Of the over two million words of professional gardening gardening advice I have in paid print, a not inconsiderable portion belongs to my time as Garden Editor for Country Living Magazine.
As time permits, I am revising and updating many of my columns as the advice—pardon the pun— remains perennial and pertinent. 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. […]
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 […]
