CARPETING A few weeks ago, I wrote about my ongoing study of pioneering Irish gardener and writer, William Robinson (1848-1935). The measure of a good garden writer is the degree to which he or she inspires you to pick up a trowel and run out into your own garden. Though much of his … Read more
LIVINGSTONE DAISY My back porch is large and sunny and has always been the perfect port of call for vacationing indoor plants, not to mention pots of herbs and a few containers of colorful summer-flowering specimens. This year those few pots have swelled into an ocean of flowering annuals, courtesy of my bloom-besotted daughter. … Read more
LAYERS OF MEANING For years I have wondered why I can’t love the ‘Knock Out’ rose. Millions of people sing its praises every day, including some well-known plant pundits. By all accounts it is a stellar garden performer. ‘Knock Out’s confront me at every turn–in private borders and public plantings–but I still can’t warm … Read more
SWEET WILLIAM What do you make of a plant that goes by both “sweet William” and “stinking billy?” The plant in question is Dianthus barbatus, a member of the carnation or Caryophyllaceae family. Gardeners have loved, planted and known the species best as sweet William. I don’t know where the “William” came from, but … Read more
PETUNIAS The world has not heard a sound, but petunias have exploded. Back in the mid to late twentieth century, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, petunias were relatively simple. Every nursery and garden center carried flats of them in shades of red, white, pink and blue-purple with occasional yellow or red and white … Read more
