BUGLEWEED I don’t know how many times I have heard the old adage, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Usually I have no interest in joining ’em, because I don’t like ’em, but every once in awhile I depart from that practice. About five years ago I did so with bugleweed, which is … Read more
ROSA MUNDI All winter I have been having a crisis of conscience about the enormous stand of miscanthus grass that presides over an area on the south side of my house. Now, just as the light has returned to the landscape after winter’s darkness, I have seen the future of the miscanthus, and it … Read more
RED SALVIA I have never had annual red salvia or Salvia splendens in any of my gardens, but now I find myself thinking about it. My father grew it every year in a long bed in front of our back porch. I don’t remember seeing it happen, but I am pretty sure that he … Read more
BALLOON FLOWER Envy may be a sin, but it is also one of mankind’s most popular hobbies. Every day we envy each other’s homes, gadgets, cars and clothes. In this respect I am no better than anyone else. At least once a week during the growing season I suffer from a bout of plant … Read more
PLANTAIN In many parts of America, it is possible to eat fried plantain while sitting near a bed of plantain lilies and wondering what product to use to rid the lawn of common plantain. How can the same word describe hostas, edible relatives of the common banana and garden weeds? The plantain phenomenon is … Read more
