A Visit to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California, March 2010
Karen If you are lucky enough to visit this garden in March, after the rainy season, you are in for a big treat. You probably expect to see lots of cactus…
Plant Profile: Netted Iris (Iris reticulata)
This iris, native to the area of the Caucausus makes its appearance early, about the time that the snow drops, glory-of-the-snow and early crocuses bloom. One of my favorite early…
Plant Profile: Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda)
Native to southeastern Europe, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria Grecian windflower is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes delphinium, clematis, and hellebore. The plants grow…
Eight Interesting Facts about Aphids and Suggestions for Control
Does your heart sink when you see a favorite plant covered with tiny insects exuding a sticky gop, perhaps accompanied by a black dust? You can see that the insects…
Plant Profile: Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
If you looked at the botanic name for winter honeysuckle you probably noticed a word you partially recognized, “fragrantissima”. If you take off the suffix –issima, the name tells you…
A Visit to the Getty Center Gardens, March, 2010
A March visit to the Getty Center Garden introduced us to a very different look we had from past visits in the summer, fall and winter. Just as the art…
Plant Profile: Spike Winter Hazel (Corylopsis spicata)
Native to Japan, this flowering deciduous shrub is in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes fothergill and loropetalum. The unusual fragrant flowers that appear in late winter to…
What is a Bulb?
When spring arrives bulbs like tulips and narcissus come up and bloom everywhere. As summer approaches you watch for bulbs like gladiolas and lilies. And in autumn you might see…
Plant Profile: Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
The bright yellow flowers of Winter Aconite stand out against the bare soil or the winter snow in late winter to early spring, a great reminder that spring really is…
Japanese Rice Art
Here’s a unique garden idea from Japan; growing different colored plants to create a picture. The Japanese do it with rice and the pictures they create are huge, covering a…