One definition of “layering” in the garden is placing plants so that the tallest ones are in the back, followed by mid-sized ones in the middle, and then the shortest ones in front. Another definition is how nature “layers” itself by growing a tall canopy of trees with shorter, under-story trees beneath those, then a […]
I was reading an article the other day that mentioned how houseplants are “out” – not very trendy and apparently not something many people want to mess around with these days. I can understand that, especially if your view of a houseplant is a boring bushy-green Chinese evergreen or one of those cheapo bargain-store peace […]
Killing plants is part of gardening. Don’t feel bad about it. Look at it as a learning experience… and a new vacated place to plant something else.
I read AccuWeather’s long-term forecast for this winter with a touch of dread. The projection is for temperatures 3 to 4 degrees below average with a lot of “snow events.” I don’t care for even normal winters (whatever they are anymore), so this supposedly cold and snowy one isn’t one I’m looking forward to. The […]
Although it’s six time zones and an 8-hour flight across the Atlantic away, France has remarkably similar plants to our own. I’m just back from leading an 8-day trip to great gardens in and around Paris, and of all the foreign countries I’ve been to (not counting Canada and Texas), this one was the most […]
One of the hardest questions I get is, “What is this plant?” People will bring me a dried-up blossom, email me a blurred leaf photo, or show me a tiny photo on a smart phone, hoping I’ll be able to tell them what they have or what they saw. Sometimes I can tell, mainly when […]
As our latest experience with the emerald ash borer shows, it’s a bad idea to plant too much of the same thing everywhere. Diversity is a way to hedge our plant bets.
As we head into the season’s second superb planting window between now and the end of October, we’ll have some decisions to make. The toughest, in my mind, is which plant is likely to do well in which site. That takes a lot of experience and intricate plant knowledge, which is why so many people […]
I finally figured out what’s wrong with my yard. I like plants way too much to have a nice landscape. That sounds contradictory, but it’s not if you’re a fellow plantaholic.
One of the hazards of gardening in general – and being a plant-trialing garden writer in particular – is the fact that plants always need to be moved around. Some plants croak, some grow out of control, some get eaten by voles/deer/groundhogs/rabbits, and some just end up in a wrong place due to operator error […]