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Dill, Anethum graveolens, is a biennial herb, usually grown as an annual. It has delicate, aromatic foliage, and large umbels with bright yellow flowers. Suitable for gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9, there are a number of different varieties available that vary in size, time to maturity, and flavor. Its feathery foliage and delicate flowers make a decorative, fragrant addition to borders. It’s often grown as a companion plant in the vegetable garden. Every va

Long before the advent of electronic security systems, plants were used as “biological razor wire” to protect homesteads from marauding outsiders, or as livestock enclosures. By strategically planting thorny, spiky, dense bushes or hedging, you can create an effective barrier to deter intruders without compromising the look of your landscape. Many ornamental shrubs have vicious thorns or spiny foliage, and with careful placement, they can add a layer of security to your ho

Lettuce comes in a range of varieties – with flavors from buttery and mild to nutty and even slightly bitter; textures from delicate to crunchy; and colors from pale to dark green and burgundy. With all these choices, even the most ardent veggie-phobes or demanding foodies will find a lettuce to love. Most of the leafy greens we put in our salad bowls are varieties of Latuca sativa. Have you ever noticed what the flowers look like when your lettuce goes to seed? They might re

Around February of each year, snow is still falling up here in Alaska. Moose are trampling through yards, chomping all bits of soft willow branches and baby birch tree limbs they can find. (Yes, I’m still mad that they ate my birch tree.) While it’s all very charming and beautiful, I start aching for color in February. So I usually run to the grocery store and pick up some candles that smell like spring – and flowers that look like it. But what if in addition to my s