The first clumps of daffodils are blooming at long last and I have to resist the urge to go out and pick all of them for the house. Little nosegays of snowdrops and early crocus have been a welcome relief from grocery store flowers, but daffodils in a vase—especially a blue vase– radiate spring sunshine. … Read more
Gardeners may swill champagne along with the rest of the world at 12:01 on January 1, but most of us don’t truly feel the New Year’s spirit until the temperature starts to rise and the first snowdrops, crocuses and winter aconite pop out of the still-frozen ground. Even if a bit of snow lingers in … Read more
The horticultural world—past and present– is full of big personalities, including a colorful cast of plant fanatics, design divas and fastidious flower arrangers. Each adds a bright strand to the tapestry of horticultural history. My recent trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show inspired thoughts of one such big personality, J. Liddon Pennock, Jr.—1913-2003— a longtime … Read more
Over the centuries, writers have spilled a lot of ink over a little flower—Galanthus nivalis or snowdrop. Tennyson and Wordsworth have sung its praises in lines of verse. Elizabethan herbalist John Gerard described the plant in his 1597 Herball, when galanthus was already old news. It was most likely described by the great botanist and … Read more
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is 31 year-old trade and industry group that seeks to promote perennial plants through education, lobbying and publicity efforts. The plants probably don’t care about this, but the horticultural industry that depends on them does. Every year at about this time, the PPA rouses winter-bound gardeners all over the country … Read more
