Wildflowers: Iris Native to the Pacific Coast
Karen Meyers Iris is a genus of 310 species and is in the plant family Iridaceae that also included gladiolus, crocus and freesia. The plants are all perennial and grow from rhizomes…
Meadow Garden: Native Sedges
Sedges offer numerous benefits to meadows and some can be used instead of turf grass for lawns. They are aesthetically pleasing and play a significant role in in the ecological…
Groundcovers for Shade: Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Karen Lily of the valley is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere and grows best where summers are warm but not hot. Each plant…
Groundcovers for Shade: Hardy Begonia (Begonia grandis)
Blooming from mid-summer to through fall, this herbaceous perennial produces white or pink male and female flowers 1″ across in pendant clusters on the same plant. Branching stems carry heart-shaped…
Groundcovers for Shade: Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
With delicate sprays of dainty flowers and handsome foliage, this rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial brightens up the garden from spring until fall. The forget-me-not-like flowers with true` blue petals surrounding a…
Groundcovers for Shade: Canadian Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
A native of woodlands in Eastern North America, this herbaceous perennial has bright green, deciduous, kidney-shaped leaves. They are up to seven inches across and carried on hairy petioles one…
Plant Profile: Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Native to Japan and north-central China, this evergreen herbaceous perennial also called carpet box, is a member of the boxwood family, Buxaceae. It grows 8-12″ tall from a rhizomateous root…
Ground Covers for Shade: Deadnettle (Lamium maculata)
Native to Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia, this semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial forms attractive mats of silvery green leaves with large silver blotches on the upper surface. The 1″ long…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum) “Madonna’s Milk”
The name “Madonna’s Milk” for Lamium maculatum probably arose from Christian folklore and medieval plant symbolism. The white markings on the leaves of spotted dead nettle probably suggested drops of…
Plant Profile: Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
This evergreen perennial fern is native to eastern North America from Florida and eastern Texas north to Nova Scotia and west to Minnesota where it grows in shady woodlands, stream…