I can sympathize with Fran’s feelings about the use and abuse of chrysanthemums (see “The Pushiness of Chrysanthemums“), but I must confess that I’ve done my fair share of September shopping for fall-garden fillers. Mums? Check. Pansies? Yep. Ornamental cabbage and kale? Oh, yes—gloriously yes. I know, I know: They’re big and frilly and gaudy,[...]
While working on my most recent book, Fallscaping, I developed a particular interest in finding perennials with great autumn foliage color. Before that, I could name only a half-dozen or so; now, it seems they’re everywhere I look. At left above are some sunny yellow stalks of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), showing off beautifully against[...]
Do you ever have one of those gardening moments when you wonder “Why do I bother?” I get them often when I spend time walking through my meadow, especially at this time of year. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful vistas, stunning combinations, and exquisite tiny details that make the time and energy I invest[...]
I’ve been wanting to try growing Queen Anne’s pocket melon (also known as plum granny, vine pomegranate, dudaim melon, apple melon, and vine peach or peach vine) for several years. So when I noticed that Seed Savers Exchange had the seeds for sale, I quickly added them to my spring order. The description there echoed[...]
This post is now available at Hayefield: http://hayefield.com/2007/09/15/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-sept-15-2007/