During the last few years, garden antiques-urns, statues, even paving material-have been hotter than the center of the compost heap. People pay extra for authentic rust, and unscrupulous individuals have even ransacked cemeteries for the weatherbeaten cherubs and urns that […]

     I have a weakness for plants with heart-shaped leaves. I love common violets—the low-growing kind that fastidious lawn fanatics hate to see in the grass. In the spring I glory in the heart-shaped leaves and heart-stopping fragrance of lilac […]

I know lots of people who live in northern New Jersey who have never been to see the Statue of Liberty. I also know people who live in western New York State who have never visited Niagara Falls. Chances are […]

Every year at this time, gardeners and non-gardeners alike wonder what they should buy for the gardeners in their lives. If you are wealthy enough, this is very easy. Perhaps your favorite gardener can really use a backhoe, complete with […]

Now that the holidays are over, there are garden-related things that I should be doing. I could, for example, go out to the unheated garage and sharpen the blades of my lawnmower. Or, since I like to stay warm, I […]

After much thought, I have decided that working on small projects may give you instant gratification, but working on big projects gives you life itself. I can say this with absolute certainty because at the moment I am working on […]

Two years ago a friend divided her mother’s iris bed and gave me a big box of bearded iris (Iris germanica) rhizomes. They were strapping healthy things, ready to burst out of the box and start sprouting. The only aggravating […]

Reference books tend to damn the common Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) with faint praise. “A weedy biennial of North America,” says one, disdainfully. “Probably the most common of all American wildflowers” says another. Just about the best thing that most […]

I admit it. I have a hard time saying goodbye to summer, even when the signs of its passing are painfully obvious. In early September when the fall bulbs first appear in the stores, it is easy to ignore those […]

Taking care of your garden is one thing you can look forward to and plan, regardless of any restrictions on other activities. As the summer approaches, many gardeners will be raring to go, and maybe looking for new ideas to […]