When the winter world resembles a gray, cold veil of sleeting tears, I turn to my library of garden books for psychological sustenance. One of my favorites is Beautiful Gardens in America, a book written in 1915 by Louise Shelton—1867-1934–of Morristown, NJ. I have the second edition, a hefty volume with a gold embossed title … Read more
The rose is the Mona Lisa of the plant world. For millennia, humans have coveted them, grown them, celebrated them in every art form and sought out new forms and varieties. Some of us, especially those who have to do hand-to-hand combat with blackspot and other rose diseases, have occasionally cursed them. But the fascination … Read more
One of the great joys of gardening and writing about plants is amassing a collection of books. These days, you might argue that everything is available online, via e–books or other electronic means. That may be so, but it would be hard to find a substitute for Botanicum by illustrator, Katie Scott, and scientist, Kathy … Read more
Pity poor Charles Dudley Warner. Born in 1829, he was a lawyer, newspaper editor/ publisher, prolific writer, confidant of numerous famous people and dedicated amateur gardener. Despite that impressive resume, he is best remembered; when he is remembered at all, as a close friend of Mark Twain. So close, in fact, that a phrase coined … Read more
When most of us think of trees at this time of year, we focus on leaves. The same leaves that delighted us when they appeared in the spring, shaded us through the torrid summer days and enchanted us as they turned shades of red, yellow and orange, are now tormenting us by dropping from the … Read more
