Last year the sporadically fertile soil of my garden gave birth to a giant foxglove. Bearing extremely large rose-purple flowers, it soared to six feet tall. I looked up at it with awe and wonder, since I neither planted nor tended it during its formative months. Foxgloves, or digitalis species, are so easy to grow … Read more
You have to love a plant that comes with the following catalog description: “possesses enough brawn to easily tackle heat, humidity, dry shade and lean soil, yet detests too much fertility.” That describes my climate and parts of my garden perfectly. The good news is that the plant in question is already growing there, having … Read more
Back in the 1930’s, British writer Margery Allingham introduced a new amateur sleuth to the world of whodunits. His name was Albert Campion, a gentleman detective in the mold of Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey. Pundits differ on how Allingham arrived at Campion’s name, but there are references in the books to rose campion or … Read more
