I have a soft spot for those who restore old gardens–clearing overgrowth, rediscovering features and researching original plantings and layouts. It is tough work, requiring a combination of intellect, enthusiasm and physical strength, and it can go on for years. Funding can be a special challenge. The world has so many pressing needs that it … Read more
Not long ago I gave a garden talk at the monthly meeting of a wonderful local garden club. They were, like so many passionate gardeners, warm and friendly and devoted to many aspects of horticulture—ecology, hands-on gardening and growing and showing flowers to perfection. It was heady company. The members work as horticulture volunteers at … Read more
At this time of the year I am reminded of the old Protestant hymn, “Bringing in the Sheaves.” It celebrates the celestial and actual harvest with a refrain that goes: “Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;…” The “sheaves” I will bring in later today are … Read more
When most of us think of trees at this time of year, we focus on leaves. The same leaves that delighted us when they appeared in the spring, shaded us through the torrid summer days and enchanted us as they turned shades of red, yellow and orange, are now tormenting us by dropping from the … Read more
Doris Duke—1912-1993—was a millionaire heiress with multiple homes, a colorful personal life and a peripatetic nature. Whenever she touched down in New Jersey, she came to rest at Duke Farms, a property established by her father in the state’s central region. In Duke’s time, the mammoth greenhouses at Duke Farms contained a series of themed … Read more
