JAPANESE ANEMONE Every year I wait for the arrival of the monarch butterflies. For much of the second half of the summer, one or two monarchs a day float through the yard, especially when the butterfly bushes are at their peak. But every year around this time, the numbers increase as the butterflies gear … Read more
BALLOON FLOWER Envy may be a sin, but it is also one of mankind’s most popular hobbies. Every day we envy each other’s homes, gadgets, cars and clothes. In this respect I am no better than anyone else. At least once a week during the growing season I suffer from a bout of plant … Read more
PARROTS For years I worshipped at the shrine of the lily flowering tulip. Tall, slim and elegant, the lily flowering tulip is everything I aspire to and is also closest in appearance to the wild tulips that got the world started on its long love affair with these spring flowering plants. For years I … Read more
SUCCESSES AND FAILURES The growing season is coming full circle. As I cut back the browning daylily and iris foliage, patches of bare earth emerge, and the garden begins to look more like it does in the early spring. The slow-moving stages of clean-up give me ample opportunity to think about this year’s garden. … Read more
