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
I love etymology, the study of word origins. That is partly why I am intrigued by weigela, a gorgeous flowering shrub that is having its moment of glory just now, in mid to late May. Weigela is part of the larger honeysuckle plant family, known botanically as Caprifoliaceae. If you are into astrology, you know … Read more
