When many people see or hear the word “cerveza”, they think of a cold bottle of beer, as in “cerveza fria”. Since it is now high summer, some people think of that a lot—in Spanish or in English. When I think of “cerveza”, I summon a picture of my back garden, where a healthy ‘Cerveza … Read more
Merchandisers are under a lot of pressure every year to introduce new and/or different plants for the holidays. Troll the aisles of nurseries and garden centers right now and you will see new and different poinsettias, bodacious kalanchoes and even hellebores for indoor display. Novelty piques interest. I am a jaded horticulture consumer, so piquing … Read more
We are now entering the daisy days of early summer, when Shasta daisies, coneflowers, Gaillardia daisies and a constellation of other Asteraceae or Compositae family members burst into bloom. I love them all, because they are strong growers, attract loads of butterflies and other pollinators, and are equally useful for ornamenting the garden or filling … Read more
Birds love shrubs that produce quantities of fall fruit. Unfortunately birds generally don’t communicate with plant merchandisers. Humans finally began to agree with the birds in the last third of the twentieth century, as the three or even four-season gardening trend took hold. Garden writers caught the bug and began extolling the virtues of fruits … Read more
An old French fairy tale recounts the heinous exploits of Blue Beard, a nobleman with an imposing castle and a penchant for murdering his wives. Outwitted by his final wife and dispatched by members of her family, Blue Beard lived and died by the sword. Clearly, they don’t make fairy tales like they used to. … Read more
