I had promised Susan et al. to report on Cultivate a few short hours after attending this huge trade show in Columbus last week – back in person for the first time since COVID changed all our lives. But it turns out that so much social activity after so long on the social distancing wagon … Read more
Since when did annuals become perennials? It sure seems that way. So many in my online gardening group have already filled their windowsills, basements, and (increasingly) greenhouses with coleus, begonias, geraniums, petunias, impatiens—you name it, they’re saving it. On its face, this is admirable. Plants that are normally discarded at the end of the season … Read more
The most famous landscaping company in the world gets its own documentary! It seems so long ago – the November 7, 2020 Rudy Giuliani press conference that gave the Four Seasons Total Landscaping Company in Philadelphia far more than 15 minutes of fame. Now, thanks to the 30-minute “Four Seasons Total Documentary,” you can relive the … Read more
Log into any houseplant group these days and you’ll find brag after brag about how someone scored a rare specimen at Home Depot or Lowe’s. These groups are also flooded with photos of poor, dying plants found languishing in big box greenhouses, accompanied by pleas for group members to come rescue them. Do these people … Read more
This may sound more like a promotion than a rant, but that’s too bad. I must express how much I appreciate good garden centers at this time of the year. There really isn’t too much to occupy me outdoors, which has taken on its usually dreary waiting-for-snow look. (Snow-covered landscapes are our “winter interest” here.) … Read more
Photo by Kirk Brown in gorgeous lobby of the Lord Baltimore Hotel The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show at the Baltimore Convention Center is my favorite happening in January (sadly, with no actual competition). And last year it almost looked like it would return, post-covid, but then omicron happened and, like so many others, I stayed … Read more
Annuals by mail – it’s not for the faint of heart Why mail order annuals? I get surprised looks when asked – usually during Garden Walk – about interesting plants I have that came in that way. But for years, though I’ve never attempted seeds (and don’t plan to), I’ve always been open to looking … Read more
The Garden Shoe Upgrade Back in 2010, for some reason, I lined up all my gardening shoes for this enticing group photo. The shoes mostly kept my feet dry and were strong enough for jumping on a shovel, but they weren’t exactly podiatrist-recommended, a factor I paid no attention to – until this year. For … Read more
In the Latest Version of iOS It was news to me to discover recently that the latest version of my iPhone’s operating system included an automatic plant ID function – who knew? I’ve been meaning to give in and subscribe to a plant ID app for the longest time, and now I don’t have to. … Read more
Sure, you don’t normally see celebrity gossip on gardenblogs, but who can resist doing it when no less than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce make floral news? “Travis Kelce’s $14,000 Worth of Valentine’s Day Gifts for Taylor Swift Revealed” (Though maybe it’s not so abnormal on this gardenblog, since we covered Miley Cyrus’s impact on … Read more