In light of 2016’s many significant events, you may not have noticed that it was the “Year of the Cosmos”. But noticed or unnoticed, Fleuroselect, the Netherlands-based horticulture trade group, decreed that last year, cosmos were the brightest stars in the horticultural heavens. It may be a coincidence, or not, but at the same time, … Read more
I was born an optimist. I was probably born a gardener, too, though that didn’t manifest itself until after I could walk and talk. It is in my nature to look for signs of hope, especially in the natural world. Thankfully, those signs are almost always present, if you look carefully. As the New Year … Read more
My friend, the ace flower arranger, made a flamboyant holiday arrangement the other day featuring a fountain-like array of crystal vessels festooned with an extravagant amount of red-berried nandina. The whole thing turned out to be a bit over-the-top for her home décor, so she offered me the nandina. I jumped at the chance, since … Read more
CYCLAMEN Florists’ cyclamen—Cyclamen persicum–are great imposters. Despite the Latin name, they do not hail from Persia or modern-day Iran. The flowers look more like orchids than their primrose-family affiliation might suggest, and their leaves, when massed together, look less like foliage and more like marble or damask fabric. Beguiling plant buyers with their ravishing … Read more
I was uncommonly late planting my bulbs this year and, in fact, have one small bag of antique-variety tulip bulbs left in the garage. If they were sentient, they would be wondering if they had been forgotten. Of course, if they were sentient, they would also know that guilt moves me like nothing else. I … Read more
