What does a great September garden look like? I received multiple, resoundingly convincing answers to that question last weekend. You might call them definitive. The annual garden bloggers/grammers/tubers get-together was held in the Philadelphia area September 21-24. It’s known simply as Fling. We toured private and public gardens for three full days – in addition … Read more
It was the end of the tour. We had seen magnificent fall foliage throughout the Niagara Falls area, including near the cataract itself, on Goat Island, along the gorge at Whirlpool State Park (shown here) and in the charming villages of Youngstown and Lewiston. It was time for lunch. As we approached a restaurant known … Read more
This week I’m here to show off visions of peak fall color in my tiny townhouse back garden. Hey, maybe it’ll inspire other gardeners in small spaces. The top photo is the view as you approach the garden from the interior sidewalk behind my lot. Showing their colors are a Purple Smokebush (Cotinus x Grace) … Read more
Aerial view of Santa Monica Pier – actually two adjoining piers that have long had separate owners. My next post about the gardens of California (you didn’t think I’d fly 3,000 miles and come back with just one post, did you?) is the fruit of my favorite thing to do when I visit new places … Read more
Marilyn Monroe in downtown Palm Springs, Calif This is my 4th and final post about my trip to California last month. That should satisfy the Western reader who complained that I don’t cover gardens in California nearly enough. (I live in the East.) I’d never been to Palm Springs, California and thought of it as … Read more
We have been together for going on 4 years and thousands of miles.” Do you remember the first time you got on a bike as a kid and were able to ride away into the neighborhood and beyond? Away from the house …your parents and siblings? That feeling of freedom? Well, this aging gardener has … Read more
I don’t recall ever seeing a garden so prominent in a movie, with most of the scenes set in the garden, as in the Oscar-nominated film The Zone of Interest. There’s even a long scene, shown above, of the homeowner/gardener naming each plant as she gives a tour of the garden. It’s all the more … Read more
We live fairly near The Laskett. So seeing it was open, we thought we’d have an afternoon out and went to visit. And we took lots of photos – so thanks to Charles for his contributions. Introduction Sir Roy has donated the place to Perennial, the Gardeners’ Benevolent Fund, after rejection by the National Trust. … Read more
Packera aurea Bloom Combos I Hate Packera aurea (a/k/a golden groundsel or golden ragwort) in my garden; azaleas at the National Arboretum Ever been excited about a new plant until you saw what was blooming nearby at the same time and the color combo almost made you retch? Sounds extreme, but that was my reaction … Read more
When I told a friend who lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware that I was blogging about the roses I saw blooming there last week she said, “Oh, all the Knockouts”? Because there SURE are a lot of them! Sometimes to a nice effect, like this pond-side garden, or to a really boring effect, like the … Read more