My house was built in 1882. Two years later, in 1884, botanist Luther Burbank (1849-1926) began to build a better daisy. Another seventeen years passed while Burbank crossed various daisy species. Finally, in 1901, he introduced a new ornamental plant named after Mount Shasta, one of California’s natural wonders. The Shasta daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum, … Read more
Planting anything is an investment in hope and optimism. You put a seed or young plant in the ground because you believe that with time and care, it will turn into something that resembles the gorgeous specimen on the plant tag or catalog page. It might also give you flowers, food, or shade. The whole … Read more
After all my years as a gardener, you would think that I could hang out the “no vacancy” sign over my beds and borders. But sometimes weak plants die and underperformers need relocation to more congenial spaces. Occasionally I swear that the groundhogs carry off choice specimens and replant them according to their own aesthetic … Read more
Monarch butterflies, known to their scientific friends as Danaus plexippus, abound this year—at least in the areas I frequent. Even though they are considered relatively common, I see them as miraculous. Backlit by bright midsummer sun, monarchs’ orange, black and white wings glow as they float from flower to flower. Unlike many other butterfly … Read more
Not long ago I went to Grace Gardens, in Geneva, NY, a magical daylily garden and nursery. It was early July, just before peak daylily bloom, but thousands of blossoms were already open for business. The array of colors and forms was breathtaking. I found it impossible to leave without a handful of new daylily … Read more
