Last month at our summer cottage I went all Constance Spry, challenging myself to make a large indoor flower and foliage arrangement in the spirit of the great mid-twentieth century florist and lifestyle doyenne. Spry was noted for creating alluring set pieces that included wildflowers, tree and shrub branches, and various forms of roadsidia. This … Read more
Right now I am in love with my flowering quince bush. It is currently covered with white to pale pink flowers that look like apple blossoms and light up the front garden. Occasionally the shrub throws off a bright scarlet bloom just to liven things up and remind me that my plant is the result … Read more
Growing up in the wilds of western New York State, crape myrtles were as foreign to me as winters without snow. I had a vague notion that they were nearly as important in the South, as camellias, but even northeastern greenhouses that were chock full of winter-flowering camellias were devoid of crape myrtle. I was … Read more
When you see or hear something—plants, animals, situations—several times in a short span of hours or days, the universe is probably trying to send you a message. This past week, the message I received was about buttonbush, known to botanists as Cephalanthus occidentalis. On three separate days, I saw buttonbushes in three separate parks in … Read more
Shrubby cinquefoil or Potentilla fruticosa is the rose’s often-overlooked relative. It boasts so many conspicuous virtues—hardiness, varmint-resistance, a repeat-blooming habit and beauty—but somehow it lacks the flash of the eternally beloved rose. I am, of course, addicted to roses, but not long ago I finally bought a pink-flowered potentilla and now I wonder why I … Read more
