BLACK LOCUST “I need a tree identification,” wrote my friend. “It’s medium-tall with compound leaves and pink flowers that look like wisteria.” The e-mail directed me to an intersection in the next town where I could see the mystery tree for myself. My friend, the new owner of a country property, was clearly quite … Read more
TREE PEONIES Somehow I ended up with four tree peonies. I only paid for one of them, which was supposed to be yellow and turned out to have bright cerise flowers. The others came to me as gifts from a fellow gardener who was moving and couldn’t take his tree peonies with him. I … Read more
BUGLEWEED I don’t know how many times I have heard the old adage, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Usually I have no interest in joining ’em, because I don’t like ’em, but every once in awhile I depart from that practice. About five years ago I did so with bugleweed, which is … Read more
PRESENT IMPERFECT It has come to my attention over the past several years that perfection is unattainable–at least for me. I have paged through numerous editions of Martha Stewart Living and other publications that specialize in perfection and I appreciate the perfect layouts, landscapes and how-to projects, not to mention the value of inspiration. … Read more
SWEETSHRUB Some shrubs are useful but annoying. Privet falls into that category, especially when massed into a hedge. In my experience, the top and sides of a privet hedge need trimming every other week during the growing season and the base is invariably full of noxious weeds. Privet and poison ivy, for example, … Read more
