spring

The Trouble With Iris

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THE TROUBLE WITH IRIS             There is little that can compare with a well-grown stand of tall, bearded iris in full bloom.  Their great big, multi-colored heads stand proudly atop substantial stalks, which are anchored by thick sword-shaped leaves.  If the catalogs and websites that I use are any indication, there are at least a … Read more

Edibles on the Way

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EDIBLES ON THE WAY             My goal this year is to incorporate edibles among my ornamentals and the plan is beginning to take shape.  Today I set out an entire flat of June bearing strawberry plants in two separate sunny beds.  Since strawberries and roses favor the same conditions, I put the latter near a … Read more

Dogwoods

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DOGWOODS             A friend of mine just got married.  He is a relative newcomer to this immediate area and loves our spring-flowering trees, especially the dogwoods.  A few weeks ago he called me to ask whether I thought the dogwoods would be in bloom for his rehearsal dinner on May first.  Like all good gardeners … Read more

Lungwort

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LUNGWORT               Pulmonaria always takes me by surprise.   Sure, the soft, silver-splashed leaves cling to the ground on the edges of my shady beds, and I see them every time I pass by.  In fact, I see them so often that I take them for granted.  Then, every year in the early spring, a … Read more

Brenthurst

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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