November 14, 2024
Potpourri
Making potpourri from flowers is an easy dried-flower craft. It smells lovely and makes a great gift and looks pretty in bowls, baskets, and jars, reminding us of summer.
October 31, 2024
Magical Powers
Plant symbolism from ancient times is still noticeable in our language as well. We talk of the strength of an oak, the purity of a lily, and an olive branch for peace.
October 24, 2024
Our Native Rudbeckia
No one has been able to discover the identity of the Susan who gave her name to this easily grown garden perennial.
October 17, 2024
Our Native Lilies
One spectacular lily is Lilium superb, spelled “superbum,” but it is not pronounced as it is spelt. Its petals recurve, so a common name is Turk's cap.
October 10, 2024
Our Native Physostegia
The Latin name “Physostegia” refers to the calyx, which covers their seed pods. “Physa” means bladder and “stege” means a covering.
October 3, 2024
Our Native Solidago
When goldenrods are in bloom, it indicates that fall is in the air...and they do NOT cause hay fever (That is ragweed!), as the pollen of goldenrod is too heavy to be dispersed by the wind.
September 26, 2024
Our Native Lobelia
The lobelia family is extremely diverse but there are two American natives that are hardy perennials: Lobelia cardinalis and Lobelia siphilitica.
September 18, 2024
Wild Petunia
Many years ago, I bought a perennial plant at a nursery, and after I planted it, found that there was a ride-along plant in the pot. It was a wild petunia.
September 12, 2024
Our Native Liatris
There are few flowers like liatris in the flower world, as the blooms open on top of the stalks first, and the ones on the bottom open last.
September 5, 2024
Heuchera sanguinea
Coral bells flowers from spring into fall if it has moist, rich soil. Plant masses of coral bells in the front of your borders and water them well.
August 29, 2024
Eupatorium purpureum
Our native Eupatorium purpureum, commonly known as Joe Pye weed, flowers in late summer and fall, producing tall clusters of fluffy purple flowers.
August 22, 2024
Groundcovers
Ground cover plants are a bit like area rugs in our homes, as we can mix and match them or plant many of the same type of plant to cover bare patches.
August 15, 2024
Helenium
In a cultivated garden, Helenium looks best with other yellow or bronze flowers that bloom in the fall, and they light up a flower bed as the growing season draws to a close.
August 8, 2024
Gaura
If you especially enjoy delicate, airy types of flowers, then you should grow Gaura to enjoy in your garden and in flower arrangements.
August 1, 2024
Tickseed
The word Coreopsis is from the Greek word koris meaning bug and opsis meaning resemblance to. This is because the seeds of coreopsis took like small ticks.
July 23, 2024
Queen Anne's Lace
Farmers don't care for wild carrots that grow in their fields and on roadsides and produce thousands of seeds that produce more plants.
July 18, 2024
Native Coneflower
Coneflowers bloom from mid-summer to early fall and combine well with most other flowering perennials.
July 11, 2024
Vita's White Garden
Vita Sackville West's white garden at Sissinghurst Castle in England is world famous. Here's a quotation, describing it in her own words.
July 3, 2024
Butterflies in the Garden
Many butterflies that visit zone 6 gardens can also be found as far north as Canada and as far south as Mexico. It is amazing that a monarch butterfly, for example, looks so delicate but can fly from here to Mexico and back.
June 27, 2024
Chrysanthemum parthenium
The botanical name for feverfew is Chrysanthemum parthenium because according to Plutarch a worker fell during the construction of the Greek parthenon, and his life was saved by this plant’s medicinal properties. The common name of feverfew is because it is used to reduce fevers.
