The front cover of Hugh Cavendish’s new book, A Time to Plant, looks like an abstract painting in shades of olive green, tan and rust. It is, in fact, a close-up of the exfoliating bark of a stewartia tree. The tree in question is part of a collection of stewartias at Holker Hall, the Cavendish … Read more
One of the best plants in my garden is spiderwort—Tradescantia virginiana. The flowers are a vibrant shade of blue purple and have three petals apiece. Perched at the tops of relatively stout stalks, the blooms appear in clusters. Their lives are short but beautiful–individual flowers last only one day apiece. The long slender leaves curl … Read more
Look out the window. Does the outdoor landscape make you want to go outside and tackle some garden work? As February ends, the weather can be anything from a blizzard to a sixty degree humidity-fest. It is hard to know what to do. However, if you are like me and have advanced cabin fever, there … Read more
Back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth, before plant breeding was the domain of huge conglomerates, the breeding and nursery business often ran in families. The Lemoine family of Nancy, France was one of those multi-generational concerns, breeding and selling plants from 1849 through 1960. Victor Lemoine, his wife, Marie Louise, their son, … Read more
Jane Austen introduced Pride and Prejudice with the line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” If Miss Austen wrote about gardening, she would certainly have said, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person in possession of … Read more
