Everyone can recall delightful spring pictures of daffodils blooming amid groundcovers of pachysandra, English ivy, or vinca. Perhaps the unforgettable blues of scilla, muscari, and chionodoxa, popping up among covers of earth-hugging spring green, also come to mind. But, in fall, what bulb flowers are there to echo the liveliness of spring bulbs in a … Read more
Portland, Oregon, has been a plantsman’s stronghold since the early days of northwest exploration. In its immediate surroundings are many botanist landmarks, such as the old Hudson Bay trading post at Fort Vancouver, Washington (just over the river from Portland). David Douglas and other collectors after him used it as a base for their plant-hunting … Read more
This was the problem: Cambridge winters are often gray and dreary, and the view from a huge floor-to-ceiling window can be bleak. How to soften that snowy scene? The answer—a unique circular plant table, built to fit the curve of the big bay window and rising in tiers, like a fountain of greenery against the … Read more
Autumn is the season to harvest. Fruits have ripened on trees, and vines and vegetables have matured in fields. In gardens, flowering plants have completed their growth cycle and are preparing for rest. Autumn: Time of Rebirth Yet autumn is also a time of rebirth—a season to dig and plant again. Though the growing cycle … Read more
While enjoying the summer garden, there is a chance to correct omissions or mistakes in the landscape that may have been overlooked during the heavy planting season in spring. One of these landscape additions might be the right fence or screen. Just as there are two sides to a fence, two major reasons exist for … Read more
The buddleias, or butterfly-bushes, popular plants in the North, came from Asia. Although generally classed as rather coarse shrubs, they are now widely planted because of their pleasing color range. One factor that has made them undesirable until recently is restricted spaces with their rampant growth. I have found only one kind dependably hard, as … Read more
Anything Dr. Donald Wyman or Dr. John C. Wister wrote about lilacs is worth reading carefully, for few have had as much experience with the lilac as it grows in the Eastern half of this continent as these two men. While differences in personal taste are evident in their preferences for varieties, any lilac that … Read more
These words will be read at the beginning of the fall planting season, so it may be good to consider some improvements in the spring garden, which can be made by planting well-chosen shrubs in the fall. At the outset, however, I must emphasize that only shrubs that have matured and are fit for moving … Read more
With everyone looking for the “new” plants, we often overlook some of our best ones that have been in nurseries for years. This is especially true of shrubs. There are dozens of kinds that are among the most reliable yet are all too seldom used. Cornelian Cherry One of the oldest in years of cultivation … Read more
Fatshedera, sometimes called tree ivy, is a plant of hybrid origin, resulting from a cross between Fatsia japonica, a small native Japanese tree, and our familiar English ivy, Hedera helix. A handsome upright ivy, which lends itself graciously to home decoration, is available in many greenhouses and florists’ shops throughout the country. Offered for the … Read more