Gloriosa Daisy A Little History and Some Growing Instructions The Gloriosa Daisy is a type of Black Eyed Susan that produces a much larger flower on stems 6-12 inched taller than the typical Black Eyed Susans. The flowers are often 4-5 inches in diameter with yellow petals or purplish-brown petals fading to yellow near the ends. The flowers are striking in any garden. Black Eyed Susans are indigenous to many sections of the United States. They were introduced into Europe soon after Columbus's visits and were named by Linnaeus in 1753. Linnaeus gave them the Latin name Rudbeckia Hirta after his mentor Olaf Rudbeck and hirta meaning rough, hairy. The plant was known and used by many Native American tribes. The Native Americans used the plant to
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Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Gaillardia, also known as Blanket Flower or the Firewheel, is native to the Americas. The plant is a member of the Aster family which also includes daisies and sunflowers. Gaillardia were one of the more than 200 plant varieties catalogued and described by Lewis and Clark during their famous expedition of 1804-1806. The plant is named for Gaillard de Charentonneau, a French magistrate who was a patron of botany. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, describes the gaillardia as, "A very handsome plant, naturally a perennial, but produces its flowers the first year from seed, if started early. It does not stand the winter without protection. It has large, beautiful crimson and yellow
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Foxglove (Digitalis) A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Foxglove, also known as Digitalis, Fairy's Gloves, Witches' Fingers, and Fairy Thimbles is one of the most beloved of all garden flowers despite being poisonous, short lived and a brief bloomer. The plant is a biennial native to Europe, North Africa and Central Asia. The common name, Foxglove, refers to the fact that the spire of blossoms resembles clusters of gloves and the areas where Foxgloves grew naturally were thought to be inhabited by fairies. Thus the plants were thought to be fairies' gloves. The Latin name, Digitalis, comes from digitabulum which means thimble and refers to the shape of the individual flowers. The plant had been known as far back as 1000AD. It has been cultivated since
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Four O' Clocks - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Four O' Clocks, also known as Marvel of Peru, False Jalap and Belle De Nuit, is native to the tropical Americas and was introduced into Spain and then England from Peru in the 1500's. The name Marvel of Peru refers to the way in which people marvel when the plant bursts into bloom at exactly 4 o'clock. The old varieties have a fragrance reminiscent of citrus. The plant produces trumpet shaped flowers in a variety of striking colors including magenta, yellow, rose and white. There are also old varieties producing bicolored and flecked blossoms. Plants can also produce blossoms of varying colors on a single plant. This usually occurs in the cooler climates of Northern
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Forget Me Not - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Forget Me Not, also known as Scorpion Grass and a member of the Borage family, is a temperate climate perennial plant, which was originally native to Europe, Asia and North America. The common name, Forget Me Not, comes from a German legend about a knight who died trying to get the flowers for his lover and called out with his last breath, "Forget me not!". The Greek name, Myosotis, means mouse's ear because the oval, furry leaves resemble a mouse's ear. More than any other flower it is a symbol of love and remembrance. The plant was a favorite in French and German gardens for centuries, but only gained popularity in British gardens in the 1800's.
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Evening Primrose A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Evening Primrose, also known as Sundrops, are hardy perennials which were discovered in North America and brought to Europe in the early 17th century where they quickly became a cottage garden favorite because of their showy yellow flowers which burst into bloom just as the sun was preparing to set. The original favorites were Oenanthera macrocarpa, a 3-4 foot plant which produced brilliant yellow 3 inch flowers. The French liked to eat the first year roots, preparing them as if they were salsify. The macrocarpa eventually fell out of favor because of their size and the room they needed in the cottage garden and were replaced by Oenanthera fruticosa, the 18 inch high, yellow flowering variety that
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Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Echinacea, also known as Purple Coneflower or the Sampson root, is a true American native and one of the hardiest perennials available. The plant was used medicinally by the Native Americans of the Great Plains more than any other herb. It was the Native Americans that discovered that the roots contained valuable medicinal attributes. These cultures used the plant to treat snakebite and the bites of poisonous insects. The juice was used to bathe burns and was added to the waters sprinkled over coals during the traditional purification ceremonies known as "sweats". The plant was first identified and described during the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1904-1806. It grew in great profusion in the prairie lands of
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Dianthus Single - Pinks A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Dianthus Single or Pinks, a member of the Dianthus family, specifically Dianthus Plumarius, was introduced into England from Normandy around the year 1100. It was the Athenians that named the flower Dianthos, from the Greek words dios (devine) and anthos (flower). The flowers are smaller than those of the carnation and the petals are more toothed and are borne on shorter stems. Sometimes they are known as Lacey Pinks because of the "toothing" on their petals. Joseph Breck in his 1851 book, The Flower Garden, wrote, "...is an old inhabitant of the flower-garden and was much esteemed in Gerrarde's (Renown garden writer and gardener of his time - 1545-1612; his book remains the outstanding horticultural treatise
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Dahlias - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Dahlias are some of the showiest of all flowers. Dahlias originated in the central plateau and highlands of Mexico where even today, in August and September, the wild progenitors of this huge flower genus can be found blooming along highways, near cliffs, among boulders and on the slopes of the ancient volcanic mountains. The Aztecs cultivated the plant and had gardens filled with dahlias. In 1791, the plant was brought to Spain where Antonio Jose Cavanilles, a senior member of the staff of the Royal Botanic Garden in Madrid gave it the name, Dahlia, in honor of the Swedish botanist, Andreas Dahl, a pupil of Linnaeus. In the 1800's, the plant's popularity exploded throughout Europe and Great Britain
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Cosmos - A Little History and Some Growing Instructions Cosmos is a true American native being indigenous to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The name, Cosmos, comes from the Greek word meaning harmony or ordered universe. This is probably a reference to the ordered arrangement of the plant's petals. The plant was grown by Spanish priests in their mission gardens and was carried to Europe where it became known as "peasant's flowers" because of its ability to grow in the poor soils surrounding peasant cottages. In the United States, as early as 1838, the much respected New York seedsman, Grant Thorburn was offering a 6 foot tall, "late Cosmos" in his seed catalogs. In 1799, the plant was introduced into Britain with little success. Cosmos is
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