It never fails. Every year, a plant that I’ve dismissed with contempt in seasons past manages to weasel its way into my good graces by displaying attributes I never seemed to appreciate before. I still don’t like the crazy glittery and painted ones—and fail to see how they’d enhance anyone’s holiday décor—but some of the [...]
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Thoughts about our garden. “We desire,” the Emporer dictated, “that in the garden there should be all kinds of plants.” Charlemagne the Gre. […]
Body: posted by Holly Scoggins Of course we want to buy locally-grown plants! There are a gazillion sound reasons to do so. In a paper that may be f. […]
While reading the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I stumbled upon a new (to me) trend in outdoor living: Outdoor Televisions! Phew! It’s. […]
Last year it was honeysuckle pink; this year it’s tangerine tango. Each year Pantone picks a color. This year’s shade, like last year’s, is resolutely loud and brash, notwithstanding the dim socioeconomic climate. The recommendation is aimed at fashionistas and home designers more than gardeners; I'm not saying that...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingPhoto by JP Thimot. It’s been a bad year for maple trees. Norway and silver maples across the Northeast and Midwest are ravaged this year by tar spot (the Rhytisma acerinum fungus) and (maybe less widespread) anthracnose, as I posted on GWI last week. In Western New York, the...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingJune-July-August Here’s the progress of the street planter I planted with randomly chosen Ball annuals (in addition to the cannas we always have in these). Sorry—the images were not taken from the same angle. (I always think of these scientific criteria too late.) But from any angle, it’s clear...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingSometimes my experience with these falls under the “interesting” category rather than “delightful,” but this year I am very pleased with the results from two starts I got from Select Seeds in the spring. This Martha Washington geranium (developed c. 1870s) is better than anything I can get in...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingThe other day, while I was trying to look up why my L. tigrinum flore-plenos have white fuzz all over their stems and buds, I came across the following: “has double flowers, but, in my opinion, is rather coarse. The style and grace of a lily flower lies in...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingIt’s true, David Austin roses have their downsides. They are marginally hardy below zone 5, they have tall, leggy bushes that really would like to be climbers, and I guess they’re somewhat susceptible to blackspot and other rose-related ills. Nonetheless. I still love all the DA’s I’ve tried, including...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingThese L. Robina (oriental/trumpet) were bred by Arie Peterse for their buds as well as their flowers. For years I have been wondering why more gardeners I knew did not grow lilium. Apparently, I’m not alone. A couple weeks ago, an electronic press packet representing a big lilium promotion...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Taking Your Gardening Dollar… and an extensive roster of hellebore breeders, including Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne, Joseph Heuger, Glenn Withey and Charles Price, and many others, I now have something truly distinctive to admire when hardly anything else is growing in the slowly thawing Buffalo spring. Not to mention that even the...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingThese trees are near a former homestead that has been preserved. Not after last week’s trip to the Great Smokies National Park and nearby Tennessee towns. Here, they are thriving at the edges of the forest, set off by Eastern hemlocks, tulip poplars, and other, much taller trees. Sure,...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingThese are some kind of parrot tulip from the big box. As the years go by, I am experimenting with forcing varieties of bulbs that aren’t recommended for forcing. It seems to be simply a matter of waiting longer. (Maybe I’ll move on to iris next year.) And judging...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingHere's a guest rant from Kansas master gardener, blogger, and veterinary surgeon James Roush. And be sure to check out Michele's beautifully-illustrated essay on this plant in the current Garden Design.—Elizabeth One of my many, many pet gardening peeves (which should be differentiated from the many pets that peeve me in my...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, DarlingYesterday I heard master gardening teacher Gene Sumi give his famous talk about basic pruning. It's but a 90-minute summary of the full course he teaches on pruning at community colleges, but a great beginning for anyone afraid to pick up their first pruners and give it a go. ...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingNow, don't say anything. Just let me get through this. You knew going into this what kind of person I was. You knew all about my history with houseplants. Full disclosure, that's what I believe in. I told you I expected a plant to be able to take care...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingLadies and Gents! Meet the circus clowns, magicians, and tattooed ladies of the green world! From Paula Gross, assistant director of the University of North Carolina Charlotte Botanical Gardens, and Larry Mellichamp, professor of botany and horticulture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and with a...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Unusually Clever PeopleIt’s a short story. If you’re not willing to pay some minimal attention to your indoor plants at least every couple weeks or so, they will die. I don’t care what kind of plants they are or how foolproof they are supposed to be. Even with maintenance, some...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingHere's a guest post from James Roush, who hates mums as much or maybe even more than I do. James's blog is Garden Musings.—Eliz. My muse for today's blog is a coworker and friend who's also a new homeowner. She's faced with the dilemma of all non-gardeners who suddenly find themselves with a town...
Read more in: Guest Rants, It's the Plants, DarlingI and many in the industry believe that there are simply too many new plants introduced each year, with too few of them being proved garden worthy. Pity the poor gardener who, faced with an overwhelming choice of plants, can hardly know which are the best to choose. With...
Read more in: It's the Plants, Darling, Unusually Clever PeopleRe Elizabeth's post below: I was very struck by this scene in an alley in Saratoga Springs, NY last Thanksgiving. Pansy seed that had obviously dropped from the window box above yielded a sweet row of blooms at a moment when the rest of the plant world was in...
Read more in: It's the Plants, DarlingPhoto from the Icicle Pansy site. Every year, right around now, near the end of the gardening season, we northern gardeners are being tempted by racks of very pretty six-packs that go by the name of “icicle” or “winter” pansies. The legend goes that you plant these in the...
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Commented on Got Gnomes? { I'm with the gnomes, too. This makes me want more gnomes. It inspires no desire for plastic furniture. } – May 24, 6:44 PM
Commented on The Animals and Garden Amenities of Plantsman David Culp { Fabulous, beautiful garden! Thanks for sharing. I have 2 questions: What is David spraying weekly that effectively keeps deer away? What does he do to... } – May 24, 3:00 PM
Commented on The Drunken Botanist Goes to Manhattan... { The Drunken Botanist Goes to Manhattan… | Garden Rant } – May 24, 10:51 AM
Commented on The Animals and Garden Amenities of Plantsman David Culp { I have the book, and have read, and re-read it multiple times already. What a fabulous garden. But I really like the pictures you have... } – May 24, 9:36 AM
Commented on Trees by the numbers { I suspect inflated estimates like these do more damage than good. Tree huggers will still hug trees, but enviro-skeptics will probably be more skeptical of... } – May 24, 4:43 AMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
