Pity the poor common chicory or Cichorium intybus, a Mediterranean native that has made itself at home all over the United States, gracing roadsides, field edges and other untended spaces. The semi-double daisy flowers are the most beautiful shade of sky-blue, but the stems are gangly and scraggly, with rough-looking toothed leaves. On top of … Read more
I love my cottage-style garden, with its masses of flowers and greenery. At my place, the garden has plenty of classical elements including brick paths, hedges and stone walls, but the plants rule the roost. The flip side of all that cottage garden charm is that masses of flowers and greenery can easily become messes … Read more
Everyone I know grows hostas. They are unparalleled for filling up space in shady spots and will increase happily, as long as you remember to put out Tony Soprano-style contracts on the local slugs and deer. Some gardeners, who have made the appropriate slug and deer arrangements, might call hostas “the perfect plant.” Perfect, that … Read more
I am forever acquiring new plant species and varieties, mostly because I am an easy mark for plant merchandisers. A trip to a good garden center—and there are several of them within an easy drive of my house—brings me face to face with all kinds of temptation and I often give in. I am lucky … Read more
Lots of plants pop up in the fertile ground under my privet hedge—poison ivy, Virginia creeper, wild grape, Japanese honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet and common mulberry, to name a few. I spend a good chunk of time every month battling them. It is a quixotic battle, based on the romantic notion that I can actually defeat … Read more
