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
Last week I saw a one-gallon container of old-fashioned double columbines at my neighborhood big box store. This is a sure sign that columbine—aquilegia to horticulturists—has arrived in a big way. The plants, generally short-lived perennials, have been spring harbingers in the Old and New Worlds for centuries. Now they are suddenly as à la … Read more
The bulb shipments have all arrived now, which is like Christmas coming early. Little brown bags and mesh sacks litter the table on the covered part of the back porch where only a month ago we ate weekend lunches and dinners. Now it is home to all kinds of spring-blooming treasures. One of those small … Read more
