The weather is not cooperating with me. The vernal equinox has passed, the snowdrops have been up for weeks and the hellebores are blooming their heads off. Last year at this time, temperatures were in the sixties. That was unseasonable. This is unreasonable. It is almost April and the weather people are still using obscene … Read more
I love the process of “setting the garden to rights” each spring. This spring the task is especially daunting because of the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy. I am very lucky that all I have to worry about is the garden, but the work is still there. The rear of my back garden was covered with … Read more
When I was growing up in western New York, we generally had the annual January thaw after a prolonged cold snap. In my part of the world this year, we had a prolonged thaw first, followed by a daunting cold snap. It hardly seems fair, and is, in fact, downright disheartening. To avoid the blues, … Read more
There is something very valuable in getting down on your knees and weeding or planting bulbs. Today when I was putting in some fall-blooming crocus, I noticed what I thought was a patch of clover right by a large clump of Helleborus x orientalis (Lenten Rose). On closer inspection, the “clover” turned out to be … Read more
I always aim to be thrifty; occasionally I succeed. Back in March I filled each of the two big pots that flank our front steps with a white-flowered hellebore surrounded by purple and white violas. That serendipitous combination looked great for a full three months because spring was slow and cool. Now that the … Read more
