Common plant names can be romantic, like “kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate” or fanciful, like “yellow archangel”. They can even be menacing, like “wolfsbane” and “bloodroot”. Most often though, common names are descriptive. In the case of “bluebells” this is both helpful and confusing. I know of at least three plant species that go by “bluebells”. All bloom in … Read more
As St. Patrick’s Day approaches every year, people start to talk about “the wearing of the green”. Individuals who eschew green clothing and accessories 364 days a year, paw through drawers and closets to find green apparel or jewelry to wear in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. They also eat the green, as … Read more
Where would we be without crocuses? They are not always the first flowers to bloom in the spring—snowdrops and winter aconite do that. But they are uniquely joyful and welcoming. Combine that with the fact that they are cheap and easy, as in cheap to buy and easy to grow, and you have excellent plants … Read more
There is an old Christian hymn that starts, “Lo, how a rose ere blooming, forth from a tender stem.” The lyrics continue, describing a rose that blooms “amid the cold of winter.” Despite the fact that a winter-blooming rose is a seasonal impossibility in this climate, I persist in looking for one. In fact, that … 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
