Lost and Found Gardens

LOST AND FOUND GARDENS             Almost three weeks after the late October snowstorm that created havoc all up and down the East Coast and cost the region thousands of trees, my garden is still a mess.  We are waiting for the tree company to come and remove a very large, downed limb that hovers over … Read more

Foster Geraniums

FOSTER GERANIUMS             The houseplants that summered outside are now under cover once more.  If they were sentient beings, they would probably be relieved.  After all, they have been through a lot.  Their tranquil summer vacation was interrupted dramatically when they were piled at random in the garage just before Hurricane Irene.  Due to the … Read more

Tuberous Begonias

TUBEROUS BEGONIAS             Everyone has his or her own vision of heaven.  I have several, but one of them looks a lot like a greenhouse full of perfectly grown tuberous begonias, or Begonia x tuberhybrida, in every color of the rainbow.  The flowers would be huge and perfect and unobtrusively staked to prevent floppiness. In … Read more

Royal Roses

ROYAL ROSES             The arrival of garden catalogs in the winter is like snowfall or popping popcorn.  The process starts with a few flakes, kernels or catalogs and gradually accelerates until it eventually gets to the point where you have more than you know what to do with.  This is going on right now in … Read more

Swedish Ivy

SWEDISH IVY             Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is a living testament to Pierre S. du Pont’s love of gardens and gardening, not to mention his willingness to part with large sums of money to buy and maintain both plants and place.             The fabled Mr. du Pont has been gone since 1954, but … Read more