BRIDE OF HEUCHERA Sometimes when I am in the shade plant aisle of the garden center, I imagine the great and historic horticultural wedding that took place more than a decade ago. The bride was tiarella, a perennial woodland plant, native to North America and Asia. Her origins were modest but eminently respectable. … Read more
PLANT GIFTS/PLANT TRENDS Every year about this time one of the big garden wholesalers sends me a box of tiny perennial plants to try in my home garden. These plants, which are mostly hybrids, are either new to the market or new to the particular wholesaler’s inventory. The vendor always includes an evaluation form … Read more
EDIBLES ON THE WAY My goal this year is to incorporate edibles among my ornamentals and the plan is beginning to take shape. Today I set out an entire flat of June bearing strawberry plants in two separate sunny beds. Since strawberries and roses favor the same conditions, I put the latter near a … Read more
TAKE IT EASY I was out in the garden today–planting, weeding, trimming and rearranging things. Just as I was about to divide a large clump of grape hyacinths, I became aware of the unmistakable sound of the Eagles singing the refrain of one of their best-known songs: “Take it easy, take it easy. Don’t … Read more
TREASURES OF EASTERN EUROPE A couple of years ago I was looking for a large-flowered clematis for my garden. Paging through various catalogs, I noticed a lot of clematis named after famous Poles. One of the most notable was ‘Cardinal Wyszynski’, a large, red-flowered variety, named after Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, former Roman Catholic Primate … Read more
