Nearly a decade ago, I first visited Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, New Jersey. The owners of Greenwood, 28 acres of gardens, structures, outbuildings and naturalized areas, were beginning the process of making the transition from private property to public garden. Deterioration was encroaching on the property, which had its moments of greatest glory in … Read more
Every spring I rediscover my spring/summer wardrobe, my garden tools and the clutter in my garage. My wardrobe and the tools always seem fresh and new—at least for the first fifteen minutes. The clutter in my garage is forever old and daunting. Generally I ignore it in favor of making discoveries in my garden. This … Read more
The rose family is filled with plants that combine incredible beauty with dire peril. Roses and raspberries have thorns, but those are nothing compared to the small daggers that bedeck the stems of hawthorns and flowering quinces. There is not a flower lover on earth who, when sighting a flowering quince in full bloom, would … Read more
At the beginning of every season I take inventory of my garden to see what works and what doesn’t, and where the “holes” are in my current planting schemes. This task is easier to do in the spring, because the growth is less abundant. Every year I vow to plant more tulips and I generally … Read more
Spring so far has been chilly, which has not put a damper on the wildlife in my garden. Two weeks ago I found three buxom female turkeys strutting around the back garden, as bold as brass. There was no male in sight, so I assume they were having a girls’ morning out. They looked mildly … Read more
