Meadow Garden: Native Flowering Annuals
Karen Meyers Native annuals can be used to enhance the meadow garden in many ways. Most annuals bloom with vibrant colors over a long bloom time and are easy to grow from…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Fuller’s Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) “Our Lady’s Little Brushes”
The association between the the Virgin Mary and fuller’s teasel is tenuous and rests on tradition and folklore rather than on biblical evidence. According to legend, Mary was dedicated to…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Mary’s Bedstraw, Mary’s Humility
For thousands of years thyme has enjoyed great respect and usage. As early as 2750 BC the ancient Sumerians used thyme as a poultice and antiseptic and the Egyptians used…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Garden Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica) “Our Lady’s Eardrops”
The name Our Lady’s Eardrops for Fuchsia magellanica is relatively recent and is based on the shape and appearance of its flowers. The plant was introduced to Europe in the…
Plant Profile: Woodbine (Lonicera periclymenum)
Also known as European honeysuckle, this twining deciduous shrub has a vine-like growth habit. It is native to woodlands, hedgerows and scrublands of Europe, North Africa and western Asia and…
Plant Profile: Turk’s Cap Lily (Lilium martagon)
Known since 1568, this herbaceous perennial is a native of Europe and Asia. It is a member of the Liliaceae plant family that also includes tulips, fritillaries, and Quamash. Plants…
Plant Profile: Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
This clump-forming herbaceous perennial is native to woodlands of eastern US from Maine to Georgia and west to the Dakotas and Oklahoma. It is a member of the Geraniaceae plant…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpoides) “Eyes of Mary”
The small, delicate, blue forget-me-not flowers link the plant to the Virgin Mary. The modest, yet beautiful appearance of the flowers reflects Mary’s humility and the blue color symbolizes her…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Larkspur (Consolida ajacis aka C. ambigua) “Mary’s Tears’
The name “Mary’s Tears” is derived from the resemblance of the droplet-shaped larkspur flowers to tears and is associated with the sorrow and compassion of Mary especially during the Passion…
Plant Profile: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides)
Also known as scorpion grass, this rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that also includes lungwort, heliotrope, and Siberian bugloss. It is native to Europe and Asia…