I have columbine or Aquilegia vulgaris growing in my garden—and occasionally in the grass, rock wall crevices, cracks between pavers, and just about anywhere else that that is home to more than an atom of soil. I regard this as a blessing, because most of them are self sown specimens that flourish with absolutely no … Read more
There may be some people who don’t love peonies. Fortunately I don’t know them. Ever since the first red tips of peony sprouts popped up a few weeks ago, I have been waiting impatiently for the day when they burst into big flamboyant blooms. Then I will say, “Damn the ants; full speed ahead,” and … Read more
Everyone loves wildflowers. Several weeks ago, when a wildflower “super bloom” occurred in a small section of southern California desert, tourist volume swelled to gargantuan size and the internet went crazy. It is a reassuring sign that we have not completely lost touch with the natural world. Despite all that love, wildflowers are disappearing in … Read more
At this time of year I am always envious of my neighbor’s fabulous daffodil array, which covers her entire front yard and sidewalk strip with a golden blanket of spring color. My own front yard has also awakened from its gray slumber, with hellebores still in bloom, more daffodils every day, a few remaining squills … Read more
Every year one or more forms or varieties of the many spring flowering plants—crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths—capture my imagination. One year it was lily-form tulips, another year it was the splendid pink-cupped daffodil, ‘Mrs. R.O. Backhouse’, still another season found me enthusing endlessly about a particularly vivid blue chionodoxa or “glory of the snow”. … Read more
