The Gardeners' Apprentice 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
CHRISTMAS CACTUS If the State Police were responsible for the arrest and prosecution of people who neglect their houseplants, I would probably be on their “Ten Most Wanted” list. I love plants, but I have a busy life and sometimes I don’t provide optimal conditions for them. This year the plant I neglected the … Read more
AMARYLLIS AND PAPERWHITES I am an optimist and it gets me into trouble all the time. Right now some of the eleven amaryllis and forty paperwhite bulbs that I so optimistically ordered many weeks ago are in pots and dishes scattered all over the house, while the rest wait to be planted, rebuking me … Read more
