COVER-UPS It is spring and everything looks healthy—especially chickweed, wild onion and dandelions. As all gardeners know, Nature abhors bare ground and works hard to cover it as soon as possible. Unfortunately the plants that cover the quickest are the aforementioned weeds. Dandelions are nice if you want to make salad from the young greens … Read more
In 2000 the horticultural world turned upside down with the introduction of a new rose. Its registration name was ‘RADrazz’, but it became known to the world as ‘Knock Out’. Sixteen years later, it is probably the most popular rose in the United States, if not the world. On the face of it, ‘Knock Out’ … Read more
In this part of the world, we have paid for the recent mild winter with a long, erratically cool spring. Since March first, I think we have had more snow in the forecast—though not on the ground—than we did during the months of November, December and January combined. The daffodils, hyacinths and tulips are made … Read more
If someone could actually live in the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that person would probably be totally blasé about great art. I live in a neighborhood full of great works of nature’s art, especially trees. At this time of year the magnolias shine in large numbers. While not completely blasé about those … Read more
Last week I participated in an annual ritual of spring that involved a lengthy pilgrimage, followed by acts of homage at impressive shrines in the company of hundreds of other pilgrims. At the end of my journey, I returned home footsore, but spiritually renewed. The scene of this religious devotion was, of course, the Philadelphia … Read more
