Beautiful Flowers with an Amazing History In 1593, a Flemish botanist named Carolus Clusius was sent some tulip bulbs by a friend of his who was the Austrian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. When Clusius accepted the position of curator at the botanical gardens in Leiden, Holland, he took his bulbs with him. The first … Read more
What do Corn Plants, Dragon Trees, and Lucky Bamboo have in common? They are all members of the Dracaena family. Dracaenas are a family of herbaceous plants that are, believe it or not, related to Asparagus! The name “Dracaena” comes from the Greek word “Drakaina” meaning Female Dragon. Some varieties of dracaena have a reddish … Read more
Ever notice how some of the best things in life coming layers? Lasagna, baklava, even pizza (think of tangy sauce with gooey melted cheese on top)! Well, layering bulbs in your garden is fun, easy, and—delicious—to the eyes, at least. How to Plant You can do this in a container or in the ground. For … Read more
Our locally grown peony roots just came in last week and I’m reminded of how much I love these huge gorgeous easy-care perennials. The first peony I ever got was a division of one my grandmother had—and she said it was a division she’d gotten from her mother. Peonies are one of the longest-lived perennials—living … Read more
This past weekend was the first official day of fall—the Autumnal Equinox. The Autumnal Equinox occurs when the sun is directly in line with the equator. On this day, the day and the night are of equal length. From now until the Winter Solstice on December 21, the hours of the night will be longer … Read more
Surprise Lilies, Magic Lilies, Resurrection Lilies, Naked Ladies, Spider Lilies, Hurricane Lilies—these are all nicknames given to various types of Lycoris. Lycoris are strong perennials that send up lush foliage in the spring, which then dies down, then blooms late summer without foliage—hence the nicknames Surprise Lilies, Magic Lilies or Naked Ladies. Because they bloom … Read more
Ah, another fall and another chance to share my top-ten favorite bulbs. Give me a minute while I think about this past spring’s garden—how it looked, what did especially well, were there any surprises…. Okay, I’ve reminisced and I’m ready. So here they are: #10: Alliums From four foot tall giant alliums with 8 to … Read more
I’m getting my vegetable garden ready for fall now. I just pulled up the last of the squash. Most of my tomatoes are now long tired looking vines with only a few blooms at the tips—and they won’t have time to set fruit and ripen by the first frost. I pulled them up. I’ve pulled … Read more
Now is the time to plant peas for a fall harvest so I thought I’d share some interesting facts about these deliciously sweet veggies (well, scientifically speaking, they’re technically fruits.) Peas are one of the oldest cultivated crops. Fossil evidence shows that they were even eaten during the Bronze age! Green peas are actually unripe—that’s … Read more
I know fall is on the horizon when the bearded iris rhizomes arrive in the store. We just got ours in so fall can’t be far behind (exactly one month from this coming Thursday, to be exact.) History Irises are a genus of over 250 flowering plants. The word “iris” is from the Greek word … Read more
