The ordering season for fall-planted bulbs, including daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, starts each year in spring when the flowers appear. It continues through the gardening season until about Halloween, with the few unsold bulbs languishing after that at the back of garden centers’ and nurseries’ display areas. Despite my best efforts at speed and efficiency … Read more
As St. Patrick’s Day approaches every year, people start to talk about “the wearing of the green”. Individuals who eschew green clothing and accessories 364 days a year, paw through drawers and closets to find green apparel or jewelry to wear in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. They also eat the green, as … Read more
Where would we be without crocuses? They are not always the first flowers to bloom in the spring—snowdrops and winter aconite do that. But they are uniquely joyful and welcoming. Combine that with the fact that they are cheap and easy, as in cheap to buy and easy to grow, and you have excellent plants … Read more
Winter is only one month old and even if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow, it is going to be a long wait until spring. You can spend that time staying warm, perusing catalogs and tending the houseplants, but many of us miss being outside. “Outside” is not always congenial, due to seasonal drama provided … Read more
Right now it is gray, drippy and chilly outside my window. Even though the last roses are still shivering on the bushes, I feel starved for color. Grabbing at emotional straws, I peer hopefully through the mist for the new growth on the scarlet willow or Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Britzensis’—but the little tree does … Read more
