Encyclopedia of Container Plants

  • Post published:05/21/2011
  • Post comments:2 Comments

The garden centers are putting out their trays of blooming annuals, many of which will find their way into planters and containers of all sizes and shapes. They’ll be hung on porches, set out on decks and placed by doorways.  It is hard to resist all that color and frilly form. Fortunately for us we don’t have to resist because those familiar annuals, impatiens, petunias, begonias and geraniums are inexpensive and put on a good and cheerful show…

Mirrors in the Garden – a Trend?

The first mirror in the garden I saw this past weekend was in one of the first gardens. I had already seen gardens with high brick walls that had 'windows' cut into them. When I glimpsed shining light in the wall in this garden I thought it was another windowed wall, which I thought was a charming idea.  When I scrunched down to get a better idea, and a photo I realized I was looking at a mirror.…

The Latest on My Wisteria

  • Post published:05/26/2010
  • Post comments:5 Comments

We are practicing doing videos - and the wisteria which is glorious right now seemed like a good subject. All this bloom is just in time to shade the piazza and protect me from 90 degree sun.

Frost Damage Discovered

  • Post published:05/18/2010
  • Post comments:4 Comments

When we were at Betsy's house yesterday we looked at some shrubs that we all thought were dead. The leaves were twisted, curled and brown. We were having trouble identifying what the shrubs were until we found one that had a few undamaged leaves. Oh yes, Betsy said. Magnolias.  Well, the shrubs aren't dead, they were hit with frost, and with luck they will recover. At our house we realized that the kiwi on the shed was also…

A Wonder – and a Warning

I got a call from Edwin Graves who said I had to come and see the wisteria on his rental property in Greenfield. He told me it had climbed into two cherry trees, but he didn't tell me those two trees were 60 feet tall, and that the wisteria climbed into the very top reaches. The Graves bought this Greenfield house for her parents back in about 1981. Since they moved out in 1989 the house has been…

Wisteria Tale

  • Post published:05/08/2010
  • Post comments:4 Comments

The wisteria that has climbed the arbor over our piazza was planted late in the summer of 1990. There was a delay in finishing the arbor and I didn't realize that wisteria needed good rich soil. The poor wisteria was in trouble right from the start. In 1999 we said if it hadn't reached the top of the arbor by the following year, we were going to give up and pull it out.  Thus threatened it did reach…

Beautiful – but . . .

  • Post published:01/21/2010
  • Post comments:7 Comments

The skies are brilliant and the snow is pristine. Krishna surveys the snow-filled Sunken Garden at dawn and wonders why there are no cows,  or milkmaids to thrill with his pipes. But my thoughts have gone beyond snow, to sweet soil and seeds. I could not resist the display of Botanical Interest Seeds at the Farmer's Coop in Greenfield yesterday. I will have my Castor Bean plant this year! And many colors of  morning glories and bush beans…

Whither My Wisteria

  • Post published:08/27/2009
  • Post comments:5 Comments

My wisteria has gone wild. Tendrils are twisting everywhere. New shoots are coming up everywhere. The wisteria’s genetic vitality has never been so vigorous. I am blaming it all on the cool and rainy summer.             My history with this wisteria is long and varied.              During our first year in China we saw many beautiful wisterias with their graceful pendant flowers blooming everywhere from the long gorgeous pergola in Purple Bamboo Park, to humble trellises in dusty…