Perennials

In our enthusiasm for “something new,” for the “rare and unusual,” for “an improvement through hybridizing,” there seems to be a tendency to overlook some of the old-time garden favorites

The few good gardens Veronicas we grow are only a small part of the vast entanglement known to botanists, 300 or more of them, among which the majority are weeds.

One of the choice wildflowers that we rarely see these days is the fringed gentian, Gentiana Erinita.  It is an elusive plant, and if you have the good fortune to

The late Mrs. Clement S. Houghton of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, composed this little verse pointing out the difficulty of growing meconopsis.  Written on the train to New York to attend

Perennials are the heart of the garden. They feel the urge to grow with the first breath of spring.  Without effort, new shoots push through the still cold, wet soil,

The Oriental poppy, perhaps the showiest of all perennials, is as easy to divide as it is beautiful.  Its hairy finger-like leaves, sometimes 18” inches long, remain a deep green

The color plate opposite by photographer Paul Genereux shows the old-fashioned Germander speedwell (Veronica Chamaedrys) as it carpets the ground with blue in June. There are so many kinds of

The home garden’s first choice should be showy, hardy, need minimum care, and permanent plants. Herbaceous peonies meet all four of these requirements. From the moment the crimson spears poke