Amaryllis are exploding all over my dining room plant area. The enormous bulb that I bought back in November now boasts two flower stalks with a total of eight huge white blooms and another four-bloom stalk on the way. A second pot features a brilliant red-flowered variety, its dramatic coloration enhanced by the giant white … Read more
My husband used to get alarmed by the detailed plant lists that I make at this time of the year. It’s no wonder, really. Lengthy, detailed and involving huge expenditures, the lists are a two-dimensional harbinger of bankruptcy. I compile them while in the throes of catalog fever, an affliction that I catch on contact … Read more
It has been a long time coming, but someone has finally made a sensible pronouncement about roses. English garden writer, Charles Quest-Ritson, opines as follows in the December issue of Gardens Illustrated: “The traditional wisdom is that you should spray your roses regularly with fungicides—and feed them and prune them and make as much work … Read more
We Americans like to put our own stamp on things. Most Chinese food served in the U.S. would be unrecognizable to a person newly arrived from China. The same is true of a good many “English teas” I have enjoyed over the years. The food may be delicious, but the comestibles and the experience are … Read more
The winter solstice, now just past, is an annual event that has resonated with people in the Northern Hemisphere for thousands of years. Though the change is almost imperceptible, small fingers of light are beginning to unravel the edges of the fabric of winter darkness. The optimist in me rejoices. We haven’t yet celebrated the … Read more
