The other day I needed a rose—a special rose with certain very specific characteristics. It had to have beautiful blossoms, decent-looking leaves and a repeat blooming habit. Fragrance was a given. This much-needed plant also had to be pest and disease resistant and require very little care. Hearing all of that, some people might point … Read more
I love my cottage-style garden, with its masses of flowers and greenery. At my place, the garden has plenty of classical elements including brick paths, hedges and stone walls, but the plants rule the roost. The flip side of all that cottage garden charm is that masses of flowers and greenery can easily become messes … Read more
Lots of plants pop up in the fertile ground under my privet hedge—poison ivy, Virginia creeper, wild grape, Japanese honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet and common mulberry, to name a few. I spend a good chunk of time every month battling them. It is a quixotic battle, based on the romantic notion that I can actually defeat … Read more
Back before the dawn of time and the omnipresence of e-Bay, you used to be able to find dusty little antique shops on side streets in towns and cities all over the country. Those shops were generally filled with equal measures of junk and treasure, though sometimes it seemed that little if any merchandise changed … Read more
Those twentieth century poet/troubadours, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, captured a universal sentiment when they penned the words “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Most gardeners would agree. I depend on friends for inspiration and friendly criticism, not to mention timely donations of cuttings, perennial divisions and collected seeds. Last week … Read more
