In HMS Pinafore, one of the most celebrated Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the character “Buttercup” introduces herself in song with the following words, “I’m called Little Buttercup, dear Little Buttercup, though I could never tell why.” I thought of this the other day when I spotted the golden-orange buttercups now on display under one of … Read more
I am a modern gardener—at least sometimes—but I still have a soft spot for old-fashioned printed garden catalogs. Fat ones used to flood my mailbox beginning just after the winter holidays. Now, with the rise in e-commerce, thin ones begin to flood the mailbox in December. I welcome them all the same. I am not … Read more
It is late February, and the air is bone dry. That atmospheric condition will not last forever, and soon enough my part of the world will see a return of humidity. Eventually we will also experience hot weather. Now that the new season catalogs and online offerings are available, I am thinking of adding a … Read more
In the aftermath of World War II, roses, loved for millennia by gardeners, artists, and everyday people, became divas. The hybrid tea rose, with its long stems, plump buds, and opulent petal configurations, reigned supreme in American gardens. People, including my rose-loving father, planted his first garden with peachy-pink ‘Peace’, blood red ‘Mr. Lincoln’, and … Read more
In winters past, I thought about keeping boredom at bay by doing all kinds of things—migrating to a warmer climate, cleaning out the cellar, or finally applying a needlepoint cover that I made five years ago to a naked chair seat. To date, none of those things have happened. This year I am thinking smaller. … Read more
