The best time to see woodland and woodland-edge wildflowers is in spring, and the best place to find them is in undisturbed areas in the country, or on the edges of urban or suburban parks or botanical gardens. Wildlife reserves are good too, as are nature trails. On vacation last week I hiked on a … Read more
It is rare that I see red about something green, but I am having an angry moment about yucca. Not all yucca, mind you—there are 40 or 50 species of yucca in the larger agave family—but Yucca filamentosa. I suppose that Yucca filamentosa, sometimes called “Adam’s Needle”, is loved in some places and tolerated in … Read more
For years I have planted certain fall bloomers in my front garden in the hopes of creating a lush golden and russet display of rudbeckia, helenium, and late summer sunflowers. The current show is respectable, but would never make the pages of a glossy garden publication. I should probably just abandon the effort and cede … Read more
Last month at our summer cottage I went all Constance Spry, challenging myself to make a large indoor flower and foliage arrangement in the spirit of the great mid-twentieth century florist and lifestyle doyenne. Spry was noted for creating alluring set pieces that included wildflowers, tree and shrub branches, and various forms of roadsidia. This … Read more
What do Thomas Jefferson, early American nurseryman John Bartram, and a long-ago Native American healer have in common with the twenty-first century Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf? All are part of the long history of Joe Pye Weed, a beautiful and useful native perennial. Jefferson used the plants in his garden, John Bartram sent seeds to … Read more
