Originating in Mexico and South America, Zinnias are favorites in gardens here and abroad. These annuals are easy to grow and provide summer-long color in the garden. Members of the Daisy family, the zinnia comes in most every color except blue. The twenty-some species include plants that range in height from six inches to over…
This fragrant herb has had a long affiliation with Christmas. A perennial in warm climates, rosemary is now popular for the holidays in the form of topiaries and wreaths. Of course, rosemary is popular in the kitchen, too, for seasoning breads, soups, meat, and much more.
Sage makes its annual appearance in the kitchen as Thanksgiving arrives. Classic stuffing (or dressing ) draws upon this herb for wonderful flavor and aroma. Sage is so much more than the dried herb that we use on Turkey Day. It is an aromatic easy-to-grow shrub that is valued for decoration, culinary uses, and medicinal…
"You, Tityrus, stretched in shade, teach forests to echo the beauteous Amaryllis." – from the First Eclogue of Vergil, Ancient Roman Poet ‘Tis the season for growing amaryllis, which means "sparkling". Originating in the Andes Mountains in Chile and Peru, the amaryllis was first discovered in 1828 by a physician from Leipzig on a plant…
Simple and sentimental, Lily of the Valley are admired for their gorgeous bell-shaped blooms and lovely scent. In floral language, Lily of the Valley signifies the return of happiness and indicates purity and humility. Popular not only as plants, the Lily of the Valley image and scent appear on linens, china, silver, in perfume, etc….
This beautiful, fragrant perennial herb has been used for centuries to soothe, heal, scent, and flavor. Add extra color to your garden and enjoy the many benefits of lavender. Lavender’s Legacy Native to the Southern Alps, peasants of that region used lavender oil medicinally as early as the 1500s. Thriving in such a hot, dry…
Latin isn’t dead – at least not in the garden. While many plants are more famously known by their common names, you can’t be guaranteed that a “buttercup” to you is the same as a “buttercup” to someone in England, or France, or China. While some of the Latin names for plants may seem a…
As you make plans for improvements to your garden this year, consider attracting butterflies. Not only do butterflies provide aesthetic appeal, they also are great plant pollinators and provide food for other animals in the food chain. Butterflies just need a little encouragement from you to inhabit your garden. If you provide for their needs…
“I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” First stanza of “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth The daffodil is such a simple flower, yet is…
“The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.” – Heda Bejar Love. Hatred. Acceptance. Refusal. How can one covey such sentiments without words? By sending flowers. These jewels of nature can convey almost any emotion, compliment, or warning. As with any language, one simply needs a bit of knowledge and practice. Flowers…