It is raining this morning as I write this—a light, gentle sprinkle that began sometime after midnight. The wind is carrying the rain through the screen onto my floor, but I shall not shut out the music of the falling drops by closing the door. It is the most wonderful sound we have heard in … Read more
The plane rose from Merida, our last stop in Mexico. The pilot circled to glimpse the pyramid-type Mayan ruins outside this hot, tropical city of the Yucatan lowlands. Soon we were thousands of feet up, climbing through the high mountain passes of Guatemala, headed south toward Guatemala City. Our wing tips seemed almost to touch … Read more
When an authority tells you something can’t be done, doing it gives supreme satisfaction. Perhaps this is why the rhododendrons of Mrs. Bredelle Jesse of Columbia, Missouri, are her favorite shrubs. When Mrs. Jesse first considered the problem of growing rhododendrons in 1938, the University of Missouri’s horticulture department told her it was impossible. Rhododendrons … Read more
This handsome blue hydrangea is a fine plant for permanence if you are fortunate enough to find a supply source. It is a native shrub of Japan and has found favor in some places in the warmer parts of southern New England and Long Island. Characteristics Hydrangeas It is not hard in Boston. Growing 3’ … Read more
“Challenge” and “reward” are the words Louis Dawson uses to describe his experiences with growing plants by the sea. That first year, it all looked pretty hopeless when we built our house in a coastal village in New Jersey. I had gardened before when we lived in an inland suburban town, and it had been … Read more
The hot, muggy days of August are good days to lie in hammocks and turn our thoughts to cool green ferns. And September is a good time to move ferns into the garden. Almost every garden has some spots that would be enhanced by the beauty of ferns, and gardening pleasure is sure to be … Read more
Some trees and shrubs are at their best flowering during the summer, and because they are few, they should be known and used. Most of the woody plants make their big show of flowers in the spring, but the following are reliable summer-blooming specimens, each one of which can be featured in almost any garden … Read more
Hedges may be formal or informal. A formal hedge is pruned with hedge shears to keep it to the desired form and size, while an informal hedge is allowed to grow more or less naturally with just enough pruning to keep it within bounds. Prevent Hedges Growing Up Fast One important thing to remember with … Read more
When leaves begin to turn and frost sears all but the plants near the house foundation, don’t you wish you could take just a little bit of summer into the kitchen to keep when it snows? Well, you can. Look under the long, rangy petunias with pointed, bursting seed pods. You’ll find the little fellows, … Read more
While every section of the country has its climatic vagaries, it would seem that the Midwest, that expensive region of the interior stretching from the hills of eastern Ohio west to the Great Plains and northward from the Ohio River to the Canadian Border is subject to more difficult growing conditions than any other part … Read more