Fragrant Butterflies

The world is full of beautiful flowers, but the most beautiful ones have fragrance to match their good looks.  That is why I always thought colorful, beruffled florists’ cyclamens, also known as Cyclamen persicum, were just a little lacking.  The selective breeding that transformed an eastern Mediterranean wildflower into a modern-day floral celebrity resulted in … Read more

Gardens and Memory

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” That evocative line, from Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, has become famous, casting an elegiac spell over the rest of the story.  I have similar thoughts and dreams about gardens in my past.  I am certain that other committed gardeners have the same experiences. Not long … Read more

Baron St. Paul’s Violets

Like most couples, my parents compromised on various issues throughout their marriage.  One of the most significant centered on flowers.  My mother wanted flowers in the house 365 days a year.  My father did not want to go broke providing them.  The compromise, which took place before I was old enough to know about it, … Read more

Glorious Gaura

You may not have noticed, but gauras have exploded in a big way.  This mass detonation has taken place over the last two decades, and while the world at large may have perceived it as white noise, it resounded in horticultural circles. Gaura lindheimeri, a perennial also known as Lindheimer’s beeblossom, wandflower, or just plain … Read more

Sowing Seeds in Autumn

While we are all getting cozy in our homes, drinking hot toddies and planning for the upcoming winter holidays, what are our annual, perennial and biennial plants doing?  Looking out at the garden or container array,  you might be tempted to say “dying”, and you would be right, but there is actually a lot more … Read more