Are you excited for spring? There are buds everywhere, and I am going out to make a long overdue early prune of my forsythia bushes to bring inside for forcing. Did you know that Forsythia comes in other colors besides just yellow? You can look at your local nursery for white flowering forsythia and pink … Read more
I am eager to fix my front lawn this year. When we installed a solar array last fall, we had to dig some significant trenches through the garden. They reseeded the lawn where it was damaged, but somehow, I have no turf grass and instead a bright green swath of crabgrass. My plan is to … Read more
It’s late July/ August, and it is officially ‘late season’ for plant shopping at the nursery. (Don’t worry! – you get another chance for regular-season planting in the early fall – come September). In many parts of the country, this is a good time to find sales on perennials, particularly those that have … Read more
Am I the only one who associates persimmons with warmer, dry climates? I think of California or Sicily, where I once feasted on them at a winery on the slopes of Mt Etna. So I am as surprised as anyone to know that American Persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) are native to nearly half the states in the … Read more
Coyote Willow (salix exigua), a small tree, is on my list for planting early this spring. I intend to use it as a back drop in beds and to help blur the edges. I have edges in my garden — it seems like I go from flat and clear to stick straight 50 ft pines and … Read more
I wish I had a pond and a solid wet area around it – so much so that I am considering adding at least one water feature to my garden. My top-of-the-hill location (where water quickly sheds with gravity) means that I don’t have a good habitat for plants that want a wetter, maybe even … Read more
I hope with all my heart that relatively swift action will spare me from the worst poison ivy rash I have ever had. Here in New England, Poison Ivy is a very common poisonous plant where all parts of the plant will leave you with an itchy rash. The urushiol oil in this woody vine causes a minor to severe allergic reaction in … Read more
I am writing this in my white jeans – I have three pairs that get worn through all the seasons. I love fashion, and I love to cross fashion inspiration with all the design practices that intrigue me (garden design is right at the top of the list). But that after Labor Day whites rule is … Read more
I hate Cleome. My disdain stems from a bad experience back when I was a baby gardener. In my baby gardener days, I had a tiny plot in front of a duplex (so really, I just had the right-hand side of the garden). I was eager to make my mark (my parents, of course, got … Read more
Cute summer towns are a haven for houses with adorable little gardens. They are always tidy and like a properly dressed lady (whose handbag always coordinates with her shoes), the plants often coordinate with the house. Here in New England, you can find all sorts of inspiration for color coordinating your plants to your house in a … Read more