Over the last 5+ decades of growing plants indoors and out, I have been blessed to meet some wonderful landscape designers, growers, houseplant enthusiasts, hybridizers, collectors, plant specialists, and overall lovers of plants.
My knowledge has grown from sharing my plant adventures in collecting plants with others. But I’ve gained so much more by learning from the experience of others. I’ve been fascinated with the trials and experiences from that grand golden age of gardening – the 1940s-1960s.
This was long before we could send an email, snap a picture on our phone or the internet.
Over the past 20+ years, I have read and collected thousands of articles from the Golden Age.
Some of the plants, annuals, perennials, shrubs, and flower varieties you will not find at your local garden center. Other plants have been hybridized and improved upon with familiar names.
The writers in the articles shared their experiences, tips, tricks, success, discoveries, and warnings. Read what they did and throw out the dates. There are plenty of plant care nuggets to learn.
Sharing their learned lessons is a pleasure, and there is much to learn from these plant pioneers.
NOTE: The articles appear with minimal edits. Some plants are no longer available, and others have been changed or reclassified.
Many years ago Atlanta, Georgia, was the great center of African violet interest on October 9 and 10, when enthusiasts from 20 states met for the first time at the annual convention of the African Violet Society of America, Inc., and witnessed the staging of the First National African Violet Show in 1946. On the … Read more
Do you know that once there lived in this country, a little Scotchinan who had the such magic touch in his ability to grow plants that he changed a large desert waste into an enchanting paradise that ranks with the world’s greatest—Golden Gate Park? His peculiar genius for over half a century was devoted to … Read more
The extensive grounds and gardens of F. Edgar Rice in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, were complete with separate daylily, rose, formal, and patio gardens knowingly designed and meticulously maintained – and was an inspiring study for gardeners. Rice, a successful engineer, applied the precise skill of his profession to achieving near garden perfection. By far the loveliest … Read more
“Southern gardeners are no pikers, by any means, lit growing iris,” says Boyce M. Edens, one of Atlanta’s and the South’s well-known iris specialists. “In fact,” adds Mr. Edens, “the number of iris enthusiasts in the South is increasing so rapidly that not only many of the largest collections but also some of the most … Read more
The day I took my grandson (then a second or third grader) to the garden to show him the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) and its reactions to the touch of one’s hands, I was greatly surprised to have him ask: “Is it a perennial or annual?”It was satisfying to know that youngsters were being taught … Read more
Today’s rose gardens sparkle with color and vigor. Their long-stemmed beauties spring from thickly branched, well-foliaged plants, and each season sees many additions to the list of novelties from which to choose. Perhaps the patent tag with which so many of our newest roses are hung may lead to the belief that they are turned … Read more
Glamorous greenhouse mums can be grown outdoors. An enthusiastic group of backyard gardeners in St. Louis, Missouri, proves it. Although none of these enthusiasts use identical methods, they all manage to coax prodigious bloom from small plantings. And, remarkably enough, the fancy big mums are proving to be about as cold-resistant as the so-called hardy … Read more
Ernest H. Wilson was not a man who boasted about his exploits. The way to learn from his lips about his work in China, Japan, and other Far East lands was to confront him with a collection of rare or newly introduced plants from the other side of the world. Then his eyes would sparkle, … Read more
“How do you grow roses good enough to win the Nicholson Bowl?” This question was 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 back in 1951. One glance at the perfect form, good color, large size, strong stems, … Read more
The Pacific Northwest is natural rhododendron country. In that narrow belt along the Pacific slope running from Vancouver and Victoria to San Francisco, the winters are tempered by warm waters. The air is moist year-round, there is very little extreme summer heat, and the soil is naturally acid. All this adds up to a perfect … Read more