Úr (heather)

Week 43 of the PBP.

Pine

Week 32 of the PBP. Pine. The native peoples of this area called the white pine the “Tree of Peace.” Standing in the white pine grove on the shores of Brewer’s Brook, it’s not at all difficult to imagine how the name came about. There is a deep stillness in the swampiness of the pine […]

Lavender

Week 25 of PBP. The other “L” entry is also beloved for its perfume: lavandula angustifolia. The first real memories I have of this beauty are of the endless fields of lavender in Provence. Every medieval garden my family visited in the south of France had glorious lavender plants. I loved how the sticky, spicy […]

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)

Week 21 of the PBP. As you’ve probably noticed by now, this series is more than a little bit of an exercise in nostalgia. Here we have Kalmia latifolia, or Mountain Laurel, a plant which promises that summer is close. It is native to the eastern United States, and there are areas of New Jersey […]

Juniper

Week 20 of the PBP. Juniper has been something of a love-hate relationship for me. I love the berries, love the flavor that they give to corned beef and other stews, love the smell of its burning branches. But I hate how ubiquitous is has become in suburban American landscaping. It seems like anywhere a […]