On Tuesday, my friend Le Flaneur and I went to the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx to see the exhibit Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers. Two large rooms in the Enid Haupt Conservatory were given over to an interpretation of Emily Dickinson's garden at The Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts, which is only about 45 miles from us in Heath. There were wonderful plantings of the flowers that grew in her garden, some of which…
Ohhhhhh - Look at that! I cannot tell you how many times I uttered those words, and Le Flaneur listened patiently, turned and followed my pointing fingers at heucheras, sailboats, meat packing establishments, roof top restaurants and etc., etc., etc. We took the train into the city and set off to explore an array of Parks. We began at Battery Park, South Ferry, where people can get ferries to Staten Island, or Ellis Island or the Statue of…
I am writing this on Sunday, just before I set off for adventures in Norwalk, Connecticut and New York City - lots of gardens everywhere - so my Monday Record is a little early. I am afraid some of my more ephemeral blooms will not longer be lovely on Bloom Day, so here is Epimedium rubrum. I keep promising myself I will divide it, but no action so far. I thought this was a cut leaf bleeding heart, that is…
These daffodils are growing into a rose bush - or the bush is growing into the daffs, I'm not sure which. These bulbs were here when we moved in 30 years ago. They are unusual in the slim pointed 'petals' of the perianth, and the fluffy doubleness of the cup. There is also a slight greenish tinge in some petals which I enjoy. I have Kathy Purdy to thank for identifying these daffs which are an heirloom variety…
Interior designer Charlotte Moss, writing in today's New York Times, says she "eschews matching dishes and serving pieces." I'm right with her. White dishes are a basic and table settings can be changed delightfully with linens and accessories, but my daughter bought me these befruited dishes for summer meals. And I always think if a chicken or two can be added to the table so much the better. Although it is hard to see the pretty glasses are…
The name Constance Spry doesn't mean much to most Americans. Gardeners may know the Constance Spry rose, one of the first of David Austin's English roses, but not know the woman behind the rose. Constance Spry was born in 1886. She had varied careers in health, joined the civil service during World War I and was headmistress of a school teaching young teen aged girls who worked in factories. It was not until the 1920s that she began…
Ellen Ann Willmott is no longer as famous as Gertrude Jekyll, yet . . . "Ellen Willmott soon made a name for herself in horticulture, and helped to finance expeditions to acquire new plants. Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria visited her, and her garden became famous throughout Britain and beyond. She was one of two women awarded the RHS Medal of Honour in Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year, 1897. The other was Gertrude Jekyll." This from…
I've ordered Therese Bugnet again. She is a rugosa that Heirloom Roses lists with their Damask roses because of it double form. It is not only very hardy, it is very fragrant. Unfortunately, the first time I ordered it, the rose that was delivered looked nothing like this. I confess I didn't notice at first. I forgot what the catalog photo looked like, but I have learned over the years that mis-labelling does happen, even in neighborhood garden…
We are only halfway through January so I think we are still in new resolution season. Now that I am a garden blogger, as well as a garden columnist, I read other garden blogs. One of my favorite bloggers, Carol at May Dreams Gardens in Indiana has challenged gardeners to grow something new this year. Actually, Carol challenges us all to grow something new every year. It is fun to try something new, even if we never plant…
Applejack was one of the first roses we planted at the End of the Road. It is the first rose to greet people as they come up to the Annual Rose Viewing, and the last to leave its image in their rear view mirrors. Applejack is one of Griffith Buck's hybrids. Buck attended Iowa State University after serving in WWII and went on to teach there, and hybridize roses that were hardy and disease resistant. Last summer I…