Your Backyard Garden Information Source
The form of the Daisy is admired by all, so that it is strange that more persons do not grow the lovely Daisies known as Pyrethrums. The flowers are bright in color and are borne on long stems. They might be called Spring Chrysanthemums, for they bloom principally in June. Many of the sorts are attractively doubled. The colors range […]
Trollius – Globe Flower The Globe Flower is a glorified Buttercup; its leaves and flowers resemble the Buttercup in form but are larger. Improved varieties have orange, gold, orange-red and lemon-colored flowers, often double. The commonest species is Trollius europaeus, but while all the cataloged species resemble each other in form, the seasons and the colors of the flowers […]
Hosta – Plantain Lily Two sorts of flowers have been called Day Lilies-Funkia (or Hosta, as it is sometimes called) and Hemerocallis. Both are old favorites in the garden. The flowers of the latter group are orange and yellow Most of the Funkias are grown for their excellent foliage which is produced in clumps. The one most commonly grown in […]
Dianthus – Hardy Pinks, Sweet William, Carnation, The Pinks and the Sweet Williams are still one of the old-fashioned favorites for the garden. There are many species and varieties, nearly all of which make dense tufts of grass-like growth. The Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is gorgeous when in bloom. The early English writers used to tell us that the narrow-leaved varieties were called […]
Stokesia – Stokes Aster, Cornflower Aster Generally we do not think of a China Aster resembling a Cornflower, but it is true that the Stokesia resembles them both. Stokesia Iaevis (cyanea) is a low plant, seldom above 1 1/2 feet tall, and with light lavender blue, white, purple and rose colored flowers produced from early July to October. UTILIZE. They are […]
COREOPSIS – FLOWER OF THE YEAR Coreopsis (said as core-e-OP-siss) is a popular flower—among the top ten perennials— with many new cultivars (cultivated varieties) to choose from in recent years. Coreopsis generally resist deer feeding, is drought tolerant once established, and being quite care-free are good for beginners and low-maintenance gardens. They’re popular, too, with pollinators, and provide seeds for […]
Buddleia – Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac Buddleias have made a great place for themselves in the garden where their abundant bloom, attractive color and delicate fragrance wins our admiration the first time we become acquainted with them. These plants are nearly hardy shrubs, but because of our cold Winters they serve as perennials with us. SPECIES. B. variabilis is a […]
Yucca – Adam’s Needle and Thread, Spanish Bayonet The stiff, broad, sword-shaped leaves of Yucca ,filamenlosa are familiar to all. In Midsummer the flower stalks, rising to a height of 6 feet, are also familiar. The flowers are white and pendulous. It is a personal opinion of the writer that, except when in bloom, they are stiff, coarse and undeserving of […]
Cactus, Hardy – Opuntia, Echinocactus The Cacti, as everyone knows, are plants with thick, fleshy stems covered with spines, for usually there are no leaves. The Opuntias, which are perhaps the most common ones grown in the northern states, have large and flat branches. They have many colored spines and exquisite flowers. The spines are black, brown, purple, yellow or […]
Callirhoe – Poppy Mallow The Poppy Mallow has long, trailing stems with many saucer shaped or Poppy-shaped flowers. These flowers are borne in the axils of the leaves and vary in color from rosy crimson to cherry red and rose, with white centers. Callirhoe involucrata is the most useful species and blooms all during the Summer and early Fall. The leaves […]