A long time ago, someone actually planted a tawny orange daylily—Hemerocallis fulva—on purpose. I am sure the individual in question planted only one and was amazed five years later when it had morphed into an enormous clump and threatened to devour the entire garden. That is what tawny orange daylilies do. At this time of … Read more
I have already reported on my conspicuous lack of success with tomatoes. For years I also tried to grow annual ornamental sweet peas—Lathyrus odoratus–with only limited results. This year is different. I have thriving sweet peas for exactly one reason—I ignored them completely from the time they were planted. I didn’t order any sweet pea … Read more
TOMATO ANGST I grow lots of plants –roses that leap to new altitudes every year and daylilies in ever-expanding clumps. My hellebores regularly give birth to numerous offspring and the hardy geraniums thrive. If I believed in green thumbs, I might justifiably say that I have one. But no matter what I do, I … Read more
The Victorians and Edwardians had a passion for rock or alpine gardens, creating extensive pseudo-alpine landscapes from actual rocks, artificial rocks and various forms of debris, up to and including broken dishes. Fashionable gardeners filled the cracks and crevices of these layouts with alpine plants newly discovered by plant hunters in various mountainous regions of … Read more
One of the best plants in my garden is spiderwort—Tradescantia virginiana. The flowers are a vibrant shade of blue purple and have three petals apiece. Perched at the tops of relatively stout stalks, the blooms appear in clusters. Their lives are short but beautiful–individual flowers last only one day apiece. The long slender leaves curl … Read more
