The beliefs and customs are as inextricably linked with Christmas as those which center around the mistletoe. Though many of us know that mistletoe is a plant, few are aware that it is parasitic—one which grows on and at the expense of another plant. The word mistletoe comes from the Greek meaning “tree thief”, as … Read more
Seventy years ago, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station suggested that gardeners try cultivated elderberries as something unusual in a fruiting shrub. A named variety called Adams was offered for introduction through the New York Fruit Testing Association at Geneva, which propagates and tests (through its members) the new varieties selected by the Experiment … Read more
One morning back in 1880, Mr. Wilks, Vicar of Shirley in England, noticed a patch of wild field poppies, one with a very narrow edge of white. He marked it and saved the seed and, the following year, out of 200 plants, he noted that four or five of the flowers were edged. The best … Read more
There are many plants of outstanding merit that, for one reason or another, are ignored for years, only to come into style again suddenly. The long-stalk holly (Ilex pedunculosa), a native of China, is one of these. Perhaps because it looks less like a holly than many other shrubs, it has received little attention until … Read more
Recently while shopping at a garden center, I overheard a salesman suggest to his customer that she add a birdhouse to her purchases, which included insecticides, sprays, and dust. “I’m interested in flowers, not birds,” she snapped back. She didn’t realize that if just one family of birds came to live in her garden, she … Read more
Wherever you live, there are all sorts of materials within your reach that you can use as winter decorations. Just step outside and let your imagination have free rein. You will be amazed at the many unique and interesting items that you will find to lend sparkle to your arrangements and provide conversation pieces for … Read more
Ordinarily, when mention is made of the world’s oldest living plants, we think of the California sequoias. Or we may recall that some bryologists maintain that peat moss plants growing year after year from the top and dying off at the bottom may be older than the redwoods. Some students of the lower plants point … Read more
One clear, cold December day, after a light fall of snow, I took a friend to see an unusual holly tree growing in a glade in the woods; You came suddenly on the holly through the thickly-growing surrounding trees. As my friend stepped into the opening where the holly was growing, and as the full … Read more
In Northern climates, the fall gardening chore that takes top priority over the others is protecting the plants which might not survive the winter. This can be done by applying a mulch or protective layer of peat moss or some other material in and around the plants. Whether or not a plant should be protected … Read more
It is, of course, the Christmas rose, the perennial whose beauty is further enhanced by a legend that is as delightful as the plant. We are told that when the Three Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem, they came across a young girl tending her sheep. When the shepherdess named Madelon heard the story of the … Read more