Garden resolutions: The triumph of hope over experience.
The symbolic promise of a new year is not enough for me this time around. Normally happy to raise my glass and cheerfully throw out The Old as the clock [...]
Marianne Willburn
Canna, hot greenhouse fantasies, and the brutality of ice. A Letter to the Midwest.
December 29, 2020 Lovettsville, VA Dear Scott, Well, I think we’ve established that you’re the better person at this point. As we will not agree about using shallow phrases [...]
The Pleasures and Perils of Young, Broke Gardens
To walk through a young garden in winter is a courageous act when the garden is your own, and the budget, diminutive. We forget how much frosting the active growing [...]
It’s #Ad Season. Don’t believe everything you see.
It’s the holiday season and our feeds are currently stuffed with gorgeous filtered photos and fifteen second videos warmed with soft music – all with one clear and focused goal: [...]
‘Stay Safe’ Just Ain’t Possible Round Here.
I cannot be left with my thoughts these last few days. I emerge from the experience in a ratty mood that doesn’t benefit anyone, least of all myself. Plus I [...]
Finding autumn…and art: A Letter to The Midwest
November 28, 2020 Lovettsville, VA Dear Scott, Thanks for your letter of 16 November. A good and thoughtful letter, which had me laughing. I wish you two lived closer so [...]
Red? Blue? What if you’re Purple…Or Green.
With all due respect to fellow garden industry bloggers, columnists, authors, speakers, and social media influencers who choose a different path, I chose long ago not to bring politics into [...]
Martha, October, and the magic of Li Ziqi – A Letter to the Midwest
October 17, 2020 Lovettsville, VA Dear Scott, Well, August is well and truly behind us. I don’t remember September. It had something to do with a copyediting deadline on the [...]
Is Naming Your Garden Pretentious?
Ever ready to object when I hear the word ‘pretentious’ used to condemn something that might warrant a deeper conversation and a bottle of wine, I have recently found myself [...]
‘Martha Knows Best’ Is Not Great. It’s Not Even a Good Thing.
So, it’s come to this. As a nation, we are so starved for American garden programming that we are willing to accept that a woman worth over $620 million dollars, [...]
In Defense of The Lawn
Last week, Susan Harris emailed me regarding my recent article “In Defense of The Lawn” in the July/August issue of The American Gardener magazine. “Can we use it for the [...]
Looking for Something More Positive
Lovettsville, VA Dear Scott, Rain. Glorious rain! The exclamation point is, I assure you, fully justified. After three and a half weeks without the stuff and without piped water to [...]