Lilacs

When I was much younger and had very little life experience under my belt, I lapped up elegiac poetry.  I am pretty sure that many bookish teenage girls did the same thing before the advent of 24/7 texting.  Elegiac poetry also paired nicely with the hunger pains engendered by the tea and strawberry yogurt diet … Read more

Mock Orange

MOCK ORANGE             Plant breeders and merchandisers are working hard to create the perfect garden plant and I am sure someday they will do it.  This paragon of horticultural virtue will be easy to care for, pest and disease resistant, adaptable to a wide range of conditions and perform equally well in sun and partial … Read more

Tea Olive

For years I have damned osmanthus with faint praise or no praise at all.  Two of the evergreen shrubs stand silently in front of the house, growing nicely and receiving absolutely nothing from me except an occasional, grudging pruning.  When I think of them at all, I think about what I would grow in their … Read more