BETH CHATTO The fall clean-up has brought me face to face, once again, with the difficult areas of my garden. One of these trouble spots lurks in the front. It is home to an array of plants already, but it still looks flat, shady and uninteresting. Another bed, in the back, is slightly less … Read more
KNOTTY PROBLEM The other day I was looking at a print that resembled a Delft tile. The focal point was a quatrefoil enclosing a vase of stylized flowers. The symmetry, flowers and unbroken outline reminded me of a knot garden, a form of planting I have admired for years. Now that the gardening season … Read more
REGAL LILIES I have a friend who grows exquisite trumpet lilies. It goes without saying that she has a green thumb, but she also has a raised, south-facing bed with perfect drainage. There are no deer in her area to eat the plants, so they don’t have to be fenced or sprayed with noxious … Read more
SEASONAL MIGRATION Someone or something has eaten all the plant saucers. It must have happened over the summer, because I swear that I had more than enough last spring. Now, as I bring the houseplants in for the winter, I can only find a fraction of the number that I need. I must … Read more
BLUE AGERATUM CONFUSION When is an ageratum not an ageratum? When it’s a eupatorium. If these words mean absolutely nothing to you, you’re not alone. Even though ageratum are stalwarts of public plantings from gas stations to parks, the name doesn’t trip off the tongue like “zinnia” or “sunflower.” But if you want … Read more
