It has been a wet summer in my region and plants are lush and green. Lurking everywhere among that lushness is poison ivy, which is having a banner year. And, if that news is not enough to make you itchy, consider mosquitos, which also thrive in rainy, humid summer weather. The pesky insects, with their … Read more
When I first wrote about pincushion flowers, which go by the unattractive Latin name, scabiosa, fifteen years ago, I had just purchased a lovely one. It was a striking dark purple-flowered variety, ‘Ace of Spades’. Billed as a perennial, I cosseted the plant for its entire first year, giving it sun, water and a prime … Read more
At this time of the year, I long for good scents. The evocative holiday aromas—evergreens, baked goods, mulled cider—are gone with the decorations. All we have left are the unique olfactory signatures of things like wet wool, musty basements and, for pet owners, damp dogs. It is depressing. It would be so much better to … Read more
Life is full of ironies. A woman who used to live in my neighborhood loved gardens and gardening, but spent long days working as a nurse. Between career, family and other obligations, she never had time to create the garden of her dreams. Finally she found the money to hire a garden designer/installer who brought … Read more
After seeing five deer grazing contentedly on my front lawn, I started doing some serious thinking about onions. I had some nice big ones in the crisper drawer and the temptation to distract the deer by hurling those hefty vegetables was strong. Fortunately the deer heard a noise and cleared off on their own. My … Read more
