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 …
I am not a big fan of Azaleas. Part of the reason is that they don’t grow well where I now live in Chicago. Even growing up outside New York City, where Azaleas are fairly common, they did not appeal to me. Perhaps it was because they generally appeared as little green meatballs that, for …
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.
There are two shrubs in the garden that provide us with cheerful yellow flowers in early spring. First, there’s a single old Forsythia of unknown variety. Second, there are several Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) that I planted at least five years ago.
Why is it that Sissinghurst has a White Garden but not a Yellow Garden? Perhaps yellow is just a bit too insistently cheerful, like those morning people who sing and bustle about while you try to burrow into your newspaper. Also, I read somewhere that yellow is the most common color for wildflowers, and its …
The weather has just taken a wintery turn here in Chicago. Arctic air has buckled southward, bringing cold and modest snowfall. For the moment there is a blanket of white that covers the ground. Snow provoked thoughts of white flowers, and how it shouldn’t be too long before they would brighten the garden. Considering white …
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.
My relationship with Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) can be likened to an arranged marriage. I didn’t choose this plant, it was there when we moved into our house 13 years ago. At first I found it mildly disappointing. But as we shared good times and bad, my attitude moved to one of quiet affection. I …
On Sunday night I got back from a business trip that lasted seven whole days, meaning seven days away from the garden. And not just any seven days, but the seven days of that crucial last week of May when so much happens so fast. There is only one way to recover from a case …
We used to have a whole hedge of Forsythia along the east side of the house. All had to be dug up a few years ago when we waterproofed the basement. I was not devastated to see them go, as their departure meant it was time for: Border Makeover! Which means the purchase of all …
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