March 8th, 2010
THE ORCHID SITTER Orchids are everywhere in the floral world right now. I saw hundreds of them at the recent Philadelphia Flower Show. The New York Botanical Garden is right in the middle of its annual orchid show, as is Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens. If I were a betting person, I would wager that the upcoming New England Flower Show will be dripping with cattleyas, miltonias and oncidiums as well. I have long appreciated orchids, but for ... (click here to read the full article)
March 1st, 2010
GARDENS PRESERVED Horticulturists and historians love to debate things, and one of the most interesting debates among them has been about preserving gardens. The question is, “Can a notable garden still be notable after its guiding spirit dies?” The corollary to that is, “Should a notable garden stay the same after its guiding spirit dies?” Part of the answer depends on whether the guiding spirit leaves any money to take care of the garden, not to mention ... (click here to read the full article)
February 22nd, 2010
WINTER LESSONS In the eighteenth century English landscape architect William Kent took the advice of his contemporary, poet Alexander Pope, and consulted “the genius of the place” when designing landscapes for his wealthy clients. By doing so Kent helped launch a design movement that eschewed formality in favor of creating landscapes that meshed with the surrounding countryside. Since then, much has been written about “the genius of the place” or genius loci in Latin. For Kent and his ... (click here to read the full article)
February 15th, 2010
GERBERA DAISIES When I was a young, foolish gardener, I was a tremendous plant snob. I looked down my nose at petunias, dahlias, gladiolas, hybrid tea roses and gerbera daisies. They were common plants, in my lofty opinion, pretty enough if you weren’t too choosey, but certainly not anything that I would want in my house or garden. But being a plant snob blinds you to a bumper crop of beauty, and nobody can afford to ignore beautiful ... (click here to read the full article)
