I have always been insecure about plant propagation. This is not to say that my plant holdings have failed to increase. I glory in the fact that many of my garden beauties propagate themselves by flagrant reseeding. The daylilies increase all on their own, as do ajugas and other plants that spread by underground roots, … Read more
It has been at least four years since I last grew the lovely plumbago, with its cascading habit and sky-blue flowers. This was not because I had grown tired of plumbago, but because my last plumbago grew tired of me and died. I did not take it personally, since the death happened in January, as … Read more
If you watch BBC Gardeners’ World, as I do, you will know that every single garden includes a water feature. Estate owners have them, of course, but so do gardeners whose landscapes consist of an array of containers ranging down a back alley. If you are familiar with the idea of a water lily growing … Read more
In the suburban gardens near my house, I hardly ever see common hollyhocks or Alcea rosea. Maybe they are considered too old-fashioned, rough-looking, or unruly. It might be because they grow so tall that they sometimes need staking. It’s equally possible that they have suffered the same fate that afflicted dahlias until a decade or … Read more
I am about to leave for vacation at my family’s summer cottage in Central New York State. Over the years I have developed several garden beds on the property. Even though I only see and tend them for brief periods each year, they hold a special place in my horticultural heart. Ten ago I bought … Read more
