Many people grow Japanese maples on their properties. The trees are longtime favorites of landscapers and gardeners for their beauty, variety, versatility and three—sometimes even four–seasons of landscape interest. Billionaires spend large sums on rare specimens, but apartment dwellers can buy bargain maples and grow them in large containers. They are at once great plants … Read more
The spine of my home state of New Jersey is the Garden State Parkway, a toll road that stretches for 173 miles, up and down the length of the state. This past week, I drove south on the Parkway, heading for a conference in Atlantic City. While I couldn’t ignore the “Jersey maniacs” weaving in … Read more
I was in the garden center last week, hot on the trail of colorful mums and half-price perennials when I laid eyes on something that made me forget both objects. It was a young, slender tree with some of the showiest fall foliage I have encountered—red, orange and purple, glowing in the late afternoon … Read more
I have always loved the October light, which is so distinctive that novelist John Gardner, who had poetry in his soul, used it in a book title. On any sunny October Saturday, the light is mellow and golden, illuminating the plants in ways that are absent in summer. While it gilds the landscape, the light … Read more
