All gardens look wonderful with various perennials and low growing shrubs, but consideration must also be given for plants that provide height. When plants are grown at all the same height it looks like something is missing, yet when a […]
Silphium – Perennial Plant, How to grow
The ancient Greek name referring to the resinous juice (Compositae). Rosin-wood. A genus of 15 species of hardy perennial plants with the typical composite flower. The sap is resinous, and the plants were introduced from eastern North America. Species cultivated […]
Desperation
It pains me to admit it, but for once my sister is right. I am becoming wimpy in my old age. When I was growing up in a snowy slice of New York State, 30 miles east of Buffalo, it […]
Carnation: For Greenhouse and Outdoors
Fragrant Flowers for Cutting and Garden Decoration Carnations in all their various forms are generally considered to be derivatives of Dianthus Caryophyllus, although the origin of some is not entirely clear. In North America, when referring to Carnations we immediately […]
River Gravel for the Garden
Gravel The name given to rounded, water-worn stones produced by rock attrition by moving water.River gravels generally form in the upper reaches and in the middle of the stream. Both kinds consist of hard types of stone, flint, granite and […]
Silene – Perennial Plant, How to grow
How to Grow Silene Probably from the Greek sialon, saliva, in reference to the gummy exudations on the stems which ward off insects (Caryophyllaceae). Catchfly. A genus of 100 species of annual, biennial and herbaceous perennials of the northern […]
Planning the garden
Whether you specialize in any particular plant or not, the general design and layout of your garden must be pleasing and practical. There are some hard and fast rules to bear in mind, but in the main gardening is a […]
Malva – Perennial Plant, How to grow
From the Greek malakos, soft or soothing, probably in reference to an emollient yielded by the seeds (Malvaceae). A genus of hardy herbaceous perennial and annual plants. M. moschata, the musk mallow, is one of the most decorative of wild […]
A good Blue Salvia
My favorite Salvia is one which I have never seen listed in any catalog. It is Salvia uliginosa, a tall plant with willowy stems to a height of four feet. Each branch ends in a narrow plume of sky-blue which […]
UNFORGETTABLE – Gardening
In spring any color is welcome, but I sometimes think that we end up with a glut of yellows, especially when the daffodils are out. Fortunately, Mother Nature gave us contrast in the form of a few blue flowers that […]