A kind friend brought me a beautiful bouquet of long-stemmed florists’ anemones not long ago. Shut up tight they looked almost like tulips, except for the telltale ruff of fern-like leaves around the base of each bloom. When the help of a little warmth and light, those “tulips” morphed into large, saucer-like flowers with seven … Read more
Many people over the years have quoted Oscar Wilde’s famous aphorism characterizing marriage as “the triumph of hope over experience.” My husband, David, and I defied Oscar Wilde and hope always won out. The same cannot be said of my experiences with fancy leaf begonias, which have been bitter. A few years ago, I wrote … Read more
Every year there is a moment in February when the urge to garden hits me with a vengeance. That moment has arrived. Now I have to decide what do to about it. This winter has given our part of the world weeks of mild, gray weather, followed by one bad snowstorm, followed by a short … Read more
I tell everyone who will listen that hardy geraniums, sometimes known as cranesbills, are the horticultural equivalent of the little black dress or well-tailored black trousers. They go with everything, can be accessorized to suit any style or occasion and are never “wrong” in the garden. If you install a Piet Oudolf-type garden, full of … Read more
Right now, you can hardly navigate through the garden centers, big box stores and grocery floral sections due to the avalanche of orchids. Most are moth orchids or Phalaenopsis, which are relatively easy to grow indoors and, thanks to tissue culture, incredibly cheap to produce. If they make your heart sing during the dark months, … Read more
