Win Dunwell’s Garden Library and the Chaos of Memories
On December 11, Win Dunwell drove a half-hour to his workplace of 40 years. He knew the tornado that ripped apart Mayfield, Kentucky, had made a direct hit on [...]
Allen Bush
The Purest of Human Pleasures? From Eton to Paradise.
Robin Lane Fox, classical scholar, gardener, equestrian and journalist, has been near the front of the cavalry charge of garden writers in Great Britain for over 50 years. In [...]
Ashes of Love
Rose and I flew to Washington last Saturday, a few hours after devastating tornadoes tore through our beloved Kentucky. My heart aches. The remnant storm winds shaved 15 minutes off [...]
Making a List and Checking it Twice
I have notebooks filled with scribbled names of plants I’ve seen in gardens, on social media, or heard about from friends. My list of must-have plants runs to 68: a [...]
Be Inspired by Earth-Minded Berea College Students
Climate change makes my head hurt. Remedies seem insufficient and technological breakthroughs uncertain. While governments squabble, students at Berea College are re-thinking the planet’s future and working together. This year [...]
Agent Hash and the Sichuan Peppercorn
The USDA agent introduced himself as "Mr. Hash.” I worried I was having a flashback. I struggled to avoid asking, "You’re f#@*ing kidding me?" This is a follow up to [...]
Sorrow and Solace in Sichuan on 9/11
On 9/11 I was searching for garden-worthy Chinese plants in the western Chinese province of Sichuan. I was in good company: five American plant hunters, a photojournalist, a retired doctor, [...]
Trashing trees. Why on earth?
Let me count the ways to trash trees. I’ll start with careless butchery done every day by lawn mowers and string trimmers. I’ll add volcano mulch piled up around [...]
Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes
Rose and I recently went out for our first movie in a long time. We picked a good one. “Gardens are good for the soul…They make you feel like your [...]
Abra Lee Conquers the Soil
Abra Lee is unearthing the American history of Black ornamental gardening—one story at a time. The White Lion landed near Hampton, Virginia, in 1619. On board were an estimated 20 [...]
Leafing Las Vegas
A week ago Rose and I checked into the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for one night. We were on our way the next day to visit our [...]
Fluffing Up for a Garden Tour
Our fluffed-up Louisville Garden was scheduled to be on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour this Saturday. The Kentucky portion, with five gardens, got cancelled a week ago by mutual [...]