Gardens Illustrated is 30 years old this year. I have a first copy, dated April/May 1993. It came out every two months from then. That was a real, delightful game changer! I wonder who else remembers that first edition? American readers may be pleased to note that they are there in this very first edition: … Read more
About halfway through a fascinating article about a botanic garden on the Isle of Wight I’d never heard of – I’ve never heard of any gardens on the Isle of Wight – I wondered idly if the piece would ever end. I kept scrolling and scrolling with continued interest as I absorbed all the conflicts … Read more
Are plants for the rich or for the poor? There seems to be a moral minefield around this question and I’m struggling to keep up with where we’re supposed to be on the issue. Hello; my name’s Ben and I’ve just spent some time on Twitter. Now I’m annoyed and ready to rant! How I … Read more
U.N. Secretary-General António Gutteres spoke solemnly on Monday about the looming catastrophic consequences of climate change. He was yelling “Fire!” The tone: Make no mistake about it. There’s no more if. Only when. Mr. Gutteres didn’t even mention that ticks and poison ivy are already benefiting from a warming planet. I still wanted to … Read more
I really love visiting the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Rosemoor, here in the UK. It’s a big place yet it feels intimate and personal. It’s crammed with unusual plants but is also the sort of place that’s welcoming to novice gardeners. It’s a joy to amble around the garden and see what’s in flower … Read more
As a longtime preservation activist, I have special empathy for those who advocate for landscape preservation. It’s hard enough to keep historic buildings going, but landscapes are a special challenge. Sure, buildings suffer from the elements and human neglect just as landscapes do, but buildings are tougher, especially those put up hundreds of years ago … Read more
Recently I was surprised to hear a friend refer to daffodils as native here in Maryland, an assumption she’d made because they do so well in this region. And that’s a reasonable assumption, given how often we see assertions of superior performance by native plants. Now I knew that daffodils aren’t native anywhere in the … Read more
UPDATE: More assessments on the no-mow-month campaign since publication of this post: A spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation said, on in April 2024 “A Way To Garden” podcast, “We’ve really been leaning into and pushing what we call “grow beyond No-Mow May. The reason is in certain areas this might make sense but it’s … Read more
“When will the tulips be at peak bloom?” We sure hear that question at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. A lot! Best guess up until a month out, mid-April. But every year is different. Weather. In Cincinnati. But today is April 12th, and, this year, 2023, they came in right on time. The weather … Read more
Before embarking on this post, I did a quick search to see how many times the name “Audubon” comes up in Garden Rant posts and comments. The answer: many, many times, though – interestingly – not always in a complimentary manner. We’ve taken the National Audubon Society to task for buying into overly general meme-centered … Read more