Plant Profile: Purple Anise (Illicium floridanum aka I. mexicanum)
Karen Also known as Florida anise tree and poison bay, this broadleaf evergreen shrub is a member of the starvine family, Schisandraceae, consisting of 3 genera and 92 species. It is…
Plant Profile: Japanese Star Anise (Illicium anisatum)
Native to Japan and Korea, this broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of the starvine family, Schisandraceae, consisting of 3 genera and 92 species. The plant grows…
Plant Profile: False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
This deciduous shrub is native to North America from eastern Canada throughout much of the US and into northern Mexico, where it grows along stream and pond edges, moist open…
Plant Profile: Bigelow Sneezeweed (Helenium bigelovii)
Native to moist mediows, streamsides, and marshes of California and Oregon this herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow and lettuce. It…
Trees for Watersides
A weeping willow tree planted beside a pond inspired Monet’s picture and still holds the attention of the thousands of tourists who visit Monet’s garden at Giverny. Water features can…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Monkey Plant (Mimulus ringens)
What could be more charming and enticing than monkeys in the garden? Monkey flower is a bushy herbaceous perennial with lots of lilac-blue (occasionally pink or white) flowers that resemble…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
The bright red flowers of this North American herbaceous perennial will light up dark, moist areas of the garden for 4-6 weeks from late summer into fall . The plants…
Plant Profile: Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris aka Onoclea struthiopteris)
Native to eastern North America, Europe, and eastern Asia, this clump-forming, deciduous fern is a member of the Onocleaceae, a small plant family of ferns distinguished by having two kinds…
Plants of the Bible: Calamus (Acornus calamus)
This aquatic perennial goes by many name including beewort, flag root, gladdon, myrtle flag, sweet flag, pine root, sea sedge and sweet cane. It is native to Asia and Europe…
Plant Profile: Sweet Flag (Acornum calamus)
This aquatic perennial goes by many name including beewort, calamus, flag root, gladdon, myrtle flag, pine root, sea sedge and sweet cane. It is native to Asia and Europe where…