It is late summertime, when thoughts turn to back-to-school, shorter days, and, for some people, the imminent return of pumpkin spice-everything. For me, it is mallow time. The mallow or Malvaceae family is large, containing nearly 250 genera, over 4,000 individual species and even more cultivated varieties. If the words “malva” and “Malvaceae” mean nothing … Read more
The rock band Deep Purple was formed in the late 1960’s and named after an old, popular English song. The first line of that song goes, ‘When deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls…” The rest is a wistful remembrance of lovers coming together as day fades to night. I think of “Deep Purple” because … Read more
If I wanted to, I could fill the entire yard with roses of Sharon. So could most people, because roses of Sharon, or Hibiscus syriacus, are among the most prolific garden shrubs. All you need to launch a rose of Sharon world domination campaign is one small specimen anywhere on or near your property. If … Read more
