How sweet to enter my new garden, beautifully designed by my husband, to find my favorite green allies and native New Garden at Flying Cactus friends waiting for me in group right in the center of the growing space. We had mulched heavily at the beginning of the winter in hopes of smothering some of [...]
As everything is dry and brown here in north central Florida, I am missing the autumn fields full of partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) blossoms—bright yellow flowers on extensive branches of fernlike leaves. When a plant is abundant, I always wonder if it is native, and if it is, I know there must be uses for [...]
Photos by Jordan Robitaille If you were stranded on an island, which plant would you want growing there? Serenoa repens, a scrubby perennial member of the Arecaceae family, might be a sensible choice. This versatile native, bestowed its common name by William Bartram, is one of the most multipurpose plants in the southeast. Serenoa repens [...]
My new friend disappeared under a canopy of summer squash plants, and when she reappeared she was waving a plant, roots and all. “Is this purslane?” she asked. “Looks like it from here,” I responded. I had just enjoyed a stimulating and intriguing tour of a special homestead that is a heady blend of pioneer [...]