This year I acquired a camellia, and not just any camellia, but Camellia japonica, the kind that I have long coveted in greenhouses and other high-toned, enclosed locales. Where does my camellia live? Outdoors in the middle of my back garden—not exactly a “protected place.” Now, in the beginning of December, the camellia has fat … Read more
One of the leading horticultural newsletters has just announced the next “big thing” in home gardening–the cutting garden. It is now clear that vegetable gardeners, who have gotten used to being considered cutting edge, will have to step aside in favor of those who are actually cutting flowers. The wheel of fashion simply never stops … Read more
I have a bad case of ceanothus envy. For those of you who don’t know this (mostly) western groundcover or shrub, it goes by the common name “California wild lilac.” Its flower panicles, especially when seen from a distance, look similar to those of common lilac (Syringa), though the leaves differ. Every spring it flowers … Read more
BOOK REVIEW: THE QUEST FOR THE ROSE One of my favorite horticultural subjects is roses and I have lots of books on them. In Search of Lost Roses, Thomas Christopher’s 2002 book on “rose rustling” and the discovery of old rose varieties in out-of-the-way places, is one of the best. Another is A Rose … Read more
I just spent an afternoon walking the High Line, New York City’s vertical park built on the remnants of an elevated freight line on the West Side. I have heard people sing its praises since the first section opened in 2009 (a subsequent section opened last year, with another still to come) and those praises … Read more
