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White Star Flower

white star flower

Bring a touch of north Africa to your yard with the white Ornithogalum arabicum. It has lots of other common names: star of Bethlehem, star flower, Arab’s eye, lesser cape-lily, Arabian starflower, snake flower or chincherinchee. This bulb is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 7 through 11 and can be enjoyed as a tender bulb or a …

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Peony ‘ Celebrity’

Gigantic rose-pink blooms surround the white tufted centers of this aptly named beauty. It’ll be the star of your long-running garden show with its delightful fragrance and attractive foliage — perfect for borders, beds and cut flowers. Plant the peonies bare root not more than 2 inches deep to help create strong root growth in the first year. Be patient …

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Verbena – Estrella

estrella verbena

Combining vibrant colors with excellent growing characteristics, Estrella is a versatile series suitable for baskets, mixed containers and the landscape. A vegetatively propagated series, Estrella uses Westflowers genetics bred by Westhoff in Germany. The series boasts rich, vibrant colors on large flower clusters, without the common white flower center. With a well-branching and mounding plant habit, Estrella blooms flowers close …

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Lime Curd

lime curd

More zing than lemon curd. Serve on toast, biscotti, as a filling between layers of cake, or straight up. Ingredients 3 ounces (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup lime juice (about 4 limes) Zest of 4 limes, divided in two 4 large eggs, well beaten Pinch of sea salt Directions Makes 2 cups. Use a double boiler …

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Tulip – Ruffled

The majority of tulips (Tulipa spp.) flower naturally in the spring, making them a symbol of new life and renewal. Many varieties of tulips produce blooms in varying shades of yellow, adding a cheerful “hello” to the new growing season. Yellow tulips require the same care and maintenance as other colored tulip varieties. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) and tulips (Tulipa spp.) …

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Cherry Bombs

pickled cherries

Cherry Bombs are cherries that are pickled in a sweet and spicy brine. There are many variations of this dish. The brine can be thin (like pickle juice) or thick like syrup. The cherries can be pitted or left whole with the stems. The extra acid can come from lemon juice, wine, or vinegars (like apple cider vinegar, red wine …

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Tomato – Early Girl

Early Girl tomato

The Early Girl tomato is a medium globe type F1 hybrid popular with home gardeners because of its early fruit ripening. Early Girl is an indeterminate variety. It is tall growing and needs support as the plant grows. Fruit maturity claims range from 50 to 62 days from transplanting. Plants are reliable and prolific. The ripe fruit is about the …

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Salvia elegans – Pineapple salvia

Salvia elegans. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. Tubular red flowers and lime-green leaves are fragrant with a scent similar to pineapple. Can be grown in a 1-foot deep, 1-foot wide pot. Salvia elegans, commonly called Pineapple sage or Tangerine Sage, is a perennial shrub native to Mexico and Guatemala. It inhabits Madrean and Mesoamerican pine-oak forests …

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Henbit

henbit

Henbit is a small but pretty winter wildflower. Hummingbirds enjoy this wild edible for the nectar. Henbit is also an important early season source of nectar and pollen for honeybees. Unlike many of its relatives in the mint family, henbit does not have a strong or distinctive mint scent. The common name, Henbit, comes from the observation that chickens like …

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