At this time of the year we celebrate spring by rushing out to the garden centers and buying flats of pansies and violas. We breathe the warming air and fill up our window boxes, pots and borders with these spring avatars. And then we turn around and try to exterminate their cousins, the common violets, … Read more
I love the moment in spring when all the flowering trees and shrubs seem to burst into simultaneous bloom. Depending on the weather, that mass flowering can last a few days or more than a week. It always ends in showers of petals that rival the snow flurries we had up until about three weeks … Read more
When I made my first forays into wild plant identification as a child and teenager, a handy field guide always lurked somewhere nearby. My trusty and well-used Peterson’s Guide—actually Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—still sits on my office shelf. Some of the plants have been reclassified and renamed since it was published, but its arrangement, descriptions … Read more
I have a friend who is fond of saying, “the devil is in the details,” and she is right. Ambitious plans have come to a screeching halt because someone forgot the AAA batteries. Failure to tighten a strategically placed button can cause an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. Most of us could make up our own lists … Read more
A kind friend brought me a beautiful bouquet of long-stemmed florists’ anemones not long ago. Shut up tight they looked almost like tulips, except for the telltale ruff of fern-like leaves around the base of each bloom. When the help of a little warmth and light, those “tulips” morphed into large, saucer-like flowers with seven … Read more
