After about three years of indecision and inattention, I have finally acquired a crape myrtle, known to its botanist friends as Lagerstroemia indica. The acquisition involved aging by yet another year and alerting my daughter to the fact that a crape myrtle might make a wonderful birthday present. Now, I am the proud owner of … Read more
What features are essential to a successful garden? Some people would say “structure”. Others would opine that no garden is complete without some kind of water feature—even if that water feature is only a birdbath. Still others would say “evergreens” or “hardscaping” or “four seasons of interest”. All of those things contribute to the best … Read more
Sometimes I find Joe Pye-weed, or Eupatorium maculatum, annoying. Let me count the ways. First, the North American native plant is vigorous to the point of invasiveness, with a seed germination rate that must be about 150 percent. The wind carries those seeds all over the place, starting new colonies wherever the seeds happen to … Read more
In 1957, Elizabeth Lawrence, a great American gardener and garden writer published The Little Bulbs: A Tale of Two Gardens. It is a small book, as befits its subject, but eloquent on the topic of small plants and big friendships. The Little Bulbs is still available from used book outlets and is well worth investigating. … Read more
My late summer garden is still waiting for its moment of glory—when the New England asters that have multiplied in droves, will burst into waves of blue, pink and purple glory. In the meantime, my spirits are bolstered by a few large dots of landscape color, including the last of the purple and white coneflowers, … Read more
