One of the leading horticultural newsletters has just announced the next “big thing” in home gardening–the cutting garden. It is now clear that vegetable gardeners, who have gotten used to being considered cutting edge, will have to step aside in favor of those who are actually cutting flowers. The wheel of fashion simply never stops … Read more
Popular magazines live and die by lists. Stand for more than two minutes in the supermarket check-out line and you will see at least ten different compilations of life-changing tips announced in screaming headlines. With titles ranging from “Sixteen Fabulous Ways to Transform Your Holiday Dinner” and “Top Twenty Hollywood Divas,” to “Five Easy Ways … Read more
Suddenly the scales have fallen from my eyes and I have seen Japanese maples for the first time. They have surrounded me forever, but now, after the clean-up from Hurricane Sandy, when so much has been swept away, the Japanese maples seem to stand out in an especially stark and beautiful way. Known botanically as … Read more
When Hurricane Sandy hit, I hadn’t yet pruned the ‘New Dawn’ rose that clambered up and over the tall metal arch that separates the upper and lower gardens. The rose was still throwing out the occasional shell pink bloom, and because I am both sentimental and pain-averse, I planned to put the prickly pruning confrontation … Read more
Major storms take so much from us—lives, homes, security and comfort. Gardens are low on the list of concerns after something as horrific as Hurricane Sandy. But once the debris is cleared away, the power restored, insurance claims filed and repairs underway, many of us will think once again of our gardens. It is discouraging … Read more
