Of the more than two million words of professional gardening advice I’ve published in paid print, a considerable portion grew from my wonderful tenure as Garden Editor for Country Living magazine. As time allows, I’m thoroughly revising and updating many of those columns—as their advice remains, quite literally, perennial, and the stories behind these plants continue to fascinate.
Enjoy!
I have a complaint to make: spring is far too fickle for my liking. After what seems like endless months of fighting with shovel and blower through head-high drifts of […]
Perhaps it was all that public television I watched as a child—the endless parade of British murder mysteries and historical dramas that somehow always managed to feature a large country […]
Creating the perfect lawn is far harder than most people think. As a landscape designer, I can assure you that there is nothing more attractive in the garden than a […]
I suppose I should begin by admitting that I’m generally not a big fan of decks in the landscape. In fact, the only kind of decks I’m really fond of […]
I was watching Whoopi Goldberg the other night in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, laughing to myself at all those crazy 80s clothes we thought were so cool at the time, and […]
Let’s face it: we Americans are prejudiced, at least when it comes to fall gardening. By and large, we plan and plant our gardens almost exclusively for the spring and […]
I live not terribly far from a kind but occasionally rather patronizing older lady who fancies herself quite an expert gardener, especially when any kind of public podium is provided. […]
Lilacs have been called the “mother of memory” for good reason: their evocative scent, besides being one of the sweetest of all in the garden, brings with it the uncanny […]
Of all the plants in our gardens, herbs are without a doubt the most richly ennobled. No other group can claim such a blend of beauty and practicality—unique in their […]
Until recently, my idea of the perfect cutting garden was one managed by someone else—perhaps your grandmother, a helpful spouse, or, if you were truly fortunate, a gardener. The thought […]
Mention the word shade, and the gardener’s brow will often start to furrow, calculating ways to escape this dark menace. That’s really a shame, for while gardening in the shade […]
“That headlong ivy! Not a leaf will grow But thinking of a wreath…” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh (1856) Looking for a task that was not too trying in […]
In many ways, I owe my horticultural career to tall bearded iris. This may sound strange, but it’s true. These iris were my grandfather’s passion: he adored the plant, and […]
Those of you who follow this column with some regularity know that I have a special place in my heart, and in my garden, for broad-leaved evergreen shrubs. Now this […]
Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve had a fascination with bricks. While other kids played with board games or erector sets, I spent hours in the sandbox with […]
