Someday I am going to create a new series for PBS. It will be an adaptation of the much-loved BBC series, “Call the Midwife.” My version will, of course, be somewhat altered to suit American tastes and interests. I will rename it, “Call the Landscaper”, and it will feature stories about suburban landscapes, some nine … Read more
The spine of my home state of New Jersey is the Garden State Parkway, a toll road that stretches for 173 miles, up and down the length of the state. This past week, I drove south on the Parkway, heading for a conference in Atlantic City. While I couldn’t ignore the “Jersey maniacs” weaving in … Read more
In summer, time typically moves slower, as motivation is diminished by hot weather and vacation activities. Then, the first of September happens, and suddenly the pace of life revs up to warp speed, as every activity in the world restarts. Meetings and commitments multiply, hours of daylight diminish, and gardeners are often caught in a … Read more
In 1919, a new popular song invaded the public conscience. Its title was, “How Ya Gonna Keep ’em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree?)” World War I had just ended and many American soldiers had experienced Europe for the first time. Some of those not annihilated in trench warfare had been exposed to … Read more
There was a time—though I hardly remember it now–when I had no asters in my front garden. Then I planted one small pot of a tall, pink-flowered aster named ‘Alma Potschke’. ‘Alma’ prospered—so much so that now, if I didn’t pull out some of the seedlings every year, I would probably have thousands of ‘Alma … Read more
