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
The beauty and serenity of water lilies riding gently on a pool or pond are unsurpassed by other members of the aquatic plant family. Although tropical water lilies will not survive the northern winters as will the hardy varieties, they require no more care than their year-round cousins. Tropical Water Lilies Among some of the … Read more
The glorified Black-eyed Susan—one of our best native flowers (giant hybrid tetraploid Rudbeckia) also makes an excellent pot plant. The stems are shorter than when grown out of doors, but that is really an advantage for a pot plant. If desired for a cut flower, the longer-stemmed, outdoor Gloriosa daisy is better. This improvement of … Read more
Primroses have belonged to the English people for centuries. Queen Victoria’s tribute at the death of her prime minister, Disraeli, was a wreath of primroses. Their journey to popularity in this country has been slow except on the Pacific Coast. Elsewhere, the fascination of growing primroses has been known to but few. My favorite primroses … Read more
For centuries, lilies have had a strong appeal for gardeners, painters, sculptors, and poets, and the reasons are easy to understand. Their broad range of color and form has made them one of the most striking and attractive groups of flowers. All colors except blue are to be found among the numerous hybrids and species. … Read more
Among the pleasures of gardening is choosing your favorite flowers to grow in the garden. Most cultivated plants grow satisfactorily under similar conditions, thus resulting in an almost unlimited list of available materials for home gardens. This, however, does not hold for the wildflower garden. Although many native plants are not fussy, some of the … Read more
Late summer and early fall, before frost and cold weather, are ideal times to start taking cuttings of geraniums for indoor culture. Long used as houseplants and for summer bloom and enjoyment in the garden, these old-time favorites are grown as shrubs and vines in milder climates. The geraniums (actually pelargoniums) we grow as houseplants … Read more
The color plate opposite by photographer Paul Genereux shows the old-fashioned Germander speedwell (Veronica Chamaedrys) as it carpets the ground with blue in June. There are so many kinds of veronicas that one may make a garden of them alone! Two Classes of Veronica Roughly they may be divided into two classes: the tall kinds, … Read more
Few flowers have gained greater popularity in recent years than the many kinds of hybrid lilies. These glamorous bulbs, from the far corners of the world, in forms and colors that dazzle the eye, generally reach their flowering peak in July, though there are varieties that start the season off in June and continue into … Read more
If you want a real pansy display next spring, don’t depend on the basketfuls you’ll find at the hardware dealers. Instead, grow your own from seed or buy young plants from a specialist this fall. The advantage to you is simply this: you can pick the colors you need to harmonize with your spring garden … Read more