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Common Names
Woundwort, Bloodwort, Herb Militaris, plumajillo, Nosebleed Plant, Old Man’s Pepper, Devil’s Nettle, Sanguinary, Milfoil, Biranjasipha, Field Hop, Ya Luo
About This Plant
This aromatic and hardy, herbaceous perennial dances across the countryside in every state in the U.S. and every province of Canada, as well as all over the globe. It often grows in the mildly distubed soil of grasslands, open forests, cities, pastures and roadsides. It stands erect with one to several sometimes woody stems that grow up to three feet high with feathery, fern-like leaves arranged spirally on the stems. Showy, flat flowerheads rise above composed of many tiny, tightly-packed clusters of whitish flowers. It flowers late May Read More
Common Names
Purple Coneflower, Sampson Root, American Coneflower, Hedgehog, Indian Head, Kansas Snakeroot, Scurvy Root, Snakeroot, Black Susans, Elk Root
About This Plant
The stately, statuesque Echinacea plant with its slender elegance and robust stems make it a favorite in any garden. Its well-known medicinal uses make it extra popular. Echinacea is a cold and heat-hardy perennial in the Asteraceae family grown in USDA zones 3-9. It is resilient to wind and weather. It grows three to four feet tall and spreads up to two feet wide. There are nine species of Echinacea and over 50 cultivated hybrids. E. purpurea tends to be the easiest to grow and boasts high yields. It Read More
Common Names
Culverwort (Saxon), European Columbine, True Columbine, European Crowfoot, Culverwort, Granny’s Bonnet, Granny’s Nightcap
About This Plant
There are many different types of Columbines with a tremendous amount of variation. The species cross-pollinate, giving rise to new colors and qualities and your notion of what a Columbine looks like has a lot to do with where you live. Columbines are herbaceous perennials related to Anemones and Buttercups in the Ranunculaceae family. Aquilegia vulgaris is also referred to as European Columbine and has blue to purple sepals with white petals, stigma, and stamens. “Vulgaris” simply means “common”. Aquilegia canadensis has red sepals and spurs on the outside of yellow petals, stigmas, and Read More
Common names
Common Chives, Garden Chives, Gao choy (Cantonese)
About This Plant
Chives are a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial belonging to the Allium family, and have a milder taste than its cousins onion, garlic, and leek. It prefers full sun and grows in clumps from small underground bulbs. It produces round, hollow leaves, about 10-12 inches high, that are much finer than an onion and come to a point. Mid-summer, they produce round, globular pink flowers similar in appearance to clover. They are tolerant of a wide variety of soils but will grow best in soils with high organic matter. They can be grown from seed and are commonly propagated by dividing clumps Read More
Common Names
Smallage (the original wild plant), Celeriac
About This Plant
Celery is technically an herb, not a vegetable, belonging to the Apiaceae family with cousins of Coriander, Parsley, Fennel, and Carrots. It is a biennial, though normally grown as an annual. Its Latin name, “Apium” comes from the Celtic “apon”, meaning water, and “graviolens” meaning “strong smelling”. Celery has a reputation as a fickle plant to grow, but once you understand what exactly it needs to thrive, you’ll find the task much easier. Most would agree that garden-grown celery is better tasting than store-bought, and less chemically-laden.
Today, there are basically three varieties of Celery available: Green Celery or Smallage, whose aromatic Read More
Common Names
Catnip, Catswort, Catwort, Catmint
About This Plant
Catnip is a short-lived herbaceous perennial plant in the Mint family that is hardy in USDA zones 3-9. It grows to a height of about two to four feet tall. It is a species in the genus of Nepeta and the term “Catmint” is often used to refer to the genus as a whole.
Catnip plants bear some characteristic similarities to other plants in the Mint family. It is an erect plant with loosely branching square stems. Its aromatic, silvery, blue-green, heart-shaped leaves are wrinkled and scalloped. They are covered in a soft, downy hair that is especially wooly on the underneath side of Read More
Common Names
Pot Marigold, English Marigold, Herb Marigold, Riddles, Scotch Marigold, Poet’s Marigold, Marybud, Merrybud, Summer’s Bride, Husbandman’s Dial
About This Plant
O’ joyous Calendula, with its sunny disposition–it’s bright golden orange- yellow blossoms are always a welcomed sight in the garden. Calendula is a short-lived aromatic, herbaceous perennial of the Asteraceae family. It is often grown as an annual in cold climates where it’s unlikely to survive winter temps below 25 degrees Farenheight, and also in hot summer locations where it does not survive the heat. If you place it in its ideal environment, it will grow as a perennial.
Calendula is a sun-loving plant that is usually low and compact with Read More
aka Iris Domestica, Leopard Flowers, Leopard Lily, She-gan (Chinese), Yakan (Japanese), Leopardblomst (Danish)
About This Plant
Blackberry Lily, a short-lived perennial, is not a true Lily, but rather a member of the Iris family (Iridaceae). It has the leaves of an Iris, the flowers of a Lily, and a fruit that resembles a Blackberry–truly a curious specimen! Its flowers are orange splattered with lots of red spots like that of a Leopard. It blooms from July to September and its flowers have a showy, yet delicate appearance. Each flower is about 1 ¼-2” across. Each flower only lasts for one day, but the plant will produce a succession of blooms over Read More
aka Blue Giant Hyssop, Fragrant Giant Hyssop, Lavender Giant Hyssop, Wonder Honey Plant, Licorice Mint
About This Plant
Anise Hyssop is a short-lived herbaceous perennial from the Mint family with blue flowers, fragrant foliage, and the characteristic square stems that the Mint family is known for. It is upright and clump-forming, generally growing 2-4 feet tall and 1-1 ½ feet wide. It has a small taproot with spreading rhizomes and is branched at the top. Its dull green leaves are ovate to broad-lanceolate, up to four inches long with toothed margins and a whitish tint to the underside. 
The tiny flowers occur Read More
aka Elf Dock (Danish), Elfwort, Scabwort, Olandswartzel (PA Dutch), Wild Sunflower, Horseheal, Horse Elder, Nurseheal, Velvetdok, Yellow Starwort, Marchalan (Welsh), Ailleann, or Creamh (Gaelic), Alant, Allicampane, Enula Campana, Aune
About This Plant
Elecampane (rhymes with champagne) is a large, four to five feet tall, sunflower-like perennial from the Asteraceae family that is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. It likes damp pastures and shady ground and grows in a wide range of climate types. It does best, however, in zones with mild summers and cold winters. It does not grow well in very hot and humid areas. Its tall stalks, pale green, downy foliage and bright yellow flowers with large seed Read More