Mistletoe Legends
The beliefs and customs are as inextricably linked with Christmas as those which center around the mistletoe. Though many of us know that mistletoe is a plant, few are aware
Landscape
Improved Elderberries Are Worth Trying
Seventy years ago, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station suggested that gardeners try cultivated elderberries as something unusual in a fruiting shrub. A named variety called Adams was offered
Shirley Poppies: Their Hearts Were In It
One morning back in 1880, Mr. Wilks, Vicar of Shirley in England, noticed a patch of wild field poppies, one with a very narrow edge of white. He marked it
The Long-Stalk Holly (Ilex Pedunculosa) -Unusual Holly
There are many plants of outstanding merit that, for one reason or another, are ignored for years, only to come into style again suddenly. The long-stalk holly (Ilex pedunculosa), a
Welcome Birds to Your Garden
Recently while shopping at a garden center, I overheard a salesman suggest to his customer that she add a birdhouse to her purchases, which included insecticides, sprays, and dust. “I’m
Winter Decorations: There’s Variety in Pods and Cones
Wherever you live, there are all sorts of materials within your reach that you can use as winter decorations. Just step outside and let your imagination have free rein. You
The Box Huckleberry: The Oldest Flowering Plant?
Ordinarily, when mention is made of the world’s oldest living plants, we think of the California sequoias. Or we may recall that some bryologists maintain that peat moss plants growing
Rugged Hollies Are Not Hard To Grow
One clear, cold December day, after a light fall of snow, I took a friend to see an unusual holly tree growing in a glade in the woods; You came
Mulch Your Garden with Old and New Materials
In Northern climates, the fall gardening chore that takes top priority over the others is protecting the plants which might not survive the winter. This can be done by applying
The NO Rose That Blooms In Snow
It is, of course, the Christmas rose, the perennial whose beauty is further enhanced by a legend that is as delightful as the plant. We are told that when the