The tree or shrub in the right place will give your house an Iift. Likewise, thought given to the selection and grouping of the plants you use on your property can make the difference between a pleasing effect and a jumble. Every housewife knows that clutter and confusion in the house make her day’s work … Read more
The common rose-mallow or hibiscus has always been one of the showiest perennials, but recently new hybrids have been developed with blooms of larger size and clearer colors. These new hybrids have huge blooms, some measuring 8 inches across. The plants are bushy and grow 4’ to 5’ feet high. These hybrids are equally effective, … Read more
Those flowers show dream gardens I see each year in March fascinate me. Bursting with flowering bulbs, dainty primroses, running brooks, and colorful native shrubs, they spur me on in my adventures in gardening. It is easy to understand why the brook that briefly crosses a corner of our property has been a constant stimulus … Read more
A chapter excerpt from a forthcoming new book by Jean Hersey, “Two Hundred WildFlowers to Know, to Crow, to Protect” (to be published by D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.) Spring is imminent, and the time for our favorite pastime is at hand. Collecting wildflowers from woods, roadsides, fields, and stream banks is a delicious occupation! … Read more
The major reason for cultivating soil is to kill weed seedlings around desirable plants. It also enables us to mix compost, manures, and fertilizers into the soil. It breaks soil crusts, facilitating water to penetrate deep into the ground, and aids in controlling soil-inhabiting insects. But cultivation also has a detrimental effect on the soil … Read more
Since George Russell’s work in Yorkshire with Lupinus polyphyllus, which he crossed with other lupins, created the magnificent new strain that now bears his name, and the lupin ranks with the delphinium and Michaelmas daisy as a mainstay of English gardens. It should become almost as well known in American gardens as its virtues are … Read more
When I built my terrace, I decided it would be a place for outdoor living and outdoor relaxing. To make it harmonious, both within itself and with its surroundings, its colors must be in soft low notes, with just a touch of brilliance for emphasis. The 15-foot-square terrace is paved with flagstones and enclosed by … Read more
For gardening purposes, azaleas are classed apart from rhododendrons. Horticulturally, azaleas are a series of rhododendrons characterized by the fall leaf dropping of many of its members and fewer stamens (usually five) than other rhododendrons. Distinctive and beautiful azaleas are so widely propagated that any interested gardener can have azaleas blooming in his garden from … Read more
Every year the 23rd of May marks the anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus, who had a greater impact on botany than almost any other man. Born in southern Sweden, this son of a poor country parson became acquainted with plants at an early age. In fact, his father taught him the names of … Read more
Its lucky tree peonies seldom try to bloom the first year after planting. Most authorities agree they need a season’s vegetative growth, a period of putting down roots and building a powerful woody framework before bearing their extravagant flowers—sound reasoning. The reasoning is sound, but if a reckless youngster develops a bud, would you be … Read more