The two main groups of tulips are early and the May or main-season kinds. The early group contains the species or botanical kinds, any of which are small in size and come into bloom soon after the snow leaves. Some interesting examples are: They are good in rock gardens and other places where you see … Read more
Do you want a spot of brightness in your garden during the “midsummer slump”? Do you want a different perennial that will draw the attention of your visitors? Then you want Lythrum. Lythrum, Shakespeare’s “long purples,” has several varieties worthy of a place in the hardy border. They all have willow-like leaves, square stems, and … Read more
If you are looking for something just a little bit different for your hardy borders or a corner with part shade, the spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata), will interest you. Spotted Beebalm Features This dainty, pastel plant has rather prim but changeable foliage. It begins the season as a dull green. Then, when the square stem … Read more
Goldenrods — weeds or beautiful wildflowers? Regardless, were the myriads of golden wands suddenly vanish from our autumnal fields and meadows, they would be sorely missed. American fields, like American woods, are the world’s most colorful in the fall. A host of brilliant wildflowers—asters, ironweeds, thoroughworts, sunflowers, blazing stars, coneflowers, lobelias—all contribute to this color. … Read more
With a little planning and selection now, it is possible to have lilies flowering in the garden from late May to the first frost in fall. The lovely Lilium speciosum is well known for its showy orchid-like blooms in late summer, but the early flowering lilies are not so well known and have been neglected. … Read more
The late Mrs. Clement S. Houghton of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, composed this little verse pointing out the difficulty of growing meconopsis. Written on the train to New York to attend a meeting of The American Rock Garden Society, it caused much amusement among her host of gardening friends and is still quoted. Her gift of … Read more
Phlox, “flower of flame,” shows its widest array of brilliant colors in the species paniculata—the garden phlox of the summer months. An American native, growing in woods from Pennsylvania to Florida and west to Kansas, it has, in the wild, flowers of white, pinkish-lavender, and reddish-purple (often called magenta). In Country’s History Very early in … Read more
In 1941, I received my first trial of Oriental poppy plants, and I have been intrigued with growing this magnificent perennial. And now, some 200 plants later, I am more than ever entranced with Oriental poppies. Gardeners everywhere are sharing my enthusiasm and have acclaimed the Oriental poppy queen of the June garden pageant. And … Read more
Perennials are the heart of the garden. They feel the urge to grow with the first breath of spring. Without effort, new shoots push through the still cold, wet soil, harbingers of promising beauty yet to come. In selecting perennials, some of the old-fashioned kinds should have a place, yet there is a challenge with … Read more
The Oriental poppy, perhaps the showiest of all perennials, is as easy to divide as it is beautiful. Its hairy finger-like leaves, sometimes 18” inches long, remain a deep green from early spring until mid-summer. After that, they die to regrow again in early September, remaining green long after all other perennials have frozen and … Read more