Growers Guide for Bleeding Heart Plant

How to grow Dicentra Bleeding Heart. From the Greek di, two, kentron, a spur, referring to the two spurs on the petals (Fumariaceae). Hardy herbaceous perennials formerly known as Dielytra. Fibrous and tuberous rooted, they generally transplant badly because the roots are as brittle as glass. The flowers are pendant from arching stems, like lanterns hung along a cord. Species […]

Growers Guide for Heathers, Erica and Callunas shrubs

Small, hardy, evergreen shrubs which grow wild in many parts of Europe and in a few localities in North America. They belong to the Heath family, Ericaceae. The name is derived from kallunein, to sweep. Branches are used as brooms. Only one species. is known, Callunas vulgaris, the common Heather or Scotch Heather, but it has many varieties which differ […]

Growers Guide for Yarrow – Achillea

Named after Achilles, who is said to have used it as a treatment for his wounds (Compositae). Yarrow, milfoil. Hardy perennials, for the border or border rock garden. Species grown today Rock Garden Yarrows Where to plant and grow Yarrow Achilleas flourish in almost any soil, provided it is not sour or waterlogged, and revel in the sunshine. They prefer […]

How to grow Aquilegia

The flower form resembles an eagle’s claw, hence the probable origin of this name from aquila the Latin for eagle (Ranunculaceae). Columbine. Hardy herbaceous perennials for the herbaceous border and rock garden. The flowers and leaves are very dainty. Unfortunately, they are inclined to be short lived in heavy wet soils, but they are easily increased by seed. The flowers […]

Growing Guide for Bergenia Plant

Named for Karl August von Bergen, 1704-60, German botanist (Saxifragaceae). These hardy perennial herbaceous plants with large evergreen leaves were at one time called megasea, and were at another time included with the saxifrages. The flowers which come in early spring are showy in white, pink or red-purple, borne in large heads on long stems. The large leathery, glossy leaves […]

Growing Guide for Ornamental Brassica

The students have returned to school, your mailbox is crammed with a new crop of seed catalogs, the leaves are falling, and the days are getting shorter. Drive by your local garden center or roadside stand and the displays are filled with ornamental kales and cabbages. Autumn has arrived. Long after the first snowfall and frost have erased most traces […]

Growing Calanthe Orchid

Autumn and winter flowering evergreen and leaf-losing Orchids natives of Asia, Africa and Australasia. The name Calanthe is derived from the Greek kalos, beautiful, and anthos, a flower. Calanthe belongs to the family Orchidaceae. Leaf-Losing Kinds Of these, the two most important species are C. rosea and C. vestita. The latter has the larger flowers, with usually white segments, and […]

Using annual flowers for quick color

When you want lots of color quickly, flowers to cut by the armful and bloom all summer, you want annuals. For earliest possible bloom, sow seeds indoors, then transplant-or buy started plants in May. But you’ll still get plenty of flowers if you wait till the danger of frost is past and sow the seed of quick-growing varieties where you […]

Plant care for Sweet Alyssum, Annual Flower

SWEET ALYSSUM (Name derived from a-not lyssa, rage a myth relates that the plant dispels anger) The Sweet Alyssum is one of our most beloved white edging plants. Seed catalogs list many varieties of Alyssum maritimum, some being dwarf, tufted plants and others more or less trailing. The Double Sweet Alyssum is widely used by commercial florists for design work. […]

LAVATERA – Treemallow (Annual-mallow), Annual Flower Information

LAVATERA – Treemallow (Annual-mallow) (Named for the Lavater brothers, botanists of Switzerland) The name Mallow is applied to a number of plants of various habits, all of which bear flowers that resemble Hollyhocks. The common Layia elegans annual Lavatera is L. trimestris (rosea), with blossoms of a very bright shrimp-pink 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The white flowered varieties […]