Portulaca – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Portulaca is an annual member of the Purslane family that is indigenous to the tropical regions of the world. It is also known as the Moss Rose. It is one of the few ornamental plants that can be used to stabilize a sandy bank. Portulacas have been a part of American…
Poppies
Poppies – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Poppies are native to the temperate regions of the world and have been known and cultivated for thousands of years, primarily for medicinal purposes. There are more than 50 species of annual and perennial poppies native to Europe and at least 100 varieties that are indigenous to other areas of the…
Nigella
Nigella – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Nigella, also known as Love-In-A-Mist, Jack-In-The-Green or Lady-In-The-Bower, is an annual and member of the Ranunculus Family. It is native to southern Europe and the northern regions of Africa. It has been cultivated in British and European gardens since 1548, but it has been known since Biblical times when in Isaiah…
Nasturtium including Canary Creeper
Nasturtium including Canary Creeper – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Nasturtiums, also known as Indian Cress or Flame Flower, are annuals, native to Columbia, Bolivia and Peru where they grow as perennials. They were discovered by the Spanish conquistadors and brought to Spain in the sixteenth century. The first nasturtiums brought to Europe were a variety, Tropaeolum minus, which produced…
Money Plant
Money Plant (Lunaria) 
- A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Money Plant, also known as Lunaria or the Honesty Plant, was originally native to the central and southern areas of Europe, but the plant has proliferated throughout the temperate regions of the world. It was introduced into Britain before the 1600’s and was brought to the United States by…
Marigolds
Marigolds – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Marigolds, both French and African, are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. They were discovered in the early 16th century and brought to Europe and Northern Africa in the late 16th century where they were quickly adopted into gardens. The family name, Tagetes, is derived from a mythical Etruscan deity. In the…
Lupines and Texas BlueBonnets
Lupines and Texas BlueBonnets – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Lupine is a family of annual and perennial flowers which were native to the Balkans and the Aegean. The oldest Lupines were annuals, white flowered, and had been cultivated since Egyptian times. These plants were used to improve the soil, fixing nitrogen because they are legumes and as…
Larkspur
Larkspur – 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Larkspur, for years, was considered to be a member of the Delphinium family, but has been recently re-classified with the new name Consolida ranunculaceae. This re-classification makes it a member of the Ranunculus family. The plant, an annual, was introduced into Britain in the mid-1500’s from its native habitat the Mediterranean.…
Hesperis, Dames Rocket
Hesperis, Dames Rocket 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Hesperis, also known as Dames Rocket, Sweet Rocket and Dames Violet, belong to a family of plants which are native from Europe to China and Siberia. Hesperis are members of the Mustard family. The plants were introduced into North America during colonial times and were a popular cottage garden flower…
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth)
Gomphrena (Globe Amaranth) 
A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Gomphrena, also known as the Globe Amaranth, is native to the tropics of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The plant is related to the Cockscomb and Love-Lies-Bleeding. The native plant had magenta, clover-like flowers, but today’s cultivars are purple, pink and white as well as magenta. The plant has been…