scabiosa

Pincushions Redux

by

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

All Things Irish

by

Around St. Patrick’s Day I like to dip into Thomas Cahill’s wonderful book, How the Irish Saved Civilization.  The title is lofty, but the book is very accessible and focuses on how Irish monks helped preserve great works of Classical learning as civilization traveled the path of time from the Roman era to the medieval … Read more