Right now it is gray, drippy and chilly outside my window. Even though the last roses are still shivering on the bushes, I feel starved for color. Grabbing at emotional straws, I peer hopefully through the mist for the new growth on the scarlet willow or Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Britzensis’—but the little tree does … Read more
I live near a small botanical garden that houses an amazing array of ornamental plants, including a significant collection of rhododendrons. The majority of those plants are grown with great deliberation and care, but one of the most amazing seems to have sprouted of its own volition near a boundary fence. Over the course of … Read more
As I bring some of the geraniums inside, and consign others to death at the hands of the Frost God, I have to stop and consider the miraculous nature of these ubiquitous plants. The bright, fluffy-headed, tender perennials that we call “geraniums” are actually members of the Pelargonium species. When we fill our window boxes … Read more
“Ampelopsis” sounds like something out of a children’s book. I can imagine a large, lumpy monster—possibly friendly, but definitely massive. Ampelopsis brevipedunculata is a monster, but not of the animal kind. Better known as porcelain berry or Amur peppervine, it is a non-native vine that grows rapidly, spreads like wildfire and dominates everything in … Read more
Late last spring I noticed a large leaf sprouting in my front garden. It didn’t quite look like a weed, but it also didn’t look like anything that I had planted intentionally. Curiosity coupled with an inclination to benign neglect led me to leave the plant alone. It rewarded my non-efforts by growing…and growing and … Read more
