I bought a new hardy geranium last week. That is not news. Over the years I have developed a small collection of varieties that I love for their beautiful flowers, interesting leaves and adaptable dispositions. The sturdiest of my collection is Geranium macrorrhizum, the big-root geranium, with pink, five-petaled spring flowers and deeply dissected, apple-scented … Read more
The best time to see woodland and woodland-edge wildflowers is in spring, and the best place to find them is in undisturbed areas in the country, or on the edges of urban or suburban parks or botanical gardens. Wildlife reserves are good too, as are nature trails. On vacation last week I hiked on a … Read more
It may not be obvious, but elephants are rampaging in our homes and gardens. Large and impressive, they fill spaces with life and texture in exchange for ready supplies of food and water. The one thing they don’t do is awaken the neighbors with noisy trumpeting. This is clearly a blessing, especially if you live … Read more
Not everyone gets excited about an evergreen, perennial plant with pale green flowers and a questionable fragrance. Still, times being what they are, anything that is alive, blooming and not related to politics is a cause for celebration. That is why I am so delighted to see the “stinking hellebore” or Helleborus foetidus preparing to … Read more
It is rare that I see red about something green, but I am having an angry moment about yucca. Not all yucca, mind you—there are 40 or 50 species of yucca in the larger agave family—but Yucca filamentosa. I suppose that Yucca filamentosa, sometimes called “Adam’s Needle”, is loved in some places and tolerated in … Read more
