Crocuses, now appearing in gardens near you, are like tiny rays of light in the sea of winter garden debris. They invite you to look closer and demand that you gently sweep away the detritus around them so that they can be better appreciated. In the gardens of crocus lovers, the little snow crocuses generally … Read more
I last thought seriously about Geranium phaeum, aka “the mourning widow,” about six years ago. I was in the first throes of a serious love affair with all kinds of hardy geraniums and was swept off my feet by the phaeum species, because it thrives so well in shade. I bought one and it died, … Read more
Lately the morning news is full of breathless anchor people announcing that someone in some suburb has sighted a coyote. Easterners thought coyotes were romantic back when they howled at us long-distance from the West; it’s different now the feral canines are here among us. The coyotes are keeping company in our backyards, parks, train … Read more
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is 31 year-old trade and industry group that seeks to promote perennial plants through education, lobbying and publicity efforts. The plants probably don’t care about this, but the horticultural industry that depends on them does. Every year at about this time, the PPA rouses winter-bound gardeners all over the country … Read more
Fragrances and music have a tendency to seep right into your head and stay there. This past week, as the predicted “snowpocalypse” turned into a “sno-vereaction,” the scent of a particular primrose took up residence in my brain. Now I am on a quest for similar scented beauties for my spring garden. The brain take-over … Read more
