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[...]

“Invention flags, his brain goes muddy, And black despair succeeds brown study.” William Congreve (1670-1729) I can’t pretend to know exactly what inspired Mr. Congreve’s rhyme, but if he were alive today, he could easily be referring to a gardener confronted with some of the brown-leaved plants that have appeared in nurseries and garden centers[...]

While I’ve never risen to the heights (or sunk to the depths?) of some rose addicts, I’ve put in my share of time obsessing over drool-inducing rose catalogs and clicking through photo-filled rose-related web sites. So, despite not considering myself a collector, I’ve managed to gather a few dozen favorites over the years, and many[...]

Of all the things I enjoy about gardening, experimenting with plant combinations has long been one of my favorite pastimes. For most of that time, though, my efforts were rather haphazard: I ended up with some pleasing pairings each year, but I didn’t concentrate on any particular themes. About three years ago, however, I started[...]