In my last blog post I discussed the succulent plants known to botanists as Sempervivum (Hens-and-Chicks) and Hylotelephium (pronounced ‘high-low-tele-fee-um’). Hylotelephium plants, such as the popular variety ‘Autum Joy’, used to be known botanically as Sedum. This week I will discuss the true Sedums, known botanically as Sedum. Sedums are…
Succulent plants are desert plants, like cactus, right? Not here in the Catskills, where several are blooming right now. One plant family in particular, the Stonecrop family, known to botanists as the Crassulaceae, is probably best known for the popular house plants such as the Jade Plant and the Kalanchoe,…
Blooming now in damp, shady gardens around the Catskills is a plant whose most common name is the undeservedly unattractive epithet Ragwort. This is not ragweed, the bane of those suffering from hay fevers. Other less common common names are Leopard Plant and Golden Groundsel. This plant is known botanically…
For the last couple of weeks, Rosa multiflora has been in full bloom here in the Catskills. It has powerfully scented flowers arranged in clusters, with a single row of five white petals, notched at the tip. It is very common, most often seen growing as large clumps in full…
All irises have a particular flower shape. While a daisy has all the petals the same shape radiating from the center like a pinwheel, an iris flower has a distinct top and bottom. The flower petals that stand up like flags are called the standards (an old word for flag,…
Blooming now in the Catskills is the Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. It is a denizen of the forest edge, of the woodland clearing. It is not the commonest wildflower but it is striking and conspicuous with its scarlet and yellow flowers, pictured here planted in a garden. This is the…
Blooming right now in Catskills gardens is the gloriously fragrant Lily-of-the-Valley, known to botanists as Convallaria. This plant is a native of Europe and Asia, but it has been planted in Catskills gardens since colonial times. In the 1800s it was potted, forced and sold in the florist trade. It…
Blooming right now in Catskills gardens is the stately Great Solomons Seal, known to botanists as Polygonatum multiflorum. A wildflower in Europe and Asia, it became popular as a staple of Victorian era shade gardens and has been growing in Catskills gardens ever since. Its gracefully arching stems reach three…
Spring has been very busy for me this year, so this week I am re-posting a popular blog from 2013, with a few new photos. All azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas. And not all small leaved rhododendron are azaleas either. Rhododendron is a huge genus (group…
Violets are common wildflowers blooming now throughout the Catskills. They are found carpeting the woodlands in dappled shade, and they can also be found growing in old pastures or even lawns. Violets are all known botanically as members of the genus (group of species) Viola. New York State actually has…
