Plants we love, hate, or just have something to say about.
Too Big and Important For Homeowners to Fail
How do you calculate the value large trees bring to homes? How do we tally the annual unnecessary loss of such trees caused by irrational fears?
Snowdrops in February: a little bit boring but welcome
Anna Pavord has the right attitude toward snowdrops. In her 2009 book, Bulb (recommended), she notes, “Though there are only 18 species, you can now get hold of at least [...]
Annuals by mail – it’s not for the faint of heart
Why mail order annuals? I get surprised looks when asked - usually during Garden Walk - about interesting plants I have that came in that way. But for years, though [...]
The Joy of Succulents.
Well, it’s frosty outside and the sun is shining and you probably want me to write about snowdrops. There’s a lot of snowdrop waffle at this time of year, (I’ve [...]
An Honest Ranter’s Thoughts About Saving Your Amaryllis
Just because we CAN do a thing, doesn’t mean we SHOULD do a thing or even MUST do a thing. This applies as equally to saving tender plants as it [...]
Plume Poppy — a great idea or garden lunacy?
I’ve arrived at that inexplicable place where I’ve forgotten the hassle and headache of eradicating Macleaya cordata, a colonizing perennial that once ran roughshod in the front garden, only to [...]
Joy to Winter Garden Wonders
Half past fall foliage and a quarter to the New Year, here we are on the doorstep of the Winter Solstice — the longest night, the biggest dark, when sensible [...]
A Journey and Much Glory for a North Carolina Red Spruce, the 2022 Capitol Christmas Tree
UPDATE: Big spread in the Washington Post about this tree's role in the campaign to save the Red Spruce. (Paywall troubles? Try accessing it through your public library's website.) [...]
Crazy About Carpinus
In truth, there's not a lot of difference between the 20 or so hornbeam species, so collecting them might have been a little crazy. Still, I’m glad I did. They're all really nice trees. I've got specimens scattered around the yard and I've given several away to friends who are now in my debt and, because of that, try their best to overlook the awful things I routinely say and do when I'm around them. One thing I'll say about hornbeams that I can't say about most of my friends, they look wonderful from a distance and even better up close.
Something funny is going on here. Mum’s the Word.
Primped mums staged next to a rack of antifreeze may seem, to many of you, as appealing as convenient store rotisserie hot dogs, but what’s not to like about [...]
Adventures in Marmalade & Frugality
I’m a marmalade lover, and make orange marmalade regularly every winter; but this year I harvested the first significant fruit from my hardy orange tree (Citrus trifoliata syn. Poncirus trifoliata) [...]
A Cavalcade of Kaleidoscopic Caladiums
My first exposure to caladiums was a memorable one. I was not yet into horticulture. It was the 80s. I was working in an office in downtown Cincinnati and sometimes [...]