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
Summer is here and the color dynamic in my front garden has changed. One month ago, purple and white held sway, with the explosion of Siberian iris and the even bigger explosion of tradescantia or spiderwort. Now they have faded away, soon to be cut back. I would allow my army of garden minions to … Read more
When it comes time for a spring break, many people head far south to places like Florida. Last week I headed south too, but only as far as the Brandywine Valley, a place where northeastern Pennsylvania melts into Delaware. The Brandywine was the site of a famous Revolutionary War battle and gained additional fame in … Read more
After all the grayness of winter, it is an absolute revelation to see yellow-flowered plants springing up in the garden. Usually the yellow blooms in my part of the world appear in sequence. The little yellow miniature daffodils come first, eventually to be succeeded by their later flowering narcissus relatives. Once the mini daffs are … Read more
As I look out on my winter-weary garden, I am reminded of the newest fashion in gardening–”rewilding”. It is popping up with increasing frequency in gardening publications, especially those emanating from Great Britain. Clearly as far as “rewilding” goes, I am fashion forward. In fact, at this moment, considering all that I neglected to do … Read more
