profile: Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata)
Also called blue wattle and mimosa, this flowering evergreen shrub or small tree is native to southeastern Australia including Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania . It is a member…
Plant Profile: Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Also called English thyme, this well branched aromatic evergreen shrub is native to the western Mediterranean region to southern Italy. It is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that…
Plant Profile: Cherry Laurel (Prunus lauroceraus aka P. officinalis)
Native to southeastern Europe and the Middle East this evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes, apple, lady’s mantle, and pyracantha.…
Plant Profile: Red Valerian/Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber)
Karen Meyers Also known as spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox’s brush, and devil’s beard, this herbaceous perennial or subshrub is native to the Mediterranean area. It is a member of the honeysuckle family,…