I just spent an afternoon walking the High Line, New York City’s vertical park built on the remnants of an elevated freight line on the West Side. I have heard people sing its praises since the first section opened in 2009 (a subsequent section opened last year, with another still to come) and those praises … Read more
The tall asters, now known as Symphyotrichum, will be finished with their impressive run by a week from now, leaving only some of their smaller cousins to carry on the garden show. The fall-blooming colchicums will also have finished their day in the sun, leaving only a few fading petals on the ground to show … Read more
Having just finished seasonal pruning of a rambunctious and assertively thorny rambling rose, I am reminded of the movie title, “There Will Be Blood.” The rose in question, which grows wildly, suckers aggressively and would take over the world if given the chance, also produces hundreds of winsome single, rose-pink blooms over the course of … Read more
Every once in awhile, a specific plant will have an absolutely wonderful year. This usually happens the year after you give it up for dead but are too lazy or preoccupied to dig it up and hurl it onto the compost pile. My tradescantia were not in any danger of that fate, but up until … Read more
Clearly nobody has informed the catmint and columbines in my garden that the end of the growing season is fast approaching. The columbines or acquilegia are excellent self-seeders and they have had a banner year. I spent a morning moving young columbine seedlings to places where they will do some good and not get stepped … Read more
