We Americans like to put our own stamp on things. Most Chinese food served in the U.S. would be unrecognizable to a person newly arrived from China. The same is true of a good many “English teas” I have enjoyed over the years. The food may be delicious, but the comestibles and the experience are … Read more
The masters of the color universe at Pantone have decreed that “Radiant Orchid,” a shade of rosy purple, will be the 2014 “Color of the Year.” The promotional copy is effusive, describing Radiant Orchid as a shade that “blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination.” Not only that, … Read more
These days plant dealers need specimens that do the following things: look good ninety-eight percent of the time; provide reliable color or interest; perform in part shade; flourish in gardens or containers and require very little care. Breeders have slaved over certain perennial plant genera, including heuchera, tiarella and brunnera, in an effort to produce … Read more
Europeans have always been crazy about hedges. In England they are practically a religion. We Americans, with our love of wide open spaces and vast suburban lawns, have generally been less hedge-crazy. It isn’t that we don’t like shrubs. In the twentieth century we have used everything from salix to sand cherry to conceal the … Read more
Sometime in 1765, American botanist John Bartram and his son, William, were prowling through what is now the state of Georgia in search of new and unusual plants. While botanizing near the banks of the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia, they found a group of interesting trees or large shrubs with white, camellia-like flowers. In … Read more
