Twining vines are usually very vigorous and Akebia quinata, the five-leaf akebia, is no exception. A native of China, Korea and Japan, its common name is derived from its compound leaves of five palmately arranged leaflets originating from the same leaf petiole. It grows very rapidly once it becomes well established, growing as much as […]

Question: I saw some amazing bonsai plants at a crafts show this past weekend. Can any tree or plant be grown into a bonsai or are they special varieties? Jana, Eugene, Oregon Answer: Jana, Bonsai, or dwarf tree culture, is a hobby enthralling in its possibilities. It offers the opportunity to play with nature in […]

Anything that either Dr. Donald Wyman or Dr. John C. Wister write about lilacs is well worth reading carefully. for few have had as much experience with the lilac, as it grows in the Eastern half of this continent, as these two men. While differences in personal taste are evident in their preferences for varieties, […]

Much of the fun in arranging flowers comes from having the right container. Containers actually speak to the designer, suggesting a direction, a period, a setting, a textural combination, a color combination or a mood. A bright yellow cookie jar would surely say a bright happy bouquet of daisies, a casual arrangement of marigolds or […]

In Grandmother’s day, columbines (aquilegia) were already prized in flower gardens. Then, as now, these old favorites were reliable perennials, providing airy gracefulness and fascinating color variations for the spring border. Modern, hybrids stand out from the less spectacular forms of yesteryear. Even so, some of the older types still have much to offer today. […]

For added pleasure from your garden capture a bit of its summer fragrance in an old fashioned potpourri like Grandma used to make. The spicy scent in either a jar or sachet will brighten your home on winter days… and potpourri makes a distinctive gift. Almost any fragrant flower, leaf, or herb which you have […]

Although it looks delicate and has a feathery, light appearance, the Everblooming Fringed Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) is one of the sturdiest plants I know. This plant is closely related to Dicentra spectabilis which has arching sprays of pink heart-shaped blossoms that have made spring gardens lovely ever since a specimen was sent to the […]

While trying unusual annuals some years ago, we found Bells of Ireland. Since then we’ve raised it in our garden each year. It likes lots of sunshine and water and thrives in any good garden soil that will raise vegetables. Molucella laevis (Shell Flower, Molucca Balm or Bells of Ireland) begins blooming in late July […]

Have you cast a really critical eye around your greenhouse lately? Empty pots, dirty pots, cracked pots, and plants on their way out rear their ugly heads like a basket of snakes. How about the snatches of seeds in tattered and rolled up envelopes? Will you ever use them? During the winter I always manage […]

Decades ago the tomato was frowned upon as unwholesome and adventurous boys had to “sneak” one when their watchful mom’s weren’t looking. Today this vegetable is the jewel of the garden and even the smallest plot is seldom without tomato plants with gleaming clusters of green and ripening fruit shining through attractive foliage. The tomato […]