I HAVEN’T GLIMPSED EVEN A LEAF of Virginia bluebells in months here, but it’s on my mind at the moment, anyhow. Why? Because I’d like to add more, and fall is a good time to layer in more Mertensia virginica, an ephemeral American wildflower whose fleeting April-May flowers leave a lasting impression. [read more…]
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a plant i’d order this fall: virginia bluebells
August 10, 2012 By 14 Comments
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a plant i’d order: stylophorum diphyllum
May 5, 2012 By 27 Comments
I BROUGHT THEM HOME (WITH PERMISSION!) from Wave Hill, the public garden in the Bronx, a couple of decades ago: a few delightfully fuzzy, fat seedpods of celandine poppy from plants that brightened the perimeter of their famed Wild Garden. Stylophorum diphyllum has been a bright, shiny companion ever since in my shady and semi-shady borders, a native American wildflower that animals don’t eat; pests don’t chew, and that doesn’t get diseases. [read more…]
new! slideshow of my 54 top shade plants
June 28, 2011 By 50 Comments
SHADE IS A TRICKSTER, CAPTURING AND RELINQUISHING territory as years pass and woody plants grow—or are damaged or lost. Twenty-five years into gardening on one site, some former “shade gardens” here now bake, and even more spots that were sunny—well, you get the changeable, unpredictable picture. Thankfully, for the latter areas, I have old clumps of lower-light plants to divide, including those in this new slideshow of my top 54 shade subjects. I included some woodland-garden shrubs and trees for those seeking to manufacture some shade of their own—or wanting to add more understory structure to what nature has provided. [read more…]
blooming in my garden: may 2, 2011 slideshow
May 2, 2011 By 22 Comments
THE MOST COLORFUL CREATURES HERE as April turns to May: returning male birds in mating plumage. The last week included the arrival of rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles…but I am straying, as the point is plants, right? Oops. A look at what’s blooming (including Uvularia grandiflora, above), the second in a series of new slideshows during this busiest of changing garden times. [read more…]
golden days: is yellow spring’s favorite color?
May 6, 2010 By 32 Comments
I KEEP WONDERING WHY (SCIENTIFICALLY SPEAKING) the first weeks of spring seem to be so inclined to glow in solid gold. Is it something about co-evolution and early season pollinators liking the color, or just a side effect of how we’ve selected what plants we make our gardens from over the history of the nursery industry? (These are the kinds of things I think about, you see.) Whatever the “why,” the “what” is pretty great, and so an homage to spring’s favorite color: yellow. [read more…]
