Book Review: Wild Remedies
Karen Wild Remedies is a holistic guide to connecting with nature by developing a mutually beneficial relationship with plants. It focuses on the ethical and sustainable use of native plants for…
Weeds and Their Control: Corn Spurry (Spergula arvensis)
Corn spurry is an annual weed and member of the pink family, Caryophyllaceae, that also includes carnations, baby’s breath, and chickweed. It is native to Eurasia but was introduced into…
Plant Profile: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
This deciduous holly is native to eastern North America from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Alabama where it grows in wetlands such as bogs, swamps, and along…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Sherry Wine
Karen Meyers Sherry wine, usually just called sherry, is a fortified wine made from white grapes and originally from Jerez in southern Spain. Its history goes back to ancient times when the…
Plant Profile: Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum aka Swida amomum)
Also known as pale dogwood, swamp dogwood, red willow, silky cornel, kinnikinnick, and squawbush this deciduous shrub is native to parts of Canada and eastern and central US, from Vermont…
Book Review: Held By The Land
In Held By the Land, author Leigh Joseph presents a sensitive and unique approach to building a relationship with our natural surrounds. As an ethnobotanist and member of the Squamish…
Weeds and Their Control: Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
Spotted knapweed is an aggressive short-lived perennial brought to North America from Eurasia in the 1890s in contaminated crop seed. Since then it has spread to almost every state in…
Plant Profile: Blue Haw (Viburnum cassinoides)
Also known as Appalachian tea, wild raisin, swamp haw, withe-rod and witherrod viburnum, this deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America from Newfoundland to Manitoba and Minnesota, south to…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Native to woodlands in colder parts of Europe and Asia, this herbaceous perennial grows 6-12″ tall from a rhizomatous root system and often form large colonies. Each plant has one…
Plant Profile: Smooth Witherod (Viburnum nudum)
Also known as withe-rod, possumhaw, and wild raisin, this deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America where it lives in swamps, bogs, and low woods. It is a member…