I have had a crush on abutilon or “parlor maple” plants for the longest time. It might be because I love their hollyhock-like flowers. Or perhaps it is because I live in a Victorian house and the room that I refer to as the” living room” would once have been called “the parlor”. It stands … Read more
Opening up the new gardening catalogs is a form of post-holiday renewal. Despite the fact that I use lots of online vendors and do ninety-nine percent of my ordering online, I still get a thrill from the bright, splashy print catalogs. On New Year’s Day I delved into one of those catalogs. The vendor is … Read more
Several years ago, I read and wrote about Meryl Gordon’s literate and comprehensive biography of Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, garden designer, tastemaker and socialite, who died in 2007. Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend took Bunny through a long and eventful life that included the accomplishment for which she is most often … Read more
Every year about this time, stores of all sorts sell something called “Christmas Cactus,” a showy plant with segmented foliage that arches out over the sides of the pot. Since most people find the foliage relatively unimpressive, the seasonal specials are always sold in bud or with newly-opened blooms. The long, tubular flowers, which appear … Read more
Chrysanthemums are not fragrant—at least not to my nose. In fact, an extract of chrysanthemum flowers, pyrethrin, is used as an insecticide, and insecticides almost never have a pleasant odor. I generally prefer sweet smelling flowers, but I love chrysanthemums—a love that comes naturally. My mother was wild about them, especially the giant “football” mums … Read more
