Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Small Tribute to a Silent Partner

Well, shame on us. All these years we have taken Ranger for granted. We never even took a picture of him – I mean one of those posed portraits, like gardeners do with special daylilies, or camellias, or roses. Except … Continue reading

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How I Got to See the U.S. Botanic Garden

If you are in Washington DC during the holiday season, spend some time at the U.S. Botanic Garden I had no intention of visiting the garden or even its conservatory during blustery November days when dry leaves were flying and … Continue reading

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Fifty Ways to Lose. . .That Special Plant

Fifty Ways to Lose. . .That Special Plant Maybe not 50, but the couple dozen methods below have been extensively field-tested over a thirty-year period by seasoned experts (the author and fellow gardeners) whose experience and credentials are unshakeable. Let’s … Continue reading

Posted in Creating a Garden, garden maintenance, spring bloom, summer bloom, Tips for Planting, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Chicago for Gardeners

Urban Oases and Millennium Park Dateline October 2015. Susan and I had both read Erik Larson’s absolutely spellbinding book, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that changed America. Our curiosity was piqued. A visit to … Continue reading

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Last Monarchs. . .First Honeybees

Early November, Lowe’s Home Improvement was selling agastache ‘Purple Fortune’ almost bloomed out and looking like a ragamuffin, for one dollar. Like the perennial optimists we gardeners are, I rose to the challenge and bought two. Yes, I can coax … Continue reading

Posted in butterflies, fall bloom, Honeybees, Uncategorized, wildlife in autumn | 2 Comments

The Taking of a Tree

It was a Norman Rockwell tree. Each spring the crabapple, on schedule, would unsheathe its buds and break into a great song of white blossoms. Always the first week in April. The crabapple is blooming, we would say (as if … Continue reading

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Midsummer Madness

The thing about spring is its order. There is a natural progression starting from bare twigs, bare earth to lovely bloom. There is space, precious precious space, for plants to expand and show off. Insects are usually a little behind … Continue reading

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St. Petersburg V: From Tar Yards to Revolution. . .and Beyond

(Click on Peterhof and Catherine Park for pictures and discussion of these gardens. For the first post in this series of five, see St. Petersburg: I: First Impressions) Thank goodness Irina brought a car and driver with her today, Susan said. I … Continue reading

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St. Petersburg IV: A Church, a Museum and Sunday in the Garden

(Go to Peterhof and Catherine Park for discussion and pictures of these gardens.) Today, we meet Ilya Repin, but first we must explore a historical whodunnit. You can’t miss Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt with its colonnades and statues and roses still … Continue reading

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St. Petersburg III: The Neva Runs Through It

(Go to Peterhof and Catherine Park for pictures and discussion of these gardens) We decided not to climb to the dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral for the tourist view of St. Petersburg because we were taking a late-night boat ride on … Continue reading

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