FOSTER GERANIUMS The houseplants that summered outside are now under cover once more. If they were sentient beings, they would probably be relieved. After all, they have been through a lot. Their tranquil summer vacation was interrupted dramatically when they were piled at random in the garage just before Hurricane Irene. Due to the … Read more
THE COPELAND CLAN I love garden catalogs, which is a good thing because I get scores of them every year. Some of the most interesting are specialty catalogs dedicated to a single genus like tomatoes or roses or African violets. It amazes me to think that I could plant my entire garden–or at … Read more
STORMY DAYS Most of us in the northeast are unlikely to forget the short-lived but hard-hitting snowstorm of October 29, 2011. I emerged from a funeral at two pm on that day and heard the ominous sound of continuous cracks, pops and crashes as trunks split, limbs came down and whole trees toppled. The … Read more
AUTUMN TIPS In autumn garden writers are bound by strict union rules to wax rhapsodic about the golden light, the gorgeous leaf colors and the gradual winding down of the growing season. This, of course, is a prelude to the winter union rules that require the creation of reams of eloquent prose about … Read more
RUTHLESS When we bought our house twelve years ago, an elderly lilac bush was holding court in the corner of the front yard. Judging by the size of the thickest trunk and the abundance of root suckers nearby, it had probably been there for years. Once upon a time, it had abundant sunshine, but … Read more
