Tribulus terrestris, also called puncture vine or goathead, is the bane of bicycle riders and dog walkers everywhere, producing sharp, 4-pointed seedheads that break off and puncture tires and paw pads. It thrives in sunny, barren areas such as roadsides and dirt trails, where it is perfectly positioned to cause havoc. It starts to germinate […]
On Wednesday, June 11, members of the Alternative Garden Club met at the home of Elise Hutchings, Past President of the Utah Rose Society. They enjoyed seeing the beautiful roses in her back yard, front yard, and even the park strip that she has converted to a rose garden. She explained that she has 50 […]
The Utah Rose Society held its annual Rose Show at the Sugar House Garden Center on Saturday, June 7. With the heat waves we have had this spring, it was more challenging than usual to produce perfect specimens for the show, but our rose aficionados came through with many beautiful blooms. Shown here is Elise […]
This attractive little wildflower is not very well known, but it is easy to grow and generous in bloom. Just give it a shady to partly shady location and reasonably moist soil, and it will flower from April through October. It will often reseed and start to appear in new places around the garden, but […]
Euphorbia myrsinites, also known as donkey tail, burro tail, or myrtle spurge, is native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor but was brought to Utah as a drought-tolerant ornamental. Unfortunately, it is a highly invasive weed that spreads quickly and crowds out native vegetation in our foothills and open spaces. The milky sap is toxic […]
In honor of Memorial Day, we present the poppy, traditionally used as a symbol to honor those who served their country and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Shown here is the oriental poppy, Papaver orientale. It is easy to grow by sprinkling the seeds over bare ground in late fall in the location […]
Less well known than the summer-blooming garden phloxes, or the creeping pink phlox, this 12-inch tall perennial produces a stunning display of delicate purplish-blue flowers in mid to late spring. Native to the eastern U.S., it is perfectly hardy in northern Utah, where it is best grown in a shaded to partly shaded location in […]
On Saturday, May 10, the early iris show, presented by the Utah Iris Society, took place at the Sugar House Garden Center. As befits a flower named after the goddess of the rainbow, the award-winning blooms pictured here displayed a rich variety of beautiful colors. The late iris show will take place in the same […]
The Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis, is unrelated to the true roses. It is an attractive evergreen perennial that thrives in shade or part shade and has a long season of bloom, from March to May. The waxy flowers, which tend to turn their “faces” towards the ground, come in various shades ranging from white to […]
Unlike the familiar hybrid tulips, species or wild tulips can be found growing in the wild, primarily in Central Asia. They are typically smaller than the hybrids but can be very charming in their own way. When planted in a sunny or partly sunny location, in soil that is moist during the spring but well-drained […]