BRENTHURST Last summer, for the first time in years, I had the pleasure of regular hummingbird visits. A single tiny bird came by every afternoon to sip nectar from the butterfly bush and other plants in my upper back garden. Its route always seemed to be the same, and it never strayed into … Read more
SPRING BREEZES We have had so much wind this year that spring didn’t just arrive; it blew in with a vengeance. Of course all those blustery gusts might also have been winter blowing its way out–only a meteorologist would know for sure. One thing does seem certain–if the gales keep up, the robins and … Read more
CONEFLOWER CRAZY I am having a crisis. The plant breeders and nurserymen of this world are conspiring to drive me crazy and they have just about succeeded. Unlike all those medical and psychological conditions that you hear about on television–RLS, GERD, SAD–there is no pharmaceutical remedy for my problem. It doesn’t even have initials … Read more
CHESTNUT FLOWER Back in October I plucked three hyacinth bulbs from the batch that I was about to plant in my garden and brought them inside. .It took all of ten minutes for me to fill three narrow-mouthed jars with water, perch the bulbs atop the containers and put them in the back of … Read more
STRAWBERRIES Supermarket strawberries are the ultimate tease. They are available all year long, and look perfect–big, red and handsome. But if you are seduced into buying a box, you learn the truth with the first bite. The vast majority of supermarket strawberries, like the vast majority of supermarket tomatoes, are handsome on the outside … Read more
