Plants we love, hate, or just have something to say about.
Stinzen me not
It started with a media release that I was about to delete, but first I needed to google a term I’d never heard before: stinzen gardens. The release concerned bulb [...]
Stop torturing your houseplants: first in a series
Overheard recently in my plant shop: two ladies talking about the products. One picked up a pot and turned to her friend and said, “It’s very Instagram chic to have [...]
Black-eyed Susans and Morning Glories – the Worst Thugs I’ve Introduced to my Garden (Lately)
Here you see the swath of Black-eyed Susans that I once welcomed because they quickly filled in the longest sunny border in my front yard. So cheerful! Such long-lasting blooms! [...]
Plant & Prejudice: A Gardener’s Journey
Sparked by Elizabeth’s zinnia post this week on the merits of plants she once considered to be the “low rent versions of dahlia,” I spent some time this morning considering [...]
I’ll never be without zinnias again
For years, I ignored these very popular annuals, thinking of them as low-rent versions of dahlias. I chased after dahlias instead, starting them inside in April, planting them out, staking [...]
Cultivate Brings the Industry Back Together in 2021
I had promised Susan et al. to report on Cultivate a few short hours after attending this huge trade show in Columbus last week – back in person for the [...]
Celebrating roses
This is a cheat. It's hardly a rant. It's just a big treat for those of us who do, in spite of everything, still fall for and indulge a love [...]
Marianne Chats with Margaret Roach on “A Way to Garden” Podcast
Don't miss hearing Margaret get tips from our Marianne Willburn about growing tropical plants - on the latest A Way to Garden Podcast. It's a podcast I've recommended more than [...]
Puce is not a good look for flowers
You can call it bronze all you like, but basically, we’re talking brownplus or—old-school—puce. I love to experiment with unusual annuals and have long mail-ordered old-fashioned tall nicotiana from companies [...]
Thriller, Filler, Spiller? Why not just two out of three?
I don't know about YOU and the size of YOUR garden pots, but mine just aren't large enough to comfortably include what we're always told we should - a spikey [...]
If your rose changed color over the winter, blame it on Dr. Huey.
Rosa 'Dr. Huey.' Guest rant by Mike Nowak. Mike recently interviewed Ranters Susan Harris and Marianne Willburn for his radio show and it’s now available here on YouTube or here [...]
Will my Japanese Maple Survive the Cicadas?
And will my fennel survive the caterpillars? Brood X cicada on a banana tree leaf in my front yard. We're seeing torrents of news here in Maryland about [...]