My collections of garden books and garden weeds are roughly the same size. I haven’t learned much from the weeds–except that they are eternal–but I have learned a lot from the books. There are some lessons, though, that only experience can teach. Here are a few of them. Self Seeding vs. Self Preservation—If you have … Read more
My grandparents’ house was like a small English island in the middle of a vast American sea. They went back and forth to regularly to visit English relatives and the relatives, in turn, sent gifts of impenetrable black fruitcakes every Christmas. A biscuit tin bearing the likenesses of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth sat … Read more
A few weeks ago I wrote about crinums, an old southern garden stalwart that I coveted for years and finally acquired. I also mentioned another frost-tender object of horticultural desire—agapanthus or Lily of the Nile. At the time, I thought it was unlikely that an agapanthus would find its way into my garden in the … Read more
Baptisia has arrived. Anyone who took the recent Garden Tour in my town saw at least one baptisia in each of the five private gardens, including mine. They are everywhere–in catalogs, garden centers and even big box stores. Sometimes they stand alone; other times, they are positioned near their cousins, the difficult but sought after … Read more
With only five days to go before the Garden Tour, it is hard to keep panic at bay. Weeds spring up in spots that were pristine only five minutes earlier. Big, fluffy-heady peonies suddenly need staking after weeks of minimal growth. The daffodil foliage must be cut back now so it doesn’t block paths or … Read more
