Plant Profile: California Lilac (Ceanothus tomentosus)
Karen California lilac is a beautiful sight in spring when it is covered with blue blooms and the rest of the year its evergreen foliage provides texture and interest with its…
Plant Profile: Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Grown for its glossy, leathery evergreen fronds, Christmas fern makes an attractive addition to a woodland garden all year long. It is clump-forming and compact, and stays neat looking all…
Plant Profile: New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis)
I am partial to ferns so I am likely to incorporate almost any fern into my garden but this fern offers some unique characteristics that make it special. It forms…
Plant Profile: Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea)
Anyone who has seen the huge blue flowers of this columbine under the blue skies of the Rocky Mountains knows what a special plant this is. So special, in fact,…
Plant Profile: Broadleaf Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)
A native of dry plains and open mountain woodlands at medium elevations from Colorado to Arizona and Texas, broadleaf paintbrush is a colorful short-lived perennial that brightens the garden for…
Plant Profile: Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
Heat and drought tolerant, this native of the southern Great Plains to Arizona and northern New Mexico makes an excellent plant for rock gardens or border plant in desert gardens…
Plant Profile: Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpureum)
Purple praire clover is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, that also includes lupines, mimosa, and black locust. It is native to central North America…
Plant Profile: Aromatic Aster (Aster oblongifolius)
Asters are always welcome in the fall when other plants are fading, and aromatic aster is one of the last asters to bloom. A profusion of blue flowers with yellow…
Plant Profile: Lance-leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Lance-leaved coreopsis is one of those great plants that looks good in the border as well as in a meadow. It is long blooming and tough and spreads into vigorous…
Plant Profile: Broad leaved Shooting Star (Dodecatheon hendersonii)
Growing from a tuft of basal leaves, a slender shoot bears clusters of nodding magenta flowers with reflexed petals around a dark column of stamens and style. A native of…