Smithsonian, you’ve done it again. I usually find the best articles about plants and gardening in publications that do not restrict themselves to gardening content. This one is from September, 2015 – but I hadn’t seen it and it was kind of mind-blowing. The title gives that much away: “The True Story of Kudzu, the … Read more
Who will replace Monty Don as presenter on Gardener’s World? Well, it’s likely that you don’t care much in America, but perhaps you should. It’s one of those ‘has to be diverse’ appointments. Monty Don Monty Don has announced that he will retire in the next couple of years and that his replacement must be … Read more
There are far too many garden words and expressions which annoy me. So I thought I’d give myself the pleasure of ranting about some of them. And I’ll start with one that crops up a lot at this time of year = Interest. This appears at this time of year under the guise of ‘winter … Read more
I was scratching around looking for something to write about and then this came to my attention. Well it’s not a bad question… Talk of divine inspiration; I was going to talk about snowdrops until I saw this. It even links to Anne’s recent post about irritating words in gardening. There has been a bit … Read more
A while ago Veddw Garden was declared one of the 100 best gardens in the UK. Even better, it was also one of the THREE best in Wales. Wow. A while ago, when lockdowns had ended, the National Gardens Scheme voted Hillcrest Garden the nation’s favourite Garden (I think Wales was the relevant nation.) – … Read more
Today, or rather tonight (as I have let my day get away from me), I wanted to pick up on a discussion in the comments section of a post that Anne recently wrote regarding Garden Awards. Yes, we do read comments – even when we didn’t write the piece. They often spur discussions between us, … Read more
You want to grab a seat early when Carol Reese comes to town for a talk. She can a throw an entertaining stemwinder soaked with humor. The woman’s got soul and conviction. The former horticultural extension specialist in Jackson, Tennessee, came to Louisville ten days ago as the keynote speaker for the Winter Conference … Read more
Dale Carnegie might have difficulty recognizing the influencers of today. I’ve never read his book How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936 and 1981), but from what I’ve read about it – and there is plenty of commentary – it was about convincing people through trust, sympathy and sheer likeability. It – and Carnegie’s … Read more
Guest Rant by Joseph Tychonievich There has been a lot of discussion in gardening circles about “nativars.” Is the term useful? How is it defined? The latest surge of comment coming from this generally excellent article in the Washington Post. But there is a concept that gets thrown around in all these discussions that makes … Read more
Hellebores and daffodils in late winter, with leaves covering them removed. Photo and garden by Marianne Willburn. I’ve written about the new messaging we gardeners are receiving – that for the sake of wildlife, we shouldn’t clean up our beds and borders in the fall but should “leave the leaves” to help wildlife. So when … Read more