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
