Pity poor Charles Dudley Warner. Born in 1829, he was a lawyer, newspaper editor/ publisher, prolific writer, confidant of numerous famous people and dedicated amateur gardener. Despite that impressive resume, he is best remembered; when he is remembered at all, as a close friend of Mark Twain. So close, in fact, that a phrase coined … Read more
My front strip—that hard-to-cultivate patch between street and sidewalk—never supported much grass. I gave up on it years ago and substituted plants tough enough to take the sometimes fatal combination of abysmal soil and perpetual exposure. Hostas hold forth under the maple tree, with heuchera, hellebores and other shade lovers also succeeding within its shadow. … Read more
There is no use trying to avoid it any more—the houseplants are well past the vacation stage and must be brought in. Night temperatures are descending and even though the geraniums, African violets, plumbago and even the potted Abyssinian glads are still blooming gaily, the summer porch party is really over. This year I have … Read more
I love the big, bumptious, fast-spreading asters in my garden. There is ‘Alma Potschke’, often written about and even more often spotted in every single one of my garden beds. I know she is officially an “it”, but calling her “she” seems more logical. ‘Alma’ self-seeds as if she thinks extinction is just around the … Read more
The night temperatures are growing cold enough so that last week I turned the heat on in my house for the first time since spring. The plants have caught a whiff of the oncoming season, but most of them are still going strong. The roses shine, almost literally, in the autumn light, with a color … Read more
