It is hot and sticky and many of my plants, in-ground and in containers, are sulking. They sulk even though I water them and feed them. It is like having teenagers with foliage. As with teenagers, there is really nothing to be done except to continue the good work, and hope that all that loving … Read more
Thomas Jefferson collected many things, including plants. But there was one specimen that he could never lay hands on: Vigna caracalla or corkscrew vine. Writing to one of his plant suppliers, Jefferson described the flowering vine, a member of the legume or Fabiaceae family, as “the most beautiful bean in the world.” I think of … Read more
Back in 1837, when England’s Queen Victoria was a sweet young thing, new to the throne, and not even officially crowned, one of her diplomats sent a new plant back to England. The diplomat was Henry Mandeville, who was serving Her Majesty as Minister in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mandeville, like so many of his … Read more
