I have been thinking lately about good, easy to grow low hedges for my upper back garden. A garden center display reminded me about an old favorite–Teucrium chamaedrys or wall germander. This evergreen member of the mint (Lamiaceae) family has long been used in herb and knot gardens. From my perspective, part of its value … Read more
Despite my best efforts, my garden has too few late summer flowers. For years I have been shy about putting in enough dahlias, which will bloom their hearts out given a bit of sunny space and water. They come in so many sizes, shapes and colors that even those, like me, who disdain the flashy … Read more
The adjective “rugose” comes from the Latin word meaning “wrinkled.” The phrase “rugosa rose” means “tougher than nails”—at least in my personal garden dictionary. Rosa rugosa is an eastern Asian species rose, notable for its heavily veined, wrinkly leaves and incredibly prickly stems. The flowers, like those of many rose species, are simple, with five … Read more
I don’t know how I have missed ‘Dragon Heart’, an eye-catching hardy geranium that has been on the market for the last several years at least. It grabbed me–almost literally–at a garden center, as it sprawled from a quart pot in the half -off aisle. The blossoms are bright magenta-purple, with dramatic dark centers and … Read more
Right now morning glories are working their way through the garden, climbing the trellising by the back porch, creeping along the ground in front of the privet hedge and insinuating themselves into the plantings between the sidewalk and the street. In short, they are everywhere. The reason for this is that ‘Grandpa Ott’s’, the variety … Read more
