Book Review: Grow
Karen Meyers Riz Reyes’ book, Grow, is a beautiful introduction to 14 plants and one fungus. Written for children ages 8-12 in grades 3-7, the book present the plants and fungus as…
Groundcovers for Shade: Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
Karen With delicate sprays of dainty flowers and handsome foliage, this rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial brightens up the garden from spring until fall. The forget-me-not-like flowers with true` blue petals surrounding a…
Plant Profile: Rose Glory Bower (Clerodendrum bungei)
Also called, Mexican hydrangea, this suckering deciduous shrub is native to China, Vietnam, and Taiwan where it grows along roadsides and on mountainous slopes of mixed forests. It is a…
Plants for a Mary: Longleaf Speedwell (Veronica longafolia aka Pseudolysimachion longifolium) Our Lady’s Faith
The link between Veronica longafolia and the Virgin Mary is vague but probably began in the Middle Ages when the plant was believed to have medicinal properties and was used…
Plant Profile: Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
Although there are many perennial sunflowers there is only one annual that is garden worthy but that one has dozens of cultivars and is very popular. A native of western…
Book Review: Designing with Dried Flowers
Designing with Dried Flowers, by Hannah Rose Rivers Muller, is based on the extensive experience of the author growing, harvesting, drying, and arranging flowers on her 400 acre, organic farm…
Groundcovers for Shade: Canadian Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
A native of woodlands in Eastern North America, this herbaceous perennial has bright green, deciduous, kidney-shaped leaves. They are up to seven inches across and carried on hairy petioles one…
Plant Profile: Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Native to Japan and north-central China, this evergreen herbaceous perennial also called carpet box, is a member of the boxwood family, Buxaceae. It grows 8-12″ tall from a rhizomateous root…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis aka Chamaemelum nobile) Mary’s Plant
Roman Chamomile has been valued for over 2000 years. The ancient Egyptians associated it with their sun god, Ra, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it medicinally to promote…
Plant Profile: Rubber Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus aka Ericameria nauseosus)
Rubber rabbitbrush is a deciduous shrub and a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisies, yarrow, and lettuce. It is naive to the western third of the…