How many of you think that those showy rhododendrons that bloom so gloriously in spring are just a domestic version of our state flower, the mountain laurel? It is a natural assumption as they appear to be very similar and the impulse to use the names interchangeably is understandable. While they are both members of...

    Monarda punctata L. Spotted bee balm, horsemint or Monarda punctata L. call it what you will but by any name it in an interesting addition to the garden. I picked mine up as a seedling at the Shaver’s Creek native plant sale. I wasn’t really expecting to see it this year as it...

  Sometimes we notice things in our gardening endeavors that are puzzling. In time the proverbial light bulb may appear over our heads and an explanation for the oddity presents itself. One of those eureka moments occurred recently. Several years ago I ordered seeds for a purple tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa.) These tomatillos are much sweeter...

  Ash Fraxinus spp Last month we commented on the wooly adelgid and its attack on the local hemlock.  Another pest, the emerald ash borer, has been with us for some time and some unexpected results of this infestation are coming to light. The emerald ash borer has not only devastated ash trees they have...

Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon Serendipity is the art of happy accident. It is one of those made up words and was coined in 1775 by Horace Walpole. He first used it in a letter to a friend describing a fortuitous discovery he had made. The reference came from an old Persian fairy tale, “The Three...