Last week I was in the Hudson Highlands section of New York State, hot on the trail of an interesting ruin. The ruin in question was once a stately house, built in the early twentieth century, and destroyed by fire fifty years later. All that remains of the house are portions of the stone foundation … Read more
I bought a new hardy geranium last week. That is not news. Over the years I have developed a small collection of varieties that I love for their beautiful flowers, interesting leaves and adaptable dispositions. The sturdiest of my collection is Geranium macrorrhizum, the big-root geranium, with pink, five-petaled spring flowers and deeply dissected, apple-scented … Read more
Romantic poet William Wordsworth was fond of rambling through the English countryside, often accompanied by his devoted sister, Dorothy. Waxing sentimental about flowers, plants and nature was almost a requirement for Romantic poets, and Wordsworth did so frequently. I especially like his description of a meadow flower: How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? … Read more
Life is full of dichotomies. I freely admit to falling madly in love with a different plant every few weeks during the growing season, but I am also remarkably faithful to plants that have served me well over many years. Hardy geraniums fall into that latter category. Hardy geraniums, also known as cranesbills, are Geraniaceae … Read more
I grew up in a town that was less than an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls, but the only time we paid a call on that natural wonder was when we hosted visitors from England. In similar fashion, I have lived—at least horticulturally speaking—near the perennial hardy geranium ‘Rozanne’ since its introduction in 2000, but … Read more
