Gardening spirits revive with the arrival of September. This is the time to prepare for next spring’s garden… and it would not be spring if we did not have the daffodils! Narcissus is the scientific name of jonquils. The name “daffodil” is usually applied to varieties in which the trumpet is as large or larger … Read more
Acidanthera Acidanthera is a charming and graceful bulb flower—a bulb of easy garden handling. Plant, dig, and store acidanthera as you would Gladioli. This plant gives a beat decorative effect when three bulbs are planted together. Amaryllis Hippeastrum: These should be planted as soon as they are received, in pots not more than one inch … Read more
Hybridizing or crossing plants to improve them is a fascinating experience that any home gardener may enjoy. The minimum requirements for hybridizing are a love of plants, a little space, and enthusiasm. Hybridizing is easy—producing a plant of outstanding merit is difficult. This is the reason for the requirement for enthusiasm. However, the possibility that … Read more
Increasing shrubs and trees, especially the choice kinds, has long been considered beyond the reach of most home gardeners. The need for such special equipment as electric heating cables, thermostats, humidistats, and automatic ventilation as well as a greenhouse was considered essential for success. However, in this “do-it-yourself” age, increasing plants in the house or … Read more
The cobaea scandens (ko-BEE-uh SKAN-dens) is a perennial vine with purple cup-shaped flowers. The cabaea scandens is a phlox plant in the Polemoniaceae family. It is native to Mexico and has been sighted in other tropical areas in South America. Cobaea scandens is also known as the cup and saucer vine due to the shape … Read more
It is fitting that lilacs, with their faculty of making human beings remember, go back into time beyond the memory of history. Many a family has been outlived by the lilacs beside its threshold; many a house has risen and stood and fallen into dust, with only the lilac bush by the rubble of its … Read more
The story of the franklinia tree (Franklinia alatamaha) runs through the lives of many men. Its thread may be traced for nearly two hundred years in a rhyme or a pencil line; in a water-color drawing or a faded manuscript note; in a diary, a book of travel, or a forgotten name. Yet it is … Read more
Heliotrope (Genus name: Heliotropium) is a seasonal flowering plant producing clusters of blue or purple blooms punctuating its dark green foliage. These small plants are named after a Grecian plant that may or may not still exist, known for turning its flowers to track the Sun. Though the Heliotrope described here does not follow the … Read more
Have you ever, just before a summer party, wondered what you could do to dress up your terrace, porch, or front entrance with a few plants? With a little forethought, you can have enough potted plants on hand for such purposes, and this is the time to start or buy them for use this summer. … Read more
Exacum affine (EKS-uh-kum uh-FEE-nee), more often known as the Persian violet, is a lovely flowering house plant, but it isn’t a genuine violet. Instead, it belongs to the Gentianaceae family and more closely resembles the impatiens of the garden type. It is native to Yemen but has become a common greenhouse plant because of its … Read more