The connection between heather and the Virgin Mary is obscure and speculative. Most of the legends about heather come from areas where it grows abundantly, such as Scotland, Ireland, and…
Also known as beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena, this tender perennial is often grown as an annual and is a member of the four o’clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that…
Also known as sweetscented bedstraw, this herbaceous perennial is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that also includes gardenia and…
This evergreen subshrub is probably a cross of A. armenum and A. grandiflorum. It is a member of the mustard family, Brassicaceae, that also includes broccoli, cabbage, and asylum. Plants…
Also called cat’s foot and mountain everlasting, this semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to western and north-central US where it grows in many different habitats. It is a member of…
Rock purslane is a tender perennial usually grown as an annual. Native to western North America it is a member of the Montiaceae family that also includes Lewisia and Claytonia.…
This low growing, spreading evergreen shrub is a cultivar of a plant native to the Mediterranean and a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, that also includes beebalm, basal, and…
Persian stonecress is an evergreen rounded subshrub native to eastern Turkey, the southern Caucasus, and northern Iran where it grows on limestone slopes . It is a member of the…
Armeria maritima is associated with the Flight into Egypt by the Holy Family which is described in the Gospel of Matthew (2: 13-15). According to this account, after the birth…
This mat-forming semi-evergreen tender perennial is native to South Africa where it grows along mountain streams and damp edges of forest clearings. It is a member of the figwort family,…
Karen Meyers 
Karen