This was an unusual plant to find at a plant store in October last year, but they were on sale and the basal leaves had a nice dark green color, so I took them home and planted them among the pines and black cherries. Much to my surprise they survived and thrived. The plant adds […]
Archive for the ‘Plant bio’ Category
Packera aurea (golden ragwort)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on July 19, 2021 | Leave a Comment »
Camassia scilloides (wild hyacinth)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on May 27, 2020 | Leave a Comment »
I have to confess that this plant is more of a native neighbor, despite it also being known as Atlantic camas. It’s natural distribution hugs the Atlantic coast line from Florida north to Baltimore but then it extends north into Ontario, bypassing New England. I got some bulbs of this Lily family member from Prairie […]
Veronicastrum virginicum (culver’s root)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Seeing culver’s root bloom in the garden brought out the shopping instinct in me – I just returned from the garden shop at Garden in the Woods and got a few more. The store bought plants have already bloomed and have been cut back, but next year they will be on a Cape Cod schedule. […]
Spigelia marilandica (indian pink)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 27, 2014 | 1 Comment »
I forgot all about this plant, since it has long ceased blooming and obedient plant, butterflyweed and blue lobelia have crowded the border and are demanding attention from the eye and the brain. The picture is from early July. The plant is about a foot high. The flowers, of which there are a few, sit […]
Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant rosin weed)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on August 27, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I brought 3 of these plants home in April, after a visit at NEWFS Garden in the Woods in Framingham. There was not much more to go on than a few basal leaves and the attendant mentioning that “these” would get very tall. That was enough to intrigue me and I put them next to […]
Aralia racemosa (american spikenard)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on August 25, 2014 | 2 Comments »
I have had two Aralia racemosa (american spikenard) in an area that benefits from a bit more sunlight than does the rest of my tree covered woodland garden. Too much sun, I feared at first. The young plants did not do a whole lot of growing, that is until this year. While I thought I […]
Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
“triphyllum” is the defining feature of this member of the Arum family, as all you initially see is the tripartite leaves, of which there are only two. Last year one plant emerged with just a single leaf and I did not bother trying to identify what I was dealing with. Now I have three plants […]
Trillium luteum (yellow wakerobin)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio on June 3, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Trillium luteum is a native neighbor, as it naturally occurs in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky. They are also found in the north (Michigan and Ontario), although they are regarded there as having been introduced. However, that northern location provided proof that they could withstand a harsh New England winter. Like other Trillium species, […]
Cypripedium acaule (pink lady’s slipper)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 2, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
I was quite surprised to see two of these plants in a narrow strip of woodland right near my house. I am not sure how rare these are on Cape Cod, or anywhere else for that matter, but there were only these two plants and I searched far and wide for signs of other moccasin […]
Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on June 2, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
At this time the plants are still young and they have not gotten to the point of producing flowers and the signature blue berries. The two blue cohosh plants in the garden are hidden somewhat out of sight behind the stalks of asters and they are about a foot high. Eventually, in another year or […]