My struggles with roses have entered their final phase: reconciliation. After getting rid of all the boring Meidiland shrubs that came with the house (though for their kind, they were nice enough), I experimented with a few old rose cultivars as well as some Carefree varieties. Nothing really thrived and the Carefrees took up too [...]
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling
Body: Posted by Bert CreggLast week I posted about some horticultural disasters I witnessed in the Czech Republic. This week the chamber of horrors. […]
Biodiverse Lawn by Coalition Member Thomas Christopher Like other members of this group, I believe that the contemporary model of lawn has got to go.. […]
Body: Posted by Linda Chalker-Scott If you've been following us for a while, you might remember a post from August 2009 when I got cranky about a pot. […]
For the past 8 years or so, I have been filling up pots with tulips at the same time I do my October in-ground bulb plantings. Species tulips and other small bulbs like erythronium go in the ground, and the big hybrid tulips go into pots and a couple...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Shut Up and Dig
Some of you may remember the Kickstarter campaign I posted for Buffalo’s Farmer Pirate cooperative. It was successful; the group bought their dump truck and now they’re using it to pick up organic matter from restaurants, grocery stores, and other commercial sites. They’ve also added a residential compost program....
Read more in: Unusually Clever People
It’s only thanks to Tony Avent’s latest catalog cover that I knew that of the existence of Panayoti Kelaidis – he appears there just to the right of the Ranters. I didn’t know him as a famous plant collector/explorer who’s put the Denver Botanic Gardens on the map, but...
Read more in: Ministry of Controversy, Unusually Clever People
Please welcome Lau Hodges, the latest victim of our all-too-infrequent series, Get a Job. What do you do for a living? I have the greatest job ever! I am the Director of Operations and Exhibitions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. I will be the...
Read more in: Get a Job
Guest Rant by Geoff Lewis I would like to speak to the curious sport of bedding plants. Bedding plants – you know, big pansies, dwarf marigolds and their ilk. One’s vision is of an orgiastic colour melee: Vast flocks of the vegetative equivalent of Pekinese and/or Schitzu-Poodle crosses (schit-poos)...
Read more in: Designs, Tricks, and Schemes, Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
Thousands of red tulips have been planted in the Churchill Downs paddock and winner’s circle for this year’s Kentucky Derby. They were shipped from Holland months ago. Nearly 500 red roses will arrive from South America a few days before the race (the first Saturday in May) and be...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
For those who, like me, read trend reports with fascinated horror (Really? Animal prints? Still?), here’s one that’s a little more fun—Today’s Garden Center’s Top 10 Most Hated Garden Trends. There are several I dislike with equal fervor, a few others are more garden industry inside baseball stuff, and...
Read more in: Unusually Clever People
Not long ago we had a lively discussions here (145 comments!) in answer to the question: What do we think of Master Gardeners?“ Much of the criticism of the MG program was focused on the name, and several commenters opined that “Extension Volunteer” would be more accurate and cause...
Read more in: Ministry of Controversy, Taking Your Gardening Dollar
On a recent afternoon, after a day and a half of strenuous garden work, Professor Roush quit working and took a number of photos to convince himself, and all of you, that spring was beginning in Kansas. I was sidetracked, however, by the quick appearance of a small storm...
Read more in: Guest Rants, Taking Your Gardening Dollar
D.C. local Jacques Domenge wanted to photograph the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin, which are finally blooming but swarming with the hordes, so he waited until dark. He then used the very cool “light painting” method, starting by setting up a tripod and choosing a long exposure. Then...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling
When you think of plant hunting—Indiana Jones style—you usually think of faraway places. Throw in tall mountains, deep ravines, landslides and feuding warlords, and you might soon forget the plants. The story becomes more about the adventure. Andy Schmitz and Jeff Carstens haven’t been to China or India, but...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, Darling
In the early days of the iPhone, we were ravening for gardening apps. After a while though, the craving just seemed to go away. I have several theories on that. It could be that our devices have become so essential to the tasks of multi-level communication, social media, mapping,...
Read more in: Armitage Rants, Taking Your Gardening Dollar
I was reluctant to make the schlep into D.C. to attend DC’s Home and Garden Show, which (like HGTV) deserves a silent G for its dearth of garden vendors. But the show DID have the good sense to book a talk by someone I’d wanted to meet for a...
Read more in: Unusually Clever People
You can still register for this year’s bloggers’ get-together. The sixth annual Garden Bloggers Fling in San Francisco happens June 28-30; its itinerary includes tours of private gardens (a sample above), tours of public spaces like Filoli and the Conservatory of Flowers, a photography workshop with Saxon Holt, and...
Read more in: Real Gardens
It’s cold, it’s dreary, and it seems like it will last forever. At least, that’s the reality if you live in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northeastern zones, as many of us do. It doesn’t bother me much—I’ve lived and gardened through many a snowy season. No biggie and ho-hum....
Read more in: Unusually Clever People
Michael Van Valkenburgh is one of a few hot-shot landscape architects who’s known for large, high-visibility projects, like his redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House post-9/11. He landed on my radar thanks to that project, which is local to me. So I was happy to...
Read more in: Designs, Tricks, and Schemes, Unusually Clever People
To plastic pots, that is. According to a press release I just got, Bluestone is the first perennial nursery to completely replace plastic growing pots with biodegradable media. I wish more nurseries would do this. I rather enjoy stepping on root-bound perennials in plastic pots before prying them out,...
Read more in: Gardening on the Planet, Shut Up and Dig
We here at GardenRant World Headquarters have not had much luck with gardening apps so far. They seemed so bright and shiny and new and full of promise at first, but then–meh. The thrill faded quickly, and I didn’t have a single garden app on my iPhone when...
Read more in: Designs, Tricks, and Schemes, Taking Your Gardening Dollar
When the planned community of Greenbelt was created in the ’30s, the landscape plan consisted of trees on their way to grandeur (mostly oaks) and hedges, like the ones in the old photo above. The shrubs used were and still are euonymus and privet, of which the euonymus are...
Read more in: Designs, Tricks, and Schemes
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Cheap alternative to the anti-cat mats: plant a grid of short pieces of bamboo that stick up an inch or two above ground (cheap IF... } – May 22, 8:03 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { To those asking what to do about cats who use their garden beds as litter boxes (and I haven't yet received my issue of Horticulture;... } – May 22, 7:37 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Susan, glad you saw our post, and thanks for sharing it. I hope the tips help someone. I so enjoy Garden Rant, by the way!... } – May 22, 6:37 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Everyone is an expert...our two lovely kitties lived for 21 years outdoors. An exception to common wisdom I suppose, and the law of averages. I... } – May 22, 4:41 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { I miss her, too. I wish I knew if/when she'll be available for blogging again. } – May 21, 11:00 PMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
