When the weather is cold and blustery the best thing gardeners can do is water all the houseplants—sparingly—and hunker down with the new garden catalogs and/or websites. I prefer the paper variety, but I am old school. So many vendors have gone to online-only offerings that I have to resort to the computer to get … Read more
I have always been insecure about plant propagation. This is not to say that my plant holdings have failed to increase. I glory in the fact that many of my garden beauties propagate themselves by flagrant reseeding. The daylilies increase all on their own, as do ajugas and other plants that spread by underground roots, … Read more
I don’t know why my friends say that I hate change. In a single decade I went from disdaining dahlias to wanting a border full of colorful specimens. I grew dahlias this year with that aim in mind. I was egged on by gorgeous garden magazines spreads featuring gardeners who are able to grow armloads … Read more
Planting anything is an investment in hope and optimism. You put a seed or young plant in the ground because you believe that with time and care, it will turn into something that resembles the gorgeous specimen on the plant tag or catalog page. It might also give you flowers, food, or shade. The whole … Read more
In the great book of gardening truths, one truth stands out: a gardener’s reach always exceeds his or her grasp. Passionate gardeners dream big, but they are always short of time, sunny days, available space and—inevitably—money. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Lack of cash or at least the necessity of sticking to a … Read more
