Good Garden Keeping

I have always been extremely impressionable. Last weekend I watched video adaptations of some of English author P.G. Wodehouse’s hilarious short stories, featuring the ultimate upper class wastrel, Bertie Wooster, and his indispensible valet, Jeeves. I was so impressed with Jeeves’ impeccable housekeeping standards that for the next two days I had the bed made, … Read more

Orchid Profusion

The masters of the color universe at Pantone have decreed that “Radiant Orchid,” a shade of rosy purple, will be the 2014 “Color of the Year.”  The promotional copy is effusive, describing Radiant Orchid as a shade that “blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination.”  Not only that, … Read more

Hydrangeas and Scents

In my yard, the mophead hydrangeas—Hydrangea macrophylla—have long since surrendered their sky-blue color to the blue-gray-beige of late summer.  The oak leaf hydrangeas—Hydrangea quercifolia—have turned dusty rose.  When I look at the edges of individual petals on the huge, cone-shaped flower panicles, I can see that they already have the crispiness of dried blooms and … Read more