If Eastern skunk cabbage—Symplocarpus foetidus—were a person, you would avoid him. Inactive for part of the year, skunk cabbage comes alive in late winter. It never looks terribly attractive and most of the time it smells awful enough to justify one of its nicknames, “polecat weed.” People and even animals tend to avoid the plant … Read more
MOCK ORANGE Plant breeders and merchandisers are working hard to create the perfect garden plant and I am sure someday they will do it. This paragon of horticultural virtue will be easy to care for, pest and disease resistant, adaptable to a wide range of conditions and perform equally well in sun and partial … Read more
Gardeners may swill champagne along with the rest of the world at 12:01 on January 1, but most of us don’t truly feel the New Year’s spirit until the temperature starts to rise and the first snowdrops, crocuses and winter aconite pop out of the still-frozen ground. Even if a bit of snow lingers in … Read more
The horticultural world—past and present– is full of big personalities, including a colorful cast of plant fanatics, design divas and fastidious flower arrangers. Each adds a bright strand to the tapestry of horticultural history. My recent trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show inspired thoughts of one such big personality, J. Liddon Pennock, Jr.—1913-2003— a longtime … Read more
I did not go through hell to get to the Philadelphia Flower Show, but my faithful PFS companion and I went through every possible permutation of “wintery mix” to get home. It doesn’t matter; the trip was worth it. The flower show this year was big, bold and beautiful, not to mention being worth the … Read more
