In HMS Pinafore, one of the most celebrated Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the character “Buttercup” introduces herself in song with the following words, “I’m called Little Buttercup, dear Little Buttercup, though I could never tell why.” I thought of this the other day when I spotted the golden-orange buttercups now on display under one of … Read more
Sometimes people see things in my garden that they don’t expect, like neatness, an absence of weeds and crisply clipped hedges. In the fall, I often notice looks of astonishment on the faces of the local dog walkers—who keep close tabs on the front garden—when they notice fall-blooming crocuses springing up just as the asters … Read more
‘Orange Glow’ is up and glowing, even though “up” is a relative term for a plant that is only a few inches tall. Though it has the same name as a popular cleaning product, ‘Orange Glow’ is in fact a winter aconite, a type of buttercup, belonging to the same Ranunculaceae family as the more … Read more
Today I made a foray into the semi-snowy wasteland that is my back garden to see if I could find any hellebore buds. Recent snowfall has covered the big Christmas rose—Helleborus niger—with a white blanket. I scratched through it, but no buds have had the courage to pop out yet. Next week, after a few … Read more
Now that I am officially on spring watch, I am having the usual seasonal regrets about early-blooming plants that I did not order or install last fall. Sometimes, however, life gives you second chances, and ten days ago a second chance presented itself. I was pouring over the slim annual catalog from the Temple Nursery, … Read more
