BRENTHURST Last summer, for the first time in years, I had the pleasure of regular hummingbird visits. A single tiny bird came by every afternoon to sip nectar from the butterfly bush and other plants in my upper back garden. Its route always seemed to be the same, and it never strayed into … Read more
BEARDTONGUE One of the wonderful things about being a gardener is that you get to fall in love with different plant species and varieties as often as you want. Successful relationships can last a lifetime. Less successful pairings are easily ended with cheap divorces that frequently involve the compost pile. Some gardeners are monogamous, … Read more
CONEFLOWER CRAZY I am having a crisis. The plant breeders and nurserymen of this world are conspiring to drive me crazy and they have just about succeeded. Unlike all those medical and psychological conditions that you hear about on television–RLS, GERD, SAD–there is no pharmaceutical remedy for my problem. It doesn’t even have initials … Read more
FLOWERS EVERYWHERE Mass merchandising and mass communications have changed the nursery trade, just as they have changed every other aspect of life. Big companies like Home Depot and Lowe’s put enormous yard and garden departments in every store. As with everything these discounters sell–from washers to widgets–low prices and high merchandise turnover create consistent … Read more
MID CENTURY MODERN If you study shelter magazines, read the home and garden section of major newspapers or watch Antiques Roadshow on television, you already know that “mid century modern” furniture, architecture and accessories are riding the biggest wave of popularity since the original one washed across the United States in the nineteen fifties … Read more
