Up Close
This stunning small shrub—featured in Up Close this issue (March/April 2013, pg. 64)—is Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias). Its otherworldly cups and saucers are a delight each spring in Zones 7 to 10. Its club-like flower clusters feature hundreds of tiny flowers cupped by stunning lime-green bracts. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and is semi-evergreen. Be careful if you cut this euphorbia back: Milky sap produced by its cut stems can irritate the skin. By Sarah Dorison; Photo by Josh McCullough
Crazy for Roses
When Patrick Liddle and Patricia Clark moved into their home in Deep River, Connecticut, they were confronted by an overgrown, long-neglected landscape. Their dream? Roses. And lots of them.