This tender perennial, usually grown as an annual, is native to Madagascar where it grows on sand and limestone soils in woodlands, forests, grasslands and disturbed areas. When grown in…
Terresa Sabankaya’s recent work, The Posy Book, celebrates the Victorian love for the language of flowers with fresh ideas on creating bouquets that convey meaning and express special feelings. The…
Also called clotbur, donkey bur, heartleaf, and woolgarie bur, this summer annual is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes sunflower, yarrow, and lettuce. It’s native range…
This perennial evergreen fern is a member of the spleenwort family, Aspleniaceae, that also includes maiden-hair fern, bird’s nest fern, and eared lady fern. It is native to central and…
In her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines (published in 1909), my paternal grandmother, Helen S. Wright, included 8 recipes for gooseberry wine. Although Grandmother did not specify…
Also known as marsh rosemary and sea foam, this herbaceous perennial is native to the coasts of the Canary Islands but is valued as a garden plant worldwide. It is…
Sharee Miller tells the story of Michelle Obama’s White house vegetable garden in her book, Michell’s Garden. The author begins when Michelle was a child and loved the vegetables her…
Caused by the fungus, Botrytis cinerea, gray mold is responsible for a variety of diseases including damping off and blights. It affects the flowers, fruits, stems and foliage of over…
Also known as five-spot baby or buffalo eyes, this trailing annual is endemic to California where it grows primarily in meadows and woodlands of the Sierra foothills. It is a…
Native to the Middle East and Asia this deciduous shrub or small tree is a member of the mulberry family, Moraceae, that also includes banyan, breadfruit, and Osage-orange. The edible…
Karen 
Karen Meyers