I’m happy to tip readers off to a terrific documentary about people with extraordinary connections to trees, premiering on HBO and streaming on Max starting Tuesday December 12. All of which I know because HBO’s smart marketing people reached out to the garden media (me and I’m sure others) with the offer of a preview … Read more
Last week wasn’t great. I won’t go into why, but suffice to say that if sometimes you get to see the best of humanity there will also be times when you see selfishness and bad attitudes. I was looking forward to getting away from it all on Friday with a lecture by the Head Of … Read more
I’ve bought a lot of plants just to learn them or to see how they compare with other, similar plants. So it is beyond frustrating when I lose the labels and can’t remember what they are. Is it Echinacea Sombrero something or Adobe something? Hibiscus ‘Hoy Malloy,’ ‘Holy Grail,’ or something else completely? And what … Read more
(L) Coleus in front of ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed; (R) Persian Shield with sweet potato vine. About a year ago I asked you guys – the savvy, experienced gardeners who read this blog – for what “Potted Annuals for Pollinators” you’d recommend. I was unhappy with some annuals I’d been growing near my front … Read more
Yes, I’m starting the new year with a rant, right out of the gate! It’s about some old junipers I saw recently that have been sheared into sheer ugliness.Another view from the sidewalk. I wish everyone could see what old junipers could look like, if planted in the right places and pruned correctly. (Just say … Read more
I have developed a strong antipathy for the term ‘winter interest’ in garden writing. Do we truly have nothing better to say about winter gardens or the plants growing in them than to damn them with faint praise? I have been guilty myself, but now repent wholeheartedly. To term something ‘winter interest’ is to reject … Read more
My family heirloom vase waits all year for sweet pea posies. Anyone who has spent a few growing seasons with me will tell you, sweet peas are my totem plant, a generational touchstone and possibly the most satisfying cut flower in my summer garden. It used to be that every year, right around Valentine’s Day, … Read more
Many years ago The Financial Times sent me to do a feature on the RHS ‘Flower Show’ at Tatton Park . I was totally naïve and had no idea what I was supposed to do or to write about. So my excitement was tempered by acute anxiety. The term ‘imposter syndrome’ could have been invented … Read more
This week I got to see the 28th Annual Orchid Exhibition by Smithsonian Gardens and the U.S. Botanic Garden, and since I’m no orchid expert (understatement alert), can I just rave about the setting? Because the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place to show off … Read more
Does YOUR town have English ivy covering trees in its most prominent public spots? Well, MINE SURE DOES, which I finally got sick of looking at and decided to do something about it. At LEAST here in our historic town square. (Why do it? This link explains the many ways that English ivy can harms … Read more