Hardy Cyclamen

HARDY CYCLAMEN             I am a great advocate of getting down on your knees and weeding.  It’s very bad for the weeds, because there is no escape for them when a gardener gets so close to the earth.  It’s very good for you because it provides a completely different perspective than the one you see … Read more

Miles to Go

MILES TO GO             When I started on my personal garden perfection project last February, I gave myself one year to make the garden so lovely that I wouldn’t be ashamed to take a page from garden writer Beverley Nichols’ book and invite anyone and everyone to see it.  In between then and now I’ve … Read more

Paperwhites

PAPERWHITES             I have a love/hate relationship with paperwhites, those non-hardy narcissus whose bulbs are on sale everywhere starting about now.  When they bloom, these relatives of the common daffodil are lovely and winsome–a harbinger of spring at a dark time of year.  Buying them always seems like a good idea in October, which is … Read more

Mystery Broom

MYSTERY BROOM             If you are attuned to plants, you never know when you’ll encounter a plant identification mystery.  My daughter and I found one last week while we were out for a walk on a local side street.  We were passing a house that sat on a corner lot atop a slight embankment.  The … Read more

Lessons

LESSONS               Three days from now my garden will be open to the public as part of a local fundraiser centered on art, music and gardens.  The preparation for the event was a big part of my campaign to spend one year, beginning last February, making my garden as lovely as it could be. … Read more