STANDING TALL Last week a tempest flew through our town, assaulting us with wind, rain and hail. Power lines came down along with tree limbs and occasionally, whole trees. The streets were strewn with debris and in some cases people didn’t get power back for days. When I inspected my own yard, I gave … Read more
BRIDE OF HEUCHERA Sometimes when I am in the shade plant aisle of the garden center, I imagine the great and historic horticultural wedding that took place more than a decade ago. The bride was tiarella, a perennial woodland plant, native to North America and Asia. Her origins were modest but eminently respectable. … Read more
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 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 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
