Scientific name: Allium cernuum Hort. ex Schult.f. Common names: nodding onion, ajo-cebolla (Spanish) Family name: Amaryllidaceae  (Amaryllis) Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber) Bloom time: June to August Water conditions: Dry to medium, elevations from 2000  - 10 000 [...]

August 2022 Article by Suzanne Burstall Cross I have been a gardener for more than 50 years, and I’ve loved Shakespeare’s plays about that long. All the places I’ve lived, I’ve planted flowers Shakespeare’s plays show he loved, and most [...]

Scientific name: Ratibida columnifera Common names: prairie coneflower, Mexican Hat Family: Asteraceae Article by Peggy Rudberg In July 2021, after a month of abundant rain, we came upon a field resplendent with wildflowers in Arroyo Chamisa, about two miles south [...]

Scientific name: Cynoglossum officinale Common names: houndstongue, beggar’s lice, dog’s tongue, sheep bur, dog bur, glovewort, wool mat, gypsy-flower Family: Boraginaceae Article by Jeanne Gozigian I still remember how excited we, the docents at the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve (LCWP), all were [...]

Scientific names: Prunus avium 'White Gold’ Prunus avium ‘Black Gold’ Prunus cerasus 'Surefire' Family: Rosaceae (Rose) Article by Susan Bruneni Prunus cerasus 'Surefire' Cherries were already a diet staple in the Iron Age (1200 B.C. to 600 B.C.) [...]

Scientific name: Ribes cereum Suggested pronunciation: RYE-bees Kee-ee-rum or SER-ee-um Common name: wax currant Family: Grossulariaceae Article from writings of Janice Tucker (1946-2021) The enduring promise of spring is here in full force. Trees are bursting with catkins, leaves and [...]

Scientific name: Caltha palustris Suggested pronunciation: KAL-tha   pal-US-triss Common names: marsh marigold, cowslip, cowflock, kingcup Caltha palustris, Wikimedia Commons, Llez (CC BY-SA 3.0). Family: Ranunculaceae Article by Jeanne Gozigian It is ironic that such a true harbinger of [...]

Scientific name: Cercis canadensis L. var. texensis 'Oklahoma' (S.Watson) M.Hopkins Common name: 'Oklahoma' Texas redbud Family: Fabaceae By Susan Bruneni Early colonial gardeners were delighted when redbuds signaled spring was near with a splash of pink blossoms. George Washington and [...]

January 1, 2022 By Sylvan Kaufman, Ph.D. On desert soils worldwide live biological soil crusts, tiny communities living in the top inches of the soil. Sometimes called cryptogamic (hidden) or microbiotic (tiny) soils, they are made up of cyanobacteria, green [...]

Scientific name: Ambrosia artemisiifolia Common names: Ragweed, bursages, burrobrushes Scientific name: Ambrosia trifidia Common names: giant ragweed, tall ragweed, blood ragweed, perennial ragweed Family: Asteraceae Article by Jeanne Gozigian Each year by December most of the USA has undergone at [...]

Scientific name: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Common names: blue plumbago, leadwort Family: Plumbaginaceae (Leadwort) Article by Susan Bruneni Blooms in Santa Fe garden can range the full spectrum from reds, purples, gold-orange-yellows to whites. An unusual splash of blue can add drama [...]