Heat Stress Wilting in plants is a response to insufficient water in the leaf. It can be caused by many things, lack of being watered, high ventilation or in this case extreme temperatures of air or soil. When that happens, the excessive heat causes the metabolism to stop the photosynthesis processes and switch to […]
TITHONIA
Brilliant red Tithonia !!!!! Basics Directly related to daisy family (Asteraceae) this genus includes many species of bushy annuals, perennials and shrubs native to Mexico and Central America. Usually with large, brightly colored daisy-like flowers on thick stems. Mexican sunflower, T. rotundifolia, is a vigorous, drought tolerant warm season annual that is easy to […]
PANICUM
SWITCH GRASS !!!!! Basics Panicum virgatum, commonly known as switch grass, is a perennial warm season clumping grass native to North America. It is a prairie grass and grows from Canada to Mexico. Other common names include tall panic grass, black bent, tall prairie grass, thatch grass, and Virginia switch grass. late summer […]
Agastache
anise hyssop – Agastache – one of my favorite plants ! Basics Agastache is a perennial plant with lovely flower spikes that bloom all season long. The flower is usually purple to lavender, but may also bloom in pink, rose, blue, white, and orange. It is a native of North America and its name […]
Edible Flowers
Crepe Myrtle
Crepe myrtle – another one of my favorite plants ! Basics Lagerstroemia indica (formerly known as L. chinensis) is a deciduous, erect, multi-trunked, tree or shrub. It is native to the Philippines, Japan and central Himalayas – but the species epithet references its native origin in India. The common name is derived from […]
A Fungus Among Us
Root, Stem and Leaf Rot Concerned ? If you have houseplants you should be ! Root rot is one of the top reasons why people call me for help with their Indoor plants. They send me pictures of their plants in dire straits and looking stressed. Pictures like these: rotted roots up to the […]
AGAPANTHUS
a lovely lilac blue This is a genus of six species of fleshy-rooted perennials in the Agapanthaceae – a sister family to the Amaryllidaceae. Despite the common name of Lily-of-the-Nile, they are not native to the Nile River basin but actually endemic to southern Africa. In its native areas, it is considered to be […]
Gremolata ( a scrummy Italian sauce)
A story by Grahame Hubbard. A good friend and her daughter was staying at my house, and one night they cooked dinner and made Gremolata. Oh my goodness I was addicted. I immediately cleared a planter in the garden and filled it with Italian flat leaf parsley. Italian flat leaf parsley ! […]