Few enjoy enviable popularity among tender bulbous plants, and others are treated as such. Most relatively neglected species deserve greater popularity, and none deserves it more than the summer-flowering species of Hymenocallis, or Ismene, as it’s commonly referred to and listed in most catalogs. Hymenocallis clothing, better known as Spider-lily, basket-flower, or Peruvian daffodil, comes … Read more
Iris means rainbow, and no other flower deserves this name quite well. You will find masses of all spectrum colors among the tall bearded irises. Add elegant flower form and texture, plus a hardy disposition that lets the plant live almost everywhere, and you have a spectacular garden perennial. It fails only in the deep … Read more
They wonder what plant combines beauty and color with long life, hardiness, and ease of care. The answer is daylilies, known botanically as hemerocallis. They are truly the delight of the home gardener, for they give maximum pleasure with a minimum of effort. Indeed, daylilies are more widely adapted to various soils and climates than … Read more
Bouquets for your house can have new life if you give the flowers a good conditioning treatment before they are arranged. A chemical preservative in the water frequently produces cut flowers that last longer than if left to grow in the garden. Techniques for drying fresh cutting material from the garden have been so improved … Read more
South of the equator, spring comes in September and October. And here in our Northern Hemisphere, fall-flowering colchicum, crocus, and hardy amaryllis can stage a dramatic spring-like show in your garden in late summer or early fall. Unlike any other fall flower, they bring the same urgency and spontaneity that characterize and make spring-flowering bulbs … Read more
There are three flowering plants that I hope I shall never lose, although I make no effort to keep them. They are the self-seeding sweet rocket, the black-eyed Susan, and the tall blue lobelia. Sweet Rocket (Hesperis Matronalis) The hardy perennial sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) begins blooming early in spring, crowding its paniculate racemes of … Read more
Daylilies have become general favorites. The plants give pleasure from when the first green spears emerge through the ground in the spring until fall. They make a restful, green background for other plants when not in bloom. Few gardeners can resist their good nature and polite behavior. They give so much and ask so little. … Read more
In April and early May, the littlest irises are the loveliest. Their size is in keeping with the spirit of a season of new-hatched chicks, baby rabbits, and even the small fleecy clouds of April. Their charm is enormous, and their array of colors is second only to the tulips. Last spring, in my northern … Read more
I once knew a little old lady with the most successful and beautiful garden in town. Her tulips were supreme, her annuals sparkling, and her mums attracted visitors from nearby towns. But one summer day, when I stopped by to see her, I found her gazing with a puzzled frown at her garden plot. In … Read more
The candle plant may be new to you, too. It always puzzles visitors at our local show. Botanically it is Plectranthus oertendahlii—but don’t let that scare you—it is as easy to grow as a radish. The dainty blossom spikes have tiny snapdragon-like flowers of the palest lavender. These are held gracefully above the silver-veined green … Read more