Friday, March 25, 2011

Plant of the Week


Death camas
Zigadenus elegans Pursh
other common names: alkali grass, smooth camass, white camass
Zigadenus (also Zygadenus): probably from Greek zygos, meaning “a yoke,” and aden, meaning “a gland,” because the glands sometimes occur in pairs. (Also called Anticlea.)
Elegans: from Latin for “elegant,” perhaps in reference to the showy flower heads
Lily family: Liliaceae

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

March Gardening Tip

Save the oil drained from your car and mix it with sand in a box or pail. When you're through with a garden tool, such as a spade, plunge it into the oiled sand to clean and oil it in one operation.
--Wilma Lesan, Ames Garden Club

Veronica Lorson Fowler with the Federated Garden Clubs of Iowa, Gardening in Iowa and Surrounding Areas