Gardens in Art: Medieval Hermit Garden-The Thebaid of Gherardo Starnina
Karen This Thebaid attributed to Gherardo Starnina (1354-1413) is one of many such painting that told the stories of some early Christian monks and hermits who went in the areas of…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Farm-Garden Complex
One of the best and most well-known sources of information on medieval gardening is Petrus Crescentius, jurist from Bologna Italy, who worte an agricultural treatise based on classical and medieval…
Gardens in Art: Medieval Monastic Garden-St. Gall
The plan of St. Gall dates from 820-830 AD and showed an ideal Benedictine monastic compound including buildings and gardens for a total of 110 monks, 115 visitors, and 150…
Plant Profile: Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)
This annual warm season herbaceous legume , also known as black-eye pea, southen pea, niebe, field pea, yardlong bean, and cowder pea, is probably native to west Africa where it…
Book Review: The Vegetables We Eat
Gail Gibbon’s book, The Vegetables We Eat, is both an introduction to the different kinds of vegetables and a mini botany lesson. Gibbons begins with the concepts of perennials and…
Book Review: Mostly Plants
Based on the concept of the flexitarian diet, Mostly Plants presents an approach to eating that shifts the ratio of food from animals to plants. This approach is very useful…
Plant Profile: Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)
This Mediterranean native is a thistle-like tender perennial and a member of the Aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and artichoke. Plants form an impressive 3′ tall clump…
Growing Plants From Seed: Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo)
The summer squash include patty pan, yellow crookneck, and zucchini. These squash will cross pollinate with other summer squash varieties but not with other squash species (for example winter squash…
Plant Profile: Mountain Spinach (Atriplex hortensis)
Also known as orache, this annual is a member of the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, that also includes beets, quinoa, and lamb’s quarters. It is native to Asia and Euroe and…
Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control
The Gardener’s Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control explains the concepts and techniques of an environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that uses information on pest life cycles and their interaction…