Plant Profile: Hollow Root (Corydalis cava) Our Lady’s Hens
Karen Meyers The link between Corydalis cava and the Virgin Mary rests on two features of the plant, its rootstock and its cluster of flowers. The rootstock consists of a hollow tuber…
Plant Profile: Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
Karen Native to moist rich woodlands of eastern North America and the Columbia Basin in the Pacific Northwest, this herbaceous perennial is a spring ephemeral and a member of the fumitory…
Name This Plant Game: Spring Ephemerals 1
Chuck This simple game tests your gardening knowledge by identifying five plants shown in photos from a list of possible names. Photos of each plant are accompaned by a clue describing…
Plant Profile: Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
The delicate flowers of rue anemone are held in clusters of three to five flowers with the center flower being larger than the lateral ones. They are borne on slender…
Plant Profile: Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
When I read the Wind in the Willow to my granddaughter I envision the woodland where the animals wander filled with these delicate flowers. The white to pale pink flowers…
Plant Profile: Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)
A carpet of Virginia Bluebells in spring is a magnificent sight! These clump forming native plants colonize and naturalize readily providing beauty to a woodland garden for about 3 weeks…
Plant Profile: Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
One of the most endearing wild flowers is the dogtooth violet also called trout lily. The yellow nodding flower with its recurved petals and long brown stamens is borne singly…
Seven Secrets to a Successful Shade Garden
People often tell me that they love to garden but that the trees on their lot create so much shade they can’t do much. I usually smile sympathetically and listen…
The Beauty of Spring Ephemerals
The unique characteristics of spring ephemerals are discussed and many examples are given and described.