Plant Profile: Japanese Clethra (Clethra barbinervis)
Karen This deciduous shrub or small tree is native to the open mountain forests of southern China, Japan and Korea and is a member of the small plant family, Clethraceae, and…
Plant Profile: Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana)
Native to scrub and chaparral of New South Wales, Australia, this evergreen shrub or small tree, is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes pea, lupines and…
Book Review: The Herb Gardening Handbook
Author Andrew Perry in his book The Herb Gardening Handbook, presents a beginner’s guide to growing and harvesting herbs. As founder of Urban Herbs, an online retailer of unusual and…
Plant Profile: Prickly Moses (Acacia verticillata
Also known as prickly-leaved wattle, star-leaved acacia, prickly mimosa, and whorl-leaved acacia, this flowering evergreen shrub or small tree is native to southeast Australia including Tasmania. It is a member…
Genus Daphnes for the Gardens
The genus Daphne is made up of over 70 evergreen or deciduous shrubs native to Asia, Europe and north Africa and is a member of the family Thymelaeaceae, a group…
Genus Witch Hazels for the Garden (Hamamelis spp)
Witch hazels, Hamamelis spp., are deciduous shrubs or small trees native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. They are in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes lorpetalum,…
Plant Profile: Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume aka Prunopsis mume)
Native to forests and stream sides of China, this deciduous tree is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes cherries, almonds, and lady’s mantle. It grows 15-20′…
Winter Blooming Shrubs
Winter can be bleak but it doesn’t have to be. With judicious planting a winter garden can provide welcome relief from the gray cold day that plague most of during…
Genus: Clethra for the Garden
Clethra is a genus 75 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the Clethraceae plant family, in the order Ericales that includes azaleas. There are two recognized species native…
Plant Profile: Sternbergia candida
Native to the edges of cedar woods in south-west turkey, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the Amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, that also includes agapanthus, daffodils and onion. The plant…