I have started the great cut-back. The scores of tall aster ‘Alma Potschke’ have mostly finished their dramatic run of pink and purple fireworks and now stand ready to reseed themselves everywhere. Birds will take some of that seed, but if I don’t get ‘Alma’ under control, I will have lots of grubbing out to … Read more
My garden right now is a very dramatic scene. The asters are taking a prolonged swan song before their final bow; the dusty pinks, lavenders and blues gradually giving way to brown seedheads. The Japanese anemones, however, are still singing at the top of their lungs, like the floral divas they are. Sometimes known to … Read more
Bulb planting in my garden is always a race against time. I invariably order more bulbs than I can reasonably expect to put in the ground and get hit by a spell of frantic activity about the time the bulb boxes arrive. The bulbs necessarily languish in a cool place for a few weeks, while … Read more
I have a bad case of ceanothus envy. For those of you who don’t know this (mostly) western groundcover or shrub, it goes by the common name “California wild lilac.” Its flower panicles, especially when seen from a distance, look similar to those of common lilac (Syringa), though the leaves differ. Every spring it flowers … Read more
BOOK REVIEW: THE QUEST FOR THE ROSE One of my favorite horticultural subjects is roses and I have lots of books on them. In Search of Lost Roses, Thomas Christopher’s 2002 book on “rose rustling” and the discovery of old rose varieties in out-of-the-way places, is one of the best. Another is A Rose … Read more
