Plant of the Month

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 [...]

Scientific name: Helenium autumnale L. Common name: autumn sneezeweed, common sneezeweed Family: Asteraceae Suggested pronunciation: aster-A-cee-ee Article by Janice Tucker Note: Janice Tucker wrote this article on October 23, 2016, as a part of her "Wetland Wonders" weekly series for [...]

Scientific name: Chrysanthemum × morifolium Common name: football mums Family: Asteraceae Suggested pronunciation: aster-A-cee-ee Article by Jeanne Gozigian We talked in the June Plant of the Month article about violet corsages being worn on the furs of fashionable New York [...]

Scientific name: Echinacea purpurea Common name: purple coneflower Family: Asteraceae Article by Susan Bruneni The purple coneflower is a true native North American plant, growing primarily east of the Rocky Mountains. Other plants discovered in the New World such as [...]

This month's plant of the month article will introduce the newest part of Santa Fe Botanical Garden, the Piñon-Juniper Woodland, a characteristic community of two-needle piñon (Pinus edulis) and one-seed junipers (Juniperus monosperma). The Piñon-Juniper Woodland at Santa Fe Botanical [...]