Independent gardening advice for real gardens, balconies and windowsills.
Practical advice on growing food and flowers, improving soil, and making the most of small spaces. Start anywhere — the garden will meet you.
The sour-sop, a native of the West Indies, which produces a fruit of considerable size, often weighing over 2 pounds. The pulp is white and has an acrid flavor, which is not disagreeable.
The common custard apple of the West Indies. It has a yellowish pulp and is not so highly esteemed as an article of food as some others of the species. It bears the name of Condissa in Brazil. The Ano...
The sweet-sop, a native of the Malay Islands, where it is grown for its fruits. These are ovate in shape, with a thick rind, which incloses a luscious pulp. The seeds contain an acrid principle, and,...
The upas tree. Most exaggerated statements respecting this plant have passed into history. Its poisonous influence was said to be so great as not only to destroy all animal life but even plants could...
The sack tree; so called from the fibrous bark being used as sacks. For this purpose young trees of about a foot in diameter are selected and cut into junks of the same length as the sack required. Th...
An East India plant which produces small, intensely black fruit about the size of a currant, used in making preserves. The bark furnishes a good fiber, which is utilized in the manufacture of ropes. A...
The Chinese rice paper plant. The stems are filled with pith of very fine texture and white as snow, from which is derived the article known as rice paper, much used in preparing artificial flowers.
The Bunya-Bunya of Australia, which forms a large tree, reaching from 150 to 200 feet in height. The cones are very large, and contain one hundred to one hundred and fifty seeds, which are highly priz...
The Brazilian Araucaria, which grows at great elevations. The seeds of this tree are commonly sold in the markets of Rio Janeiro as an article of food. The resinous matter which exudes from the trunk...
The Morton Bay pine. This Australian tree forms a very straight trunk, and yields a timber of much commercial importance in Sidney and other ports. It is chiefly used for house building and some of th...
This very elegant evergreen is a native of Norfolk Island. Few plants can compare with it in beauty and regularity of growth. The wood is of no particular value, although used for building purposes in...
A native of China. The bark has tonic and astringent properties, and is used in fevers and for external application in the cure of ulcers, etc.