GILIA, Annual Flower Information

GILIA (Named for Philipp Salvador Gil, Spanish botanist) The Gilias are related to Phlox and, like them, have funnel or salver form flowers. Gilia capitata, Globe Gilia, is a blue sort with flowers in dense heads a half-inch across. The plants grow 18 inches tall and have finely cut foliage. Gilia coronopifolia (rubra), the Texasplume, grows 4 feet tall, has […]

Lupine – Perennial Plant, How to grow

From the Latin lupus, a wolf (destroyer), because it was thought that the plants depleted the fertility of the soil by sheer numbers (Leguminosae).  Lupine. A genus of over 300 species of annuals, perennials, and subshrubs, mainly from North America, though there are a few Mediterranean species which, since Roman times, have been used for green manuring. This is surprising […]

Datura, Thorn apple Garden Plant Design Information

DATURA — Thorn Apple, Angel’s Trumpet Annual and tender shrubby perennial flowering plants. They are natives of tropical America, Mexico and Europe, and belong to the Nightshade family, Solanaceae. Datura is the old Arabic name. The most familiar kind is Datura (Brugmansia) arborea, which bears large, white fragrant blooms in summer and is a favorite plant for tubs. Tender Perennials […]

Dahlias – Perennial Plant, How to grow

How to grow Dahlias  Commemorating Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist who was a pupil of Linnaeus (Compositae). Half-hardy, tuberous-rooted perennials from Mexico, were first introduced into Britain in 1789 by Lord Bute. Species cultivated (Few of the following original species are available, although they may occasionally be seen in botanic gardens and the like). D. coccinea; 4 feet, scarlet, September, […]

What you should know about Daffodils

The first thing you should know about daffodils is that it’s smart to choose the ones you want while they’re still in bloom in the spring. If you miss the boat this spring, your best bet is to read carefully the descriptions in next fall’s seed and nursery catalogs. The second thing you need to know is something about the […]

Planning Cottage Gardens – History, Spring, Summer, Herbs and Rose Plants

Cottage Gardens The cottage garden tradition is one that is peculiarly English in character. The old-world charm of the cottager’s plot owed little or nothing to any of the major developments in garden design or landscape architecture. The English cottage garden just ‘happened’ and its chief attraction lies in the effect of ordered chaos that it produces. Like the wild […]

Helleborus – Perennial Plant, How to grow

From the Greek helein, to kill, bora, food; some species are poisonous (Ranunculaceae). Hellebore. Hardy perennials, often retaining their leaves through the winter, with thick fibrous roots. All flower early in the year and the flowers are long lasting. Most of them have handsome, leathery, divided leaves, sometimes spiny. They are natives of southern Europe and western Asia. Species cultivated […]

Growing Dahlias as border plant.

Dahlias, especially small flowered kinds, have great possibilities as border plants. They may be used in masses or planted in combination with annuals and perennials. Most of the small Dahlias are early and profuse bloomers, starting to flower in July and continuing right through till frost. Dahlias in combination with other flowers should be planted as early as the ground […]