Plant Profile: Golden Tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Karen Known by several names including golden coreopsis, plains coreopsis, and calliopsis, this annual is native to much of the US especially the Great Plains and South where it grows in…
Weeds and Their Control: Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
Oriental bittersweet is a deciduous woody, climbing or trailing vine belonging to the bittersweet family, Celastraceae, that also includes crucifixion thorn and euonymus. It is native to northern China, Japan…
Book Review: The Tiny But Mighty Farm
Jill Ragan of YouTube’s Whispering Willow Farm, presents a guide to mini farming showing readers how to grow as much food as possible with as little land and as few…
Plant Profile: Lily of the Valley Tree (Clethra arborea)
This evergreen shrub or small tree is native to the semitropical forest of Madeira and is a member of the small plant family Clethraceae that is distantly related to azaleas.…
Plant Profile: Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana)
Native to scrub and chaparral of New South Wales, Australia, this evergreen shrub or small tree, is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes pea, lupines and…
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: Oven Wattle (Acacia pravissima)
Also known as wedge-leaved wattle and Tumut wattle, this evergreen shrub or small tree is native to southeastern Australia where it grows near streams or in moist sheltered sites, often…
Genus Witch Hazels for the Garden (Hamamelis spp)
Witch hazels, Hamamelis spp., are deciduous shrubs or small trees native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. They are in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes lorpetalum,…
Genus Winter Hazels (Corylopsis sp)
The genus Corylopsis consists of about 30 species in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes loropetalum and fothergill. They are native to eastern Asia, mainly China, but with…
Plant Profile: Japanese Star Anise (Illicium anisatum)
Native to Japan and Korea, this broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of the starvine family, Schisandraceae, consisting of 3 genera and 92 species. The plant grows…