Book Review: A Handful of Dirt
Karen Raymond Bial’s book, A Handful of Dirt, is photographic essay about soil. Written for children ages 7-10, it covers the important and formation of soil as well as the many…
Rabbit Resistant Plants for the Garden: Spring Blooming Perennials for Sun
Few things are more discouraging that having a beautiful garden eaten by the rabbits. Few plants seem to be off limits for rabbits and tender new growth is especially appealing.…
Plant Profile: Winter Begonia (Bergenia ciliata)
Also called fringed bergenia and hairy leaf bergenia, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the Saxifragaceae family that also includes foamflower (Tiarella), coral bells (Heuchera), and astilbe. It is…
Spring Blooming Perennials with Yellow Flowers for the Garden
It is no coincidence that yellow is used for most traffic signs because it is the most visible of all colors. By using yellow in the garden you can make…
Plant Profile: Rose ‘Hawkeye Belle’
Bred for hardiness, this rose has Hybrid Tea shaped flowers with high centers at first and petals with creamy white edges and blush pink centers. The strongly scented flowers are…
Book Review: On Vegetables
Known for his inventive vegetable dishes, author and chef, Jeremy Fox presents recipes for seventy five signature dishes and seventy five larder recipes in his book, On Vegetables. Although not…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Mulberry Wine
The berries of several species of mulberry tree can be made into wine. Some of the available ones in the US include white mulberry (Morus alba), native to East Asia…
Plant Profile: White False indigo (Baptisia leucantha aka Baptisia alba var. macrophylla)
White false indigo is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes peas, mimosa, and lupine.it is native to North American where is grows…
The Language of Flowers: Bird’s Foot Trefoil (Lotus spp.)
There are several species of bird’s foot trefoil, the most common of which is common bird’s foot trefoil, Lotus corniculatus. It is a herbaceous perennial and member of the pea…
Plant Profile: Death Camus (Toxicoscordion venenosus aka Zigadenus venenosus)
Also known as black snakeroot, this herbaceous perennial bulb is a member of the bunchflower family, Melanthiaceae, that also includes trillium and false hellebores. It is native to western North…