Why do we see so few tastefully planted houses when so much desirable plant material is available? All too often, foundation plantings leave something to be desired or detract from the dwelling they were meant to enhance. Yet the basic principles of planting design are simple if only we would consider them. Let us look … Read more
The open season for “Garden Days” returns to delight hundreds of people and, incidentally, to secure financial aid for all sorts of worthy causes. Of those who take advantage of the opportunity to visit gardens, few can hope to possess anything that approaches the more pretentious. Yet, the more modest gardens are within reach of … Read more
Growing of flowers in boxes for display on window sills, porches, balconies, or terraces has been practiced for several thousand years, but it’’s not conventionalized as most people seem to think. The only conventional feature is the square shape of the box. The scope for self-expression is almost unlimited. For example, the choice of plant … Read more
Opaque walls have given way to transparency in most of today’s houses. Outdoors, banks, if any, have given way to walls of brick or stone or ledges, broken by flights of flagstone steps. Courtyards and terraces cut into lawn areas. These changes, the marriage of indoors and outdoors, demand a new look for your garden … Read more
A full four months of azalea bloom may sound like a gardener’s tall tale. But it becomes a fact when there is a discriminating choice of native azalea species to provide a season of bloom extending from April through August – a claim unchallenged by the new hybrids. These rare and delightful American species have … Read more
How do you grow roses good enough to win the Nicholson Bowl?” This question is frequently put to Edward Sima of Seattle, Washington, who won the most coveted prize of rosedom at the national meeting of the American Rose Society last June. One glance at the perfect form, good color, large size, strong stems, and … Read more
Sweet Boronia (Boronia megastigma) is one of the most elusive plants I have ever grown. It took more than ten years to find seeds and the correct culture. But now that we have both, this fragrant little plant is a delight. The branches are graceful with needle-like foliage. And in late winter or early spring, … Read more
The high color and interest of natural roadside plantings which is well worth driving for miles to enjoy, may be repeated in one’s garden for permanent pleasure by giving proper attention to the selection and use of shrubbery in border and specimen plantings. For example, the clear, bright red of the winged euonymus, Euonymus alatus, … Read more
The interesting Witch-hazel family has many distinctive and unusual shrubs on its comparatively short roster. One of the best of these, but still a plant rarely seen in gardens, is the Alabama fothergilla. This shrub is native to the lower Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina and Tennessee to Alabama and cries appropriately. Its scientific name … Read more
Would you like to have tree swallows in your garden? These friendly birds often visit in spring, but few bird lovers have succeeded in getting them to nest. Unfortunately, sparrows usually fill all the birdhouses two weeks before the swallows arrive. But you can prevent their taking over all the avian real estate by leaving … Read more