If a garden does not look good in May and June, it will never look good. I have heard that phrase, read it, and even said it many times over the years. It stays current because it’s true-at least most of the time. If your landscape is like mine, full of a lot of spring-flowering … Read more
It is axiomatic among gardeners that the garden is always at its best either the week before or the week after visitors stop by. “You should have seen it last week,” you say regretfully while looking at the desiccated remains of your formerly sumptuous double daffodils. “Wait until next week,” you mutter, as you point … Read more
It has been a wet summer in my region and plants are lush and green. Lurking everywhere among that lushness is poison ivy, which is having a banner year. And, if that news is not enough to make you itchy, consider mosquitos, which also thrive in rainy, humid summer weather. The pesky insects, with their … Read more
Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is one of my favorite garden destinations. For the price of admission, you can spend a day wallowing in world class horticultural splendor and, unless you venture into the less cultivated areas, you will never see weeds. The beds are meticulously tended and if any weed dares to raise … Read more
Solidago and symphyotrichum are a perfect couple. You might not recognize their tongue-twisting names, but I guarantee that they are now appearing side by side at locations near you. Those locations might be railroad rights-of-way, country roadsides and other untenanted spaces, including overgrown suburban lots. When hanging out in such information settings, solidago and symphyotrichum … Read more
