There is no use trying to avoid it any more—the houseplants are well past the vacation stage and must be brought in. Night temperatures are descending and even though the geraniums, African violets, plumbago and even the potted Abyssinian glads are still blooming gaily, the summer porch party is really over. This year I have … Read more
Nearly two centuries ago, Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, an English physician and amateur botanist, made a surprising discovery. Ward liked to study moth chrysalises, which he kept secure in sealed glass containers. Inspection of one such container revealed that seeds embedded in a bit of dirt inside had germinated and sprouted. He left the container unopened … Read more
So often in botanical circles plants with lovely common names, like shooting stars or Peruvian lilies, have absolutely awful-sounding botanical names. Cape primrose is a case in point. Botanically speaking, it is known as Streptocarpus, which sounds dangerously close to streptococcus, the bacteria that causes strep throat. Some streptocarpus is so beautiful that it will … Read more
We always try to be fashion forward my household, so I expect that we will be the first in town to lay hands on the large and showy Medinilla magnifica. I saw one at a local nursery during the December holidays. It was big for a house plant–about three feet tall– and its broad, ribbed … Read more
