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
PLUMBAGO This is the time of year when lovers of all things blue revel in the garden’s bounty. Blue hydrangeas are everywhere–or at least everywhere with acid soil–and both mophead and lacecap varieties are producing abundant blue flowerheads. This is one of those summers that hydrangea lovers celebrate. The spring was mild, with no … Read more
STAR OF BETHLEHEM In the spring many of us look out into our yards and see a clump of pretty but weedy little flowering plants. The flowers are white and a bit lily-like and observant gardeners may notice that the clump of these plants seems to be larger than it was the previous year. … Read more
JASMINE The other night I was watching director Richard Lester’s 1973 version of The Three Musketeers. It is one of my favorite films and every time I watch it I am struck by the way Lester captured the feel of mid-seventeenth century France–complete with lechery, debauchery and dirt, not to mention livestock in the … Read more
