Plants for a Plant Zoo: Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides)
Karen How about a plant zoo turf that does not need fertilizer, pesticides, or frequent mowing? Buffalo grass might be the answer and it has the additional benefits of being attractive,…
Plant Profile: Sticky Monkey Flower (Diplacus aurantiacus aka Mimulus aurantiacus)
Native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California, to Baja California, this evergreen subshrub is a member of the lopseed family, Phrymaceae, a small family…
Book Review: The Twilight Garden
Karen Meyers The evening can be on of the most wonderful times to enjoy a garden and author, Lia Leendertz, explores the joys of a garden that can be appreciated as much…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Alfalfa Butterfly (Colias eurythreme)garden
Alfalfa butterflies, also called orange sulphurs, are one of the most widespread butterflies in the US occurring coast to coast except in Florida. They can be found in a wide…
Plant Profile: Canyon Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa aka Echeveria cymosa)
Native to rocky cliffs and steep slopes at low elevations in the mountains in southern Oregon and California, this evergreen succulent perennial is a member of the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae,…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Gopher Apple (Licania michauxii aka Geobalanus oblongifolius)
If you live along the southeast coastline and want to attract the gopher tortoise, this wiry evergreen shrub provides a fruit that is favored by this very special reptile. Why…
Plant Profile: Heartleaf Penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia aka Penstemon cordifolius)
Native to chaparral and woodlands of the coast and coastal mountains of southern California and northern Baja California, this summer deciduous shrub is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae,…
Book Review: Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens
Gardenlust, by garden designer, Christopher Woods, is a virtual tour of 50 unique 21st century gardens around the world. From the Chihyly Garden and Glass in Seattle, Washington, and the…
Weeds and their Control: Rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis)
Also called cat’s bell, this herbaceous annual is native to India and Southeast Asia but was introduced the southeastern US, probably as green manure, but it escaped cultivation, naturalized, and…
Plant Profile: Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
Also known as wedgeleaf ceanothus, this evergreen shrub is native to Oregon, California, and northern Baja California, where it grows in several habitats, especially chaparral. It is a member of…