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
Bird Raccoon Bath Some years ago I bought a bird bath and followed all the rules for getting the most bird visitors – like placing a perfectly shaped pan at ground level, and adding stones and a solar-powered fountain. Sadly, it attracted nothing but raccoons. And the fountain? It sprayed so vigorously, the bath was … Read more
Abra Lee is unearthing the American history of Black ornamental gardening—one story at a time. The White Lion landed near Hampton, Virginia, in 1619. On board were an estimated 20 Africans. Among them were mothers, artists, farmers and businesspeople. All were enslaved. By 1860, there were nearly four million slaves powering the U.S. economy. Black … Read more
Rose and I recently went out for our first movie in a long time. We picked a good one. “Gardens are good for the soul…They make you feel like your city or community care about you,” Lynden Miller, says at the outset of Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes. Miller, an award-winning public garden designer, is featured … Read more
On 9/11 I was searching for garden-worthy Chinese plants in the western Chinese province of Sichuan. I was in good company: five American plant hunters, a photojournalist, a retired doctor, a lawyer, plus a half dozen Chinese guides, drivers, and a botanist. Homestead on the other side of the river near Baoxing We had just … Read more
The Potential Sale of River Farm and the Struggle for Control of AHS When the American Horticultural Society put its Alexandria, VA headquarters on the Potomac River – the historic 26-acre River Farm – on the market for $32.9 million, that got the attention of seemingly everyone in Northern Virginia, including legislators and Virginia’s Attorney … Read more