Growing up in the wilds of western New York State, crape myrtles were as foreign to me as winters without snow. I had a vague notion that they were nearly as important in the South, as camellias, but even northeastern greenhouses that were chock full of winter-flowering camellias were devoid of crape myrtle. I was … Read more
It has been a wet summer in my region and plants are lush and green. Lurking everywhere among that lushness is poison ivy, which is having a banner year. And, if that news is not enough to make you itchy, consider mosquitos, which also thrive in rainy, humid summer weather. The pesky insects, with their … Read more
I do not make a habit of wrestling with trees, but occasionally it becomes necessary. Last week I finished a several-round bout with the coral bark willow, Salix alba subspecies vitellina ‘Britzensis’, which grows smack in the middle of my front border. I want to emphasize that ‘Britzensis’ is a wonderful plant. A male member … Read more
When you see or hear something—plants, animals, situations—several times in a short span of hours or days, the universe is probably trying to send you a message. This past week, the message I received was about buttonbush, known to botanists as Cephalanthus occidentalis. On three separate days, I saw buttonbushes in three separate parks in … Read more
It occurs to me as I peer out over the happy array of coneflowers—Echinacea—in my front yard that the coneflower has become the “little black dress” of the world of ornamental horticulture. Every woman and a good number of the men of my acquaintance know that “little black dress” is metaphor for something that is … Read more
