WHAT’S NEW After a long day of shoveling out from the latest snowstorm, I love to turn up the setting on my heating pad and relax with the pile of garden catalogs that have accumulated over the past several weeks. Right now I am at the dog-earring of pages and affixing of sticky notes … Read more
NAMING RIGHTS We have just passed the Winter Solstice, which in many ways is the most important event in the gardening year. The light begins to return and even though the addition of a few extra minutes of daylight each afternoon is imperceptible at first, we know that it is happening and it gives … Read more
AMSONIA Long ago, when I was studying perennial plants at the New York Botanical Garden, I was introduced to a statuesque plant that was holding court in one of the Garden’s perennial beds. It was nearly four feet tall, healthy and robust, as you might expect of a specimen living in such surroundings. Many … Read more
IRIS PALLIDA At this time of the year, the number of plants in the average northeastern garden that still look good is small. Some of the roses have nice hips, the barberries sport brilliant fruits and, of course, the evergreens provide excellent structure. If you have roses-of-Sharon, the seed heads are looking their best … Read more
POWER TOOLS Last weekend I liberated myself from toil, cast aside romantic notions and joined the ranks of bona fide suburbanites. I used an electric hedge trimmer for the first time. What compelled me to cross this domestic Rubicon? I finally realized that I was completely overmatched in my ongoing battle with the overgrown privet … Read more
