MILESTONES Eight weeks ago I wrote about my resolution to spend this calendar year making a concerted effort to perfect my garden. By agreeing to open the garden for a local garden tour in early September, I managed to suspend an additional small but sharp sword of Damocles over my head. This in turn … Read more
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS There are those who go out into their gardens armed with cell phones. There are others who can’t move without an iPod. If that works for them, more power to them–literally and figuratively. There is always something to be said for connectedness of all kinds. However, it doesn’t work for me. … Read more
THIS IS THE YEAR Every February baseball fans wake up at the beginning of Spring Training and all of them say, “This is the year!” You know the rest: “This is the year the Mets–or Cubs or Cardinals–will go all the way.” There is a palpable feeling of excitement and a renewed sense of … Read more
Every spring I fall in love with my garden. This happens on schedule, even if the clean-up chores aren’t finished, chickweed is engulfing the beds and the weed whacker won’t start. When I look out at the clumps of daffodils, all is right with the world. Spring is also the time of plant sales … Read more
DELPHINIUM STAND-INS If you live in a place with short unpredictable springs and hot sticky summers, you probably have issues with delphiniums. You can buy them, you can plant them, but you can’t expect them to give you joy forever. In fact, you frequently can’t expect them to perform beyond the first season. This … Read more
