June 6, 2024
Looking Ahead
Spring is a wonderful season for gardeners. The weather is pleasant outdoors and visiting nurseries is such fun, but as well as popping into the ground plants that will give immediate gratification, also try to plant some fall bloomers.
May 23, 2024
Flower Sex
Scientists are concerned that the use of toxic pesticides and the decreasing amount of wild habitat may be affecting flower pollination.
May 16, 2024
Bevan
I am completely in love with bevan. No, he's not a human. He's a plant that has captured my heart...
May 9, 2024
Carpeting
Here is a long quote by Vita Sackville West about groundcovers.
May 2, 2024
Spring Dandelions
Dandelions light up our lawns each spring with bright yellow flowers.
April 25, 2024
Early Botanical Artists
Before the invention of photography, illustrations of uncommon plants were crucial. Women were thought to be especially well suited for drawing specimens accurately. They were seen as patient, careful, and willing to work for little pay.
April 18, 2024
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages in Britain, the monasteries were the places with the space and the knowledge to garden.
April 11, 2024
Touch-Me-Nots
Most gardeners I know find it convenient to buy this easy-care annual for their pots and shade beds each spring, and delight in growing such undemanding annuals.
April 4, 2024
Cherry Blossoms
The cherry tree that A. E. Housman wrote about in this poem is commonly known as bird cherry, which alas does not grow well for us in zone 6. A white tree that is a lovely substitute is the white dogwood.
March 28, 2024
Planting Easter Lilies
Each year millions of Easter lilies are forced in greenhouses so that they bloom early to meet the retail demands of the Easter season. This is obviously hard on the lily, so the plant won't bloom again that summer at its normal summer bloom time.
March 21, 2024
The Benefits of Clay
Clay soil is heavy and hard to dig compared to sandy soil, but it is also more moisture and nutrient retentive.
March 14, 2024
Usually Deer Proof
Timing is a factor in what deer eat. I have found that in the early spring when there are plenty of fresh green leafy plants in my beds, the deer avoid my hosta, but in July, they eat every one of them to the ground.
March 7, 2024
Pruning Flowering Shrubs
Pruning woody plants keeps them vigorous and healthy, as well as improving their shape.
February 29, 2024
Cutting Back
Cutting back plants, even small ones, helps to stimulate growth. But don't cut off all of the leaves!
February 22, 2024
Climbing Clematis
A Greek botanist cultivated clematis as early as 50 A.D. The name is from the Greek word "klema" meaning vine.
February 15, 2024
Forcing
In late winter, after months without garden flowers, we are eager to see flowers in our homes. However, there is a wonderful feeling we get when we force branches of early spring-blooming trees and shrubs.
February 8, 2024
Roses From the Past
All of the poems I will read today are about roses and all are from times long past.
February 1, 2024
February Saints
The flowers associated with St. Valentine's Day were, in Roman times, the yellow crocus and the tricolor viola that both bloom in the early spring in our gardens today. But there are also other saints associated with February...
January 25, 2024
Christo's Final Years
Christopher Lloyd and head gardener Fergus Garrett set up the Great Dixter National Trust so that the garden could continue in perpetuity. Christo died in 2006, but the garden continues to evolve, showcasing unusual plants and unorthodox combinations under Fergus's leadership.
January 18, 2024
The Long Border
Christopher Lloyd enlarged the border at Great Dixter to encompass a length of 200 feet and a depth of 15 feet. At the back were small trees, with flowering shrubs in the middle and low edging plants in front.
