Catharanthus roseus, more commonly known as vinca rosea or periwinkle, is an evergreen shrub that produces glossy green leaves and beautiful blooms in shades of pink, white, or purple. Though it’s native to Madagascar, this easy-to-grow plant is a popular choice for gardens worldwide. There are many reasons to love periwinkle, but one of the … Read more
Hydrangea (hy-DRAN-jee-ah) is a climbing woody shrub belonging to the genus Hydrangea and from the Hydrangeaceae or the hydrangea family. It has over 75 flowering species and more than 600 cultivars available worldwide. The genus name Hydrangea came from the Greek words “hydro,” meaning water, and “angos or angion,” which means a vessel, jar, or … Read more
Nobody will deny daylilies have beautiful flowers, and few would quibble over the statement that their foliage has landscape merit. But to get the best landscape effect from daylilies, we should not think of them entirely in terms of their bloom. Like woody plants, their landscape value is based on the length of time they … Read more
The star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum, includes many species, none of which are native to this country. Hence, they are known to readers only in the cultivated state. The genus belongs to one of the largest and best-known groups of flowering plants – the lily family, numerous species of which are grown in the home, the … Read more
For many years the strain of bulbous iris called “Dutch” iris has been limited to three or four colors in which blue was dominant. One of the most popular and widely used of these was WEDGWOOD, a light blue-flowered variety with narrow yellow signals on the falls. Its adaptability to greenhouse forcing made it a … Read more
Our half-acre garden has seen many changes over the years we have worked it. When we moved out of the city, our thoughts were much the same as those of other new suburbanites – growing vegetables and letting my wife have her little flower garden near the house. At first, we attempted everything from radishes … Read more
Question: We would like to have flowers always coming in bloom in the garden of our new home. We are first-time home buyers, and this will be our first garden. Are daylilies a good choice for long-term blooming? Genna, Tupelo, Mississippi Answer: Genna, gardens are loveliest when they are planned to have a succession of … Read more
Amaryllis is my favorite house plant, although it often taxes my devotion. While the bulbs seem to go on forever and never die, their blooming performance is decidedly temperamental to me. I class them as feminine, “uncertain, coy and hard to please,” to quote the poet, but I am duly grateful when they give their … Read more
We live near Philadelphia, and people still ask me whether primroses are hardy here. The answer is that they are, and for that matter, they are even harder in much colder climates. Primroses Bloom in Summer Some primroses will bloom in succession from April through the Summer; there are kinds for wet places, woodlands, and … Read more
Formerly known as Naegelia in Mexico, Temple Bells are beautiful bell-shaped winter flowers that range in color from cream to red, with large heart-shaped leaves sometimes marked with purple veins and red hairs. These beautiful plants are Temple Bells because their flowers rise above the leaves in late summer and fall and hang down bell-shaped … Read more