Do you know that the little bunchberry or dwarf that comes from our northern woods is closely related to the flowering dogwood? Do you know, too, that the cornelian cherry and the red osier dogwood are also related? These and other true dogwoods form an outstanding group of plants that have many important uses in … Read more
In these articles of mine, which FLOWER GROWER prints and illustrates, I have referred continually to my home place, Breeze Hill, because it provides my closest touch with the things I write about. To be sure, the automobile gets me about to see things elsewhere, but the Breeze Hill touch is the dose one. In … Read more
Entrance or approach plantings for present-day houses offer more of a challenge than some homeowners realize. The ancient practice of setting out a few shrubs, a vine, or a tree near the entrance of a house has been commonplace for centuries. This seemingly artless custom, apparently traditional and without a plan, usually resulted in a … Read more
There’s something about a rose hedge that cannot be found in a hedge of any other plant material. Its natural, informal beauty appeals to everyone, even when it is not in flower, and when in bloom, it is delightful beyond expression. It’s true, of course, roses may take a little more care than some other … Read more
One of the first flower sights to greet us as we ride through our beautiful Ozarks in early spring is the yellow bloom of the sassafras tree in the still bare woodlands. This bloom comes when the buds which tip each twig start to swell. Quite suddenly, the tree is transformed by hundreds of compact … Read more
There are a few gardens that do not include lilacs. Yet few contain the kinds that best enhance the garden picture throughout the year. The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, its white-flowering variety, S. V. alba, and the numerous so-called “French hybrids” (Ludwig Spaeth,’ Charles Joly, ‘Ellen Wilmott’ and ‘President Grevy’) are practically indispensable in their … Read more
Every gardener wants roses, of course. And, after 30 years of growing them, I am prepared to swear every gardener can have them without much trouble. That is if he buys a good stock, locates plants, winter-protects, prunes, feeds them properly, and takes action against pests and disease. This sounds formidable, but it is not. … Read more
My home is in the woods, so far north that from mid-October to May, the garden is frost-hound. Therefore I must content myself for the most part during this period with the things that grow naturally all about me on the forest floor. These I encounter most frequently in the daily trips between the house … Read more
Prune your clematis to make it look tidy and produce a burst of flowers. But first, find out if it blooms on old or this year’s wood. If it blooms on old wood, prune it sparingly, cutting out only the weak, thin, or straggling branches after the vine flowers or early in February. If it blooms … Read more
A good gardener will not allow a flowering plant to grow haphazardly. He will pinch off a wayward shoot or an excess bud. He is pruning. So a tree, which is a large plant, should be pruned. Pruning is a natural and necessary process. It removes parts injured in the past and a building for … Read more