Favorite Red Flowers
Red is the most powerful color. If you put it near your front door, you will quickly tire of it. A red hedge of roses or poinsettias looks good when you are moving, whether down a path or down a r...
Category Archives: Advice
Migrant Fragrances
Can you imagine a garden with nothing but fragrant plants? It’s a most reasonable proposition, really. You can easily fill a garden with upright and prostrate rosemary and a dozen types of lavender...
Pruning Trees and Roses
Historically speaking, tree pruning is a relatively recent phenomenon, developed as a necessity when trees began to be planted in close proximity to where people lived, worked, or congregated. It’s j...
Sweet Violets, Jupiter’s Beard, and Paperwhites
Two weeks ago, I asked if any readers had sweet violets (Viola odorata) in their gardens. Here are some of your responses: “I have some sweet violets growing in my yard and they have been doing quit...
New Zealand Christmas tree and eponymous plants
Although Christmas is over, several plants that bear its name are perennials that carry on throughout the year, displaying virtues that are not confined to this season alone. Let’s start with New Zea...
Bells of Ireland and other Delights
For years, I had seen bells of Ireland in seed and plant catalogues – at least before plant catalogues, much like daily newspapers, became an endangered species. Every time I saw its picture, I imagi...
Sweet Violets
Have you ever smelled sweet violets? If you live in Southern California, the chances are slim when considering the probability of engaging in this unique olfactory experience. During almost forty yea...
Gardeners are Partners in Creation
“Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes too.” If you dabble in the dirt, you may have come across these words of wisdom at one time or another. There is nothing like working in a gar...
Bamboo for You
Q: What is the scariest plant? A: BamBOO I know, it’s a corny joke, but what would you say about a plant that can grow as much as three feet in one day (or one inch every forty minutes)? Or culms (...
Street Tree Possibilities
“I have been unable to plant a street tree after the city removed mine about a year and a half ago because I can’t make a decision from the dozens that seem like good choices. Most people in my...
