Fences serve numerous purposes: keeping things in (or out), looking good in and of themselves, acting as screens, being a place to grow yet more plants. Read more »
March – Horizontal fencing
March – Cass Turnbull Hydrangea test, phase 1
Cass Turnbull, local pruning guru and founder of Plant Amnesty (whose mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs) sent out an email to Plant Amnesty members about hydrangea pruning. With Plant Amnesty’s permission, I’ve included the content of the email here. When the results come out – I’ll pass those along too. Also, if you want a pruning book that is useful and actually an enjoyable read, get Cass Turnbull’s Guide to Pruning.
Cass Turnbull’s Hydrangea Test
March – Crocuses
Late winter seems to specialize in little flowers at your feet. Cyclamen, snowdrops, winter aconites have all been in plentiful bloom (okay the cyclamen aren’t usually plentiful but the pleasure they give is bodacious) and flowering merrily along with them are the crocuses. Read more »
March – the hues of autumn combining with those of spring
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (left) and Magic Carpet spirea 3/2/2013
There’s something to be said for being a laissez-faire gardener who is dilatory in cutting back you plants. Here, the autumn hues of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ stems are beautifully complemented by the brilliant orange new growth of Spiraea japonica ‘Walbuma’ aka Magic Carpet spirea. A moment in garden time soon to be lost as the stems of the sedum inevitably get cut back to let the new stems, now just tender little blue-green nubs, have their time in the sun and the fiery orange leaves of the spirea fade to chartreuse. Read more »
February – Oemlaria cerasiformis – Indian Plum or Osoberry
Oemlaria cerasiformis 2/27/2013
Fresh green leaves in February? Crush a leaf, take a quick whiff, smell the cucumber smell and it’s confirmed – the Indian plum has leafed out, already. Read more »
February – Winter aconites
Oh, those crazy Ranunculaceae – clematis, buttercups, delphinium, nigella, hellebores, aconitum, meadow rue, columbine – all in the same family. You could build the whole herbaceous part of a garden out of members of the family Ranunculaceae and have a flower in bloom most every month of the year. Read more »
Books to try
