Drought Tolerant Plants: Annuals and Perennials with Blue, Lavender and Purple Flowers
Karen 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: Fraser’s Sedge (Carex fraseriana)
Also known as lily leaf sedge, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is endemic to the southern Appalachian mountains and a member the Cyperaceae, a plant family of over 2,000 species that…
Plant Profile: Indian Tobacco (Lobelia inflata)
Also known as puke weed, this herbaceous annual or biennial is native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada, south to Alabama and west to Kansas, where it grows in…
Plant Profile: Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
Native to moist rich woodlands of eastern North America and the Columbia Basin in the Pacific Northwest, this herbaceous perennial is a spring ephemeral and a member of the fumitory…
Plant Profile: Five Spot (Nemophila maculata)
Also known as five-spot baby or buffalo eyes, this trailing annual is endemic to California where it grows primarily in meadows and woodlands of the Sierra foothills. It is a…
Plant Profile: Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Also known by many other names including gloriosa daisy, this native of eastern and central North America is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow,…
Plant Profile: Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum)
Native to dry slopes of south coast ranges of California and northern Baja, this evergreen shrub is a member of the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae, that also includes mint, rosemary, and…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Attract ruby-throated hummingbirds, bumblebees and Baltimore checkerspot butterflies by adding a clump of this perennial with its flowers that resemble the head of a turtle peering out of its shell.…
Genus: Sisyrinchium (Blue-Eyed Grass) for the garden
Sisyrinchium is a genus of of about 200 species of annuals and herbaceous perennials native to the New World. The plants are not grasses and are in the iris family,…
Perennials for Wall Gardens in Full Sun
The crevices in walls provide an opportunity to create a beautiful wall garden but also present challenges. They usually have very little soil and so can dry out or get…