For millennia, the scent of lavender, botanically known as Lavendula, has been renowned for its ability to promote calm, consolation and even pain relief. For those reasons and many others, I grow this well-loved herb in my garden. I don’t have a dedicated herb garden, but I am increasingly using lavender throughout my mixed borders. … Read more
I was very excited recently to see a newspaper article entitled “How to get your garden spring ready in one weekend.” I was ready, the garden was more than ready, and frankly, I was looking for those magical tips and miraculous hacks that would condense the work of several weeks into one forty-eight hour period. … Read more
Where would we be without crocuses? They are not always the first flowers to bloom in the spring—snowdrops and winter aconite do that. But they are uniquely joyful and welcoming. Combine that with the fact that they are cheap and easy, as in cheap to buy and easy to grow, and you have excellent plants … Read more
In two days I am going to Philadelphia to witness the wonders of the Philadelphia Flower Show, which has returned to the Convention Center in that city after a COVID-related absence of three years. I have avoided the flower show-related publicity because I want to be amazed when I walk into the vast hall full … Read more
As winter days tick down and spring looms ahead, the sap starts to rise in gardeners and trees. A brief snowdrop sighting, a few brave early crocuses, or even a stalk of rhubarb in the market make hearts beat faster. Witch hazel works the same magic. Our great-grandparents used a bottled witch hazel decoction as an … Read more
