Marvel of Peru is a plant that lives up to its name, even though it rarely, if ever, appears on garden center pallets. Practical gardeners call it”four o’clock.” Botanists, starting with Linnaeus, the great eighteenth century father of binomial nomenclature, refer to it with a Latin superlative — Mirabilis jalopa. Whatever you call it, the … Read more
If I were to succeed in the nefarious scheme of annexing my neighbor’s property, I would immediately create a garden room devoted to peonies of all sorts. In my mind’s eye, the scene unfolds, with hundreds of garden peonies, otherwise known as Paeonia lactiflora, in bloom. Tree peonies—Paeonia suffuticosa–would abound. Intersectional types, a marriage of … Read more
Now that I am officially on spring watch, I am having the usual seasonal regrets about early-blooming plants that I did not order or install last fall. Sometimes, however, life gives you second chances, and ten days ago a second chance presented itself. I was pouring over the slim annual catalog from the Temple Nursery, … Read more
I read a lot. It is a nasty habit and it gets me into trouble all the time. For instance, yesterday, I was reading a press release from Spring Meadows Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan. Some gardeners may know of Spring Meadows. Even more are familiar with their trademarked line of flowering shrubs, Proven Winners™, … Read more
Amaryllis are exploding all over my dining room plant area. The enormous bulb that I bought back in November now boasts two flower stalks with a total of eight huge white blooms and another four-bloom stalk on the way. A second pot features a brilliant red-flowered variety, its dramatic coloration enhanced by the giant white … Read more
