Late fall is dominated by orange, red, russet and gold, as brilliant leaves, goldenrod and millions of cushion mums crash together in a colorful, season-ending plant eruption. But the prelude to all that brilliance rolls through in early fall, in the form of blue, pink, purple and white asters, boltonia and fall-blooming crocuses. A less … Read more
I saw a woman at the Farmer’s Market last week with a bouquet of huge dahlias. They weren’t quite dinner plate-size, but they would put the average butter plate to shame. It occurred to me then that mid-summer is no time for subtlety. The big, bright colors and shapes of zinnias, cannas, Mexican sunflowers and, … Read more
Bumblebees, those ace pollinators in the fuzzy yellow and black suits, are very fashionable at the moment. And since they are fashionable, the plants that attract them are also extremely popular. I thought of that as I returned from vacation last week and drove by the many swathes of purple-flowered wild bee balm or Monarda … Read more
Monarch butterflies, known to their scientific friends as Danaus plexippus, abound this year—at least in the areas I frequent. Even though they are considered relatively common, I see them as miraculous. Backlit by bright midsummer sun, monarchs’ orange, black and white wings glow as they float from flower to flower. Unlike many other butterfly … Read more
I love the big, bumptious, fast-spreading asters in my garden. There is ‘Alma Potschke’, often written about and even more often spotted in every single one of my garden beds. I know she is officially an “it”, but calling her “she” seems more logical. ‘Alma’ self-seeds as if she thinks extinction is just around the … Read more
