CHRISTMAS ROSE If you aspire to be fashionable in the world of horticulture, you must have hellebores. This year’s catalogs have more of them than last year’s, and last year’s had more of them than the catalogs that came out two years ago. The hellebore hybridizers and merchandisers have been very, very busy. … Read more
A SUCCESSFUL YEAR The summer of 2007 was the year of the garden imperative, as I worked nearly every day to get my garden ready for a mid-summer wedding and a late summer garden tour. The summer of 2008 had no such imperative, but in some ways it was even better. Results took a … Read more
LONGWOOD CHRISTMAS Sometimes you just have to get out of town. This is especially true when the skies, the landscape and the economy are all equally gray. Last week I felt as if I were stranded on an island in a sea of grayness. I decided that the only remedy for the situation was … Read more
HIBISCUS “Help me!” said my husband’s friend. “My hibiscus is on life support!” It always makes me feel sad to hear tales of horticultural woe from people who love their plants, want to do right by them, but can’t seem to stop them from terminal decline. The hibiscus problem is a perfect case … Read more
SPIDER PLANT What is it about plants with the word “spider” in their common names? There are several of them, including: “spiderwort” or Tradescantia virginiana; cleome, with its big, colorful spidery flowers; and that old household favorite, spider plant or Chlorophytum comosum. The common theme–other than a plant, leaf or flower form that looks … Read more
