CLARA BUTT Tastes and fashions change, but even at a time when artists go by interesting names like “Lady Gaga,” it is hard to imagine a world renowned singer saddled with the name “Clara Butt.” There was such a person, however, and she lived from 1872 to 1936. The tulip named after her, saved … Read more
LOST AND FOUND GARDENS Almost three weeks after the late October snowstorm that created havoc all up and down the East Coast and cost the region thousands of trees, my garden is still a mess. We are waiting for the tree company to come and remove a very large, downed limb that hovers over … Read more
FOSTER GERANIUMS The houseplants that summered outside are now under cover once more. If they were sentient beings, they would probably be relieved. After all, they have been through a lot. Their tranquil summer vacation was interrupted dramatically when they were piled at random in the garage just before Hurricane Irene. Due to the … Read more
STORMY DAYS Most of us in the northeast are unlikely to forget the short-lived but hard-hitting snowstorm of October 29, 2011. I emerged from a funeral at two pm on that day and heard the ominous sound of continuous cracks, pops and crashes as trunks split, limbs came down and whole trees toppled. The … Read more
RUTHLESS When we bought our house twelve years ago, an elderly lilac bush was holding court in the corner of the front yard. Judging by the size of the thickest trunk and the abundance of root suckers nearby, it had probably been there for years. Once upon a time, it had abundant sunshine, but … Read more
