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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 vine, flowering or not, is placed into the garden, that feeling disappears. Vines can be grown along a fence placed […]
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 S. laciniatum, the compass plant, so-called because the leaves often face north and south, 6-8 feet, flowers yellow, July to […]
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 did not matter to me that winter sometimes lasted until Memorial Day. We had our own set of rules for […]
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 think of the Carnation of commerce, the continuous or Perpetual flowering Carnation that is commonly grown under glass. There are, […]
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 sandstone, the color of the gravel being governed by the rocks from which it is formed. The sizes of the […]
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 hemisphere and South Africa, having a wide range of color through white, pink and red to purple. Some make good […]
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 subject upon which it is very hard to dogmatize, and the thing to remember is that the success or otherwise […]
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 flowers, quite suitable for the herbaceous border. It is even more lovely in its white variety. All parts of the […]
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 lengthens with the season until it sometimes measures a foot or more in length before the summer is gone. The […]
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 bloom at the same time. The best ones, lungwort (Pulmonaria sps.), false or perennial forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) and true forget-me-not […]