I put ‘Agnes’ in the ground today. If I look out the front door I can see her now, occupying a place of honor in my front border. Her roots are thoroughly watered in and the surrounding ground has been […]

This past week I attempted to impose order on the natural world by building new garden beds, pulling weeds, raking the remnants of the winter garden debris, and planting out sweet peas. I feel gratified, even though I know that […]

When I flip through the pages of gardening magazines, it is wonderful to take a look at pictures of new gardens. The process by which an individual begins with high hopes, stakes, strings and drawings (either meticulous scale drawings or […]

I can say without the slightest hesitation that my child and even my cats have better social lives than I do. My daughter goes to birthday parties and school dances and has movie dates with friends. The cats have regular […]

There are some years when spring-like weather comes almost too early. Early crocuses and snowdrops blossom, roses break dormancy, and the hard earth turns to mud all at once. For skeptical gardeners (and all gardeners turn into skeptics if they […]

I am the first to admit that my garden is not meticulously planned. The broad outlines and color themes are established, but I do not usually draw up complicated planting diagrams. This is partly due to laziness, and partly due […]

Everyone in this day and age seems to be allergic to something, and some people seem to be allergic to almost everything. I have the usual array of allergies—certain molds, pollens, dusts, and danders. I also have another allergy, one […]