I dragged my heels for at least ten days before putting away the holiday decorations. All the boxes went down to the basement before I realized that I had forgotten the outdoor bows, pinecones and other bright relics of the season just past. This was Freudian, I have no doubt. Now the house is enveloped … Read more
My mother loved to use antique pots to hold plants and cut flowers, and when I was growing up our house was filled with an assortment of old brass kettles, copper wash boilers and salt-glazed pottery crocks. The crocks were the most interesting because they were “country” pieces, used on farms in the last quarter … Read more
Every year I delight in going to the annual holiday display, “A Longwood Christmas,” at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Longwood is one of the great botanical institutions of the world and the displays every year are magnificent. This year was a special treat because Longwood has opened its new East Conservatory, dedicated to … Read more
Oriental bittersweet or Celastus orbiculatus is a vining plant, beloved for fall arrangements. Its sparkle comeS from the fruits, which burst out of papery beige wrappers to reveal bright orange berries. The wrappers look a bit like little hats atop the ripe fruits. The problem with this non-native bittersweet is that its rampant beauty is … Read more
Many people grow Japanese maples on their properties. The trees are longtime favorites of landscapers and gardeners for their beauty, variety, versatility and three—sometimes even four–seasons of landscape interest. Billionaires spend large sums on rare specimens, but apartment dwellers can buy bargain maples and grow them in large containers. They are at once great plants … Read more
