Plant Profile: Poached Egg Plant (Limnanthes douglasii)
Karen Also known as Douglas’s meadowfoam, this fast growing annual is native to grassy wet areas of California and Washington, and is a member of a small plant family, Limnanthaceae, consisting…
Plant Profile: Winter Daphne (Daphne odora)
Native to southern China, Vietnam and Taiwan, this broadleaf evergreen shrub is a member of the Thymelaeaceae, a plant family of just under 900 species, most of which are unfamiliar…
Book Review: The Flowerpot Forager
In his book, The Flowerpot Forager, author Stuart Ovenden’s introduces the topic of growing wild plants in pots for culinary use and then gives plant profiles and recipes for 30…
Book Review: The Herb Gardening Handbook
Author Andrew Perry in his book The Herb Gardening Handbook, presents a beginner’s guide to growing and harvesting herbs. As founder of Urban Herbs, an online retailer of unusual and…
Plant Profile: Abelia schumanni (aka Linnaea parvifolia)
Native to the deep valleys of mountain forests in China, this evergreen to deciduous shrub is a member of the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, that also includes weigela, pincushion flower and…
Book Review: Containers in the Garden
Karen Meyers Containers in the Garden by Danish floral designer, Claus Dalby, is a showcase for the unique potted gardens that the author produces with containers. Written like a garden journal, the…
Plant Profile: Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum aka Brodiaea uniflora aka Triteleia uniflora)
Also known as springstar, Mexican star and starlikes, this herbaceous perennial is native to Argentina and Uruguay and is a member of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, that also includes onion,…
Drought Tolerant Plants: Annuals with White Flowers
Water is essential for plant growth but plants vary greatly in their need for it. Since the amount of water on earth is finite but the demand is not, we…
Plant Profile: “Headbourne Hybrid’ Agapanthus (Agapanthus x “Headbough Hybrids’)
These rhizomatous perennials are hybrids that include in their parentage A. campanulatus, A. inapertus, A. praecox, and probably some others. They are members of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, that also…
Plant Profile: Lace Aloe (Aloe aristata)
Also called torch plant, this tender succulent perennial is native to South Africa and Lesotho and is member of the Asphodelaceae plant family that also includes red hot poker, foxtail…