The Gardeners' Apprentice The deer in my suburban neighborhood are not numerous yet and have lots of vegetation to choose from. This is a good thing because municipal restrictions mean that eight-foot deer fencing is not an option. I have worked out my own system for dealing with our most frequent visitors, Mr. Antlers and his two-stag posse. … Read more
In the last two weeks I have gotten used to seeing tall garden phlox in the summer gardens in my neighborhood. This morning I walked farther afield and saw masses of another tall, old-fashioned favorite—cleome or spider flower. The cleome were part of a cottage garden planting scheme and when I saw it from a … Read more
Every gardener has “holy grails”—plants that they have waited years to acquire. Sometimes they are new introductions or discoveries that are prohibitively expensive; other times they are species or varieties that have gained popularity in Europe or the Far East and haven’t made their way to U.S. shores. I have some evergreen “holy grails” that … Read more
Most of us who live in cold winter climates get sick of winter just about the time that sleet, ice, snow and gray days really get going. That depressing period generally starts after the first of the year, when the holiday excitement is long gone, along with the decorations. Living spaces are bare, New Year’s … Read more
I used to think there was no earthly use for perilla (Perilla frutescens). No garden since the beginning of time has ever had just one plant. True to its mint family heritage, perilla spreads and spreads and spreads. Of course, it is quite decorative, with its purple-black ruffled leaves, but some of the similarly colored … Read more
