“L” is for Lilacs

If I were to create an alphabetical summary of my garden’s current status, I would say, “L is for leggy lilacs looking lovely.” The “lovely’ part is the abundant, perfumed blooms. I grow three lilacs, all Syringa vulgaris, the most common type. Two have pale purple flowers and one, which is the newest, features deep … Read more

Skip Laurel

It is now officially mid-spring and everything has burst into bloom. The last magnolia flowers are colliding with the first of the dogwood blooms, not to mention the unfurling of the first lilacs. Fluffy double cherry blossoms weigh down branches, while ornamental plums and pears strut their stuff in slightly more decorous fashion. Amid all … Read more

Andromeda

Real spring is days away, no matter what is happening with the weather. In the meantime, most of us celebrate the signs of the new season that are popping up everywhere. As the giant Dutch crocuses open their trumpets to blast the spring news, I pour used cat litter down the groundhog hole to let … Read more

Bewitched in Spring

As winter days tick down and spring looms ahead, the sap starts to rise in gardeners and trees.  A brief snowdrop sighting, a few brave early crocuses, or even a stalk of rhubarb in the market make hearts beat faster. Witch hazel works the same magic. Our great-grandparents used a bottled witch hazel decoction as an … Read more

Sweet Scents of Early Spring

In early spring every sprout that pushes up from the ground is a cause for celebration—unless, of course, the sprout is onion grass.  While I struggle to accept the things I cannot change—onion grass is one of them—I celebrate the plants that emerge bravely and mark the season with beauty and fragrance.  One of the … Read more