Last week I was in the Hudson Highlands section of New York State, hot on the trail of an interesting ruin. The ruin in question was once a stately house, built in the early twentieth century, and destroyed by fire fifty years later. All that remains of the house are portions of the stone foundation … Read more
I bought a new hardy geranium last week. That is not news. Over the years I have developed a small collection of varieties that I love for their beautiful flowers, interesting leaves and adaptable dispositions. The sturdiest of my collection is Geranium macrorrhizum, the big-root geranium, with pink, five-petaled spring flowers and deeply dissected, apple-scented … Read more
Novice gardeners—and even some experienced ones—often curse the shade that looms over their beds, borders and other growing spaces. One of the immutable facts of gardening life is that if you want armloads of roses or bushels of tomatoes, you need lots of sunshine. Given that reality, you have two choices. Either you can move … Read more
Romantic poet William Wordsworth was fond of rambling through the English countryside, often accompanied by his devoted sister, Dorothy. Waxing sentimental about flowers, plants and nature was almost a requirement for Romantic poets, and Wordsworth did so frequently. I especially like his description of a meadow flower: How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? … Read more
Plant craziness has attacked me again. As always, it came on suddenly, as I sat down after a long day’s work and paged through one of my favorite English gardening magazines. These publications are full of what my husband called “plant pornography”—gorgeous photos of alluring specimens, dripping with dew and ready to jump right off … Read more
