Along Came a Spiderwort

Now comes mid-June, and the garden is still in something of a blue period, tranquil and calm – at least in the sunny front area.

Blue June

By the first week of June our garden has taken on a more tranquil character. The orange, red, and yellow exuberance of the tulips, narcissi, and poppies has spent itself. Now the garden is full of the bulky greens of summer-blooming plants not yet ready to put on their show.

Oh, My Darling Columbine

The Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) was looking mighty fine last weekend. I really have nothing new to say about this plant. Just: isn’t it marvelous?  

May Foliage

  Let’s face it, flowers are superior to foliage. This is especially true in May, when some gardeners (I’m not naming names) can be driven into ecstasies by masses of colorful tulips and other spring flowers. However, this does not mean that foliage should be ignored at this or any time of year.

The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring (Tra La)

A great deal can happen in the garden between the first of May and the middle of the month. Much depends on the vagaries of the weather, and we’ve had a surplus of vagaries this year. In this two week time span, some flowers fade and others emerge. Every inspection of the garden at this …

May Day Flowers

In a recent post I shared my mixed feelings about leaving home for a short vacation at a time when so much is happening so fast in the garden. Upon my return, would I feel that I had missed out on some crucial moments?   Rather than being tinged with regret, my return to the …

Mid-April Blooms

April had a rather wild mood swing during this past weekend. We transitioned abruptly from cold and surly to sunny warmth. Plants went from shivering in their foliage to galloping forward to catch up with the growing season.

Ten Favorite Stars for Sunny Gardens

In my last post I wrote about an article in the current issue of Gardens Illustrated called ‘100 Plants Every Gardener Should Grow’. While I took issue with the title, it has inspired me to do a much more modest list of my own. I want to stress up front that just because these plants …

The Scarlet Flower

It’s a grey day, one of a long line of grey days, and I am feeling color deprived. So I thought: why not write about some favorite flowers by color? Readers of this blog know that my favorite colors in the garden are orange and blue. However, I’ve already written about orange and blue flowers. …

A Slow Fall

Autumn this year has not been very autumnal. From childhood I associate fall with a raw chill and leafy puddles. This year, however, has been unusually dry and warm, conditions associated with more modest seasonal color. There is still some color to be seen, though.