The Gardeners' Apprentice MORE SNOWDROPS Last year at about this time, I indulged my passion for an obscure snowdrop and ordered a small expensive specimen from an equally small catalog. Last night I did it again, only this time I ordered several plants. I can see this becoming an annual ritual, and I am mindful of the … Read more
DELPHINIUM STAND-INS If you live in a place with short unpredictable springs and hot sticky summers, you probably have issues with delphiniums. You can buy them, you can plant them, but you can’t expect them to give you joy forever. In fact, you frequently can’t expect them to perform beyond the first season. This … Read more
WINTER CLEANOUT It’s time to do something about my houseplants. The holidays are over, the New Year is well underway and spring, or at least the beginning of the growing season, is still waiting in the wings. My houseplant collection is in chaos, and I need to make some tough decisions and introduce some … Read more
DOUBLE OR NOTHING My trade association, the Garden Writers of America, refers to its members as “Garden Communicators”. As a veteran “garden communicator” I receive a boatload of mail order plant, seed and garden equipment catalogs every year. The flow started before Christmas, and now every day I can expect to find a catalog … Read more
UNSEASONABLE WEATHER When I take stock of the current state of my garden, I realize that this may just be the Year of Perpetual Bloom. English garden writers have been bragging about their year-round flowers for decades, if not centuries, but those of us in the northeastern United States have never had that luxury. … Read more
