How to Cut and Condition Dahlias
Karen If you grow dahlias you may want to enjoy them in an arrangement. The stems of dahlias are hollow and they have to be full of water in order last…
Plant Profile: Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) ‘Taplow Blue’)
Globe thistle is a clump forming herbaceous perennial native to Asia and central to eastern Europe. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow…
Garden Journal: July 12, 2009
Lots of sun and heat this past week but little rain so we have had to turn on the irrigation and do a lot of hand watering. Most plants seem…
Plant Profile: Butterfly Weed (Ascelpias tuberosa)
This clump-forming, long-lived, herbaceous perennial is native to eastern North America where it tends to grow on dry soil in full sun . It is a member of the dogbane…
Plant Profile: Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis ‘Blue Danube’)
I always look forward to the flowering of Stokesia. It only blooms for 3-4 weeks in my garden but its flowers are very special. Their color is a fusion of…
Plant Profile: Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Native to meadows, woodland borders and streamsides of eastern and central US, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the bean family, Fabaceae, that also includes lupine, mimosa, and black…
Plant Profile: Star of Persia (Allium albopilosum syn. A. christophii)
Five large amethyst-violet spheres with silver highlights are emerging from the soil in my garden like space ships. Ah…it is Allium albopilosum time. These beautiful globes held on their 24”…
Plant Profile: Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Lily of the valley is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere and grows best where summers are warm but not hot. Each plant…
Plant Profile: Fothergill (Fothergill gardenii)
Native to moist areas of Southeast US, this compact deciduous shrub is a member of the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, that also includes Persian ironwood, and loropetalum. Growing up to…
Plant Profile: Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
Candytuft is a woody-based herbaceous perennial native to southern Europe and a member of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae, that also includes mustard, broccoli, and Alyssum. The fine dark green leathery…