There is something very valuable in getting down on your knees and weeding or planting bulbs. Today when I was putting in some fall-blooming crocus, I noticed what I thought was a patch of clover right by a large clump of Helleborus x orientalis (Lenten Rose). On closer inspection, the “clover” turned out to be … Read more
Yesterday I should have edged the beds that surround the front garden and plied the hedge trimmer on the perpetually sprouting privet that bounds the property. Instead I remade a corner of the garden that has never quite succeeded aesthetically and always bothered me. The corner in question is mostly shaded by a nearby maple … Read more
ORNAMENTAL OREGANO I am always looking for non-fussy ground covers that stomp weeds and look good doing it. On a garden center run a few years ago I happened upon ornamental oregano, something I had read about but never tried. The cultivar was ‘Kent Beauty’ and it was in bloom, with pinkish flowerheads that … Read more
Porcelain-berries are among nature’s most beautiful fruits—shiny in jewel-like shades of lilac and azure to dark blue-purple, with speckles that make them look like little Easter eggs. The berries appear on long, vigorous vines with medium green, deeply dissected leaves that remind me a bit of wild grape, to which it is related. In short, … Read more
Several years back, I replaced the grass and made a garden of the “hell strip” between the sidewalk and street in front of my house. Money was a bit tight, so I bought young plants in quart pots rather than the gallon or multi-gallon containers. Now they have succeeded so well that unless I do … Read more
