BEAUTYBERRY My daughter had a teacher once who was in love with the color purple. She wore purple clothes, decorated her classroom with purple objects and gave out “purple owl” stickers to students who excelled in any way. As far as I know, her prose was never purple, but sometimes her ink was. I … Read more
THE BIG PICTURE Yesterday was a beautiful day to be outside and I was lucky enough to spend most of it gardening. I weeded, thinned out plants, installed at least one hundred spring-flowering bulbs, hacked back some wayward ornamental grasses and staked a few sagging, end-of-the- season mums. I checked on a honeysuckle that … Read more
HIBISCUS “Help me!” said my husband’s friend. “My hibiscus is on life support!” It always makes me feel sad to hear tales of horticultural woe from people who love their plants, want to do right by them, but can’t seem to stop them from terminal decline. The hibiscus problem is a perfect case … Read more
KIKU In September and October chrysanthemums dot the suburban landscape, and no house, apartment or condo is without at least one pot of mums somewhere on the premises. Gardeners also plug them into the borders to replace the washed-up summer annuals. Generally treated as annuals, millions of mums sacrifice their lives each year … Read more
SPIDER PLANT What is it about plants with the word “spider” in their common names? There are several of them, including: “spiderwort” or Tradescantia virginiana; cleome, with its big, colorful spidery flowers; and that old household favorite, spider plant or Chlorophytum comosum. The common theme–other than a plant, leaf or flower form that looks … Read more
