I do not make a habit of wrestling with trees, but occasionally it becomes necessary. Last week I finished a several-round bout with the coral bark willow, Salix alba subspecies vitellina ‘Britzensis’, which grows smack in the middle of my front border. I want to emphasize that ‘Britzensis’ is a wonderful plant. A male member … Read more
My great-Aunt Adeline, known as “Queenie” to the family, was a small woman who carried a big broom. She swept the front sidewalk every morning, even if there was not a single ant, grass blade or maple samara to be seen. When she and my grandmother “turned out the corners” of the house for seasonal … Read more
When you see or hear something—plants, animals, situations—several times in a short span of hours or days, the universe is probably trying to send you a message. This past week, the message I received was about buttonbush, known to botanists as Cephalanthus occidentalis. On three separate days, I saw buttonbushes in three separate parks in … Read more
It occurs to me as I peer out over the happy array of coneflowers—Echinacea—in my front yard that the coneflower has become the “little black dress” of the world of ornamental horticulture. Every woman and a good number of the men of my acquaintance know that “little black dress” is metaphor for something that is … Read more
Gardeners tend to remember days, months and years by certain significant events and conditions. Right now, too many people in the western United States are sweating through The Year of No Rain. Five years ago, many of us who grow hydrangeas in the northeastern part of the country went through a couple of late spring … Read more
