Every garden deserves a dashing crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis. From the moment it comes up in the spring until the time it goes dormant, you can’t possibly ignore it; it keeps shouting, “Look at me!” Does it wait until everything else is ready to come up before sticking out its nose? No, indeed; it pops … Read more
Golden daffodils grow 3″ inches tall with rushlike foliage; purple tulips but 4″ inches overall; small sunny crocuses in the middle of winter; miniature hyacinths in bloom for New Year’s Eve—these are some of the delightful bulbs that can be forced into bloom on a sunny, moderate-to-cool window sill, in a home greenhouse or under … Read more
Many wildflowers, including some of the choicest, can be grown in limited space and enjoyed at close range without making an elaborate wild garden. In fact, when handled individually and planted where they can be tended properly, they frequently develop into better specimens than in the wild. This is particularly true of such rarities as … Read more
For those of us who must keep a hand in gardening even though the ground is frozen outdoors, there is nothing so enjoyable as paper-white narcissus. They are vigorous and do well in just water and pebbles. Even if you live in a city apartment, you can easily force narcissus. All you have to do … Read more
When the last chrysanthemum finally succumbs to a hard freeze, most of us bid goodbye to garden bloom until the snowdrops and crocus wake up in the spring. But the Christmas rose, white and waxy as orange blossom, blooms bravely despite ice, snow, and freezing winds. Lashing sleet may cut and bruise the pearly blossoms, … Read more
The mountains of Spain and Portugal provide numerous species of miniature daffodils, which are charming little Spring subjects for the rockery of easy culture. The dainty flowers have a variety of interesting and pleasing forms and show the best advantage when height is no hindrance. The blooms stand stately on 3” to 6” inch stems. … Read more
Before the settlers and the plow came, camassias were in countless millions in all the moist meadows and valleys throughout the Far West. Were it not for the plow and grazing, and all such spots would be a sea of white or cream or blue or purple in season, but, naturally, the settler would turn … Read more
If you are a gardener who still thinks of tulips only in terms of the usual May-flowering types—the cottage, Darwin, and breeder varieties that get the big color displays in the catalogs—you will be well rewarded if you take a little trouble to get better acquainted with some of the lesser known sorts. And what’s … Read more
Everyone loves roses, but it’s easier to love them than to understand their classification! And so when the beginning rose fancier sets out to choose plants for their garden, they likely will run into considerable confusion. The purpose of the “old graphics” below is to distinguish the more popular types of roses, list some of … Read more
There’s a standard set of sensible reasons why people grow the charming dwarf geraniums because small windows will hold a larger collection of different varieties, or crowded greenhouses can make room for them between larger pots. Because they make large people feel smaller, or small people feel larger. Or because they create more and brighter … Read more