July 2007

If you figure that kudzu ranks high as an unpopular plant, then can Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) be far behind? Well, sure enough, there’s a variegated version of this menace as well, and oh, it’s a beauty, with bold, bright yellow to creamy yellow veining over the usual green. I suppose it flowers, too, although [...]

July definitely isn’t one of my favorite months. It’s hot, and it’s humid. It’s bone dry, or else we get wicked thunderstorms. There are weeds, and leaf spots, and Japanese beetles. But, it’s not all bad: In fact, it’s prime time for grazing through the garden. Not being much of a cook, I’m a big [...]

When my children were young and played outside early evenings during the summer months, it never failed that as soon as they heard the ring of the Good Humor truck, they would come running home to get money for their favorite ice cream treat. They were always warned to be careful running around the truck [...]

I admit it! I’m a sucker for sweet peas. Always have been and think that I always will be. Sweet peas were not a part of my childhood. The first time they invaded my senses was when I began making visits to English gardens in early adulthood. My first up close encounter with sweet peas [...]