August Perfume: Clethra alnifolia
I WISH YOU COULD VISIT ME IN AUGUST, for this is when Clethra alnifolia 'Pink Spires' is in bloom. What a romantic plant! Butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects are drawn to the sweet nectar...
View ArticleWinter-Sowing 101
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I start my summer garden in December and January, using a neat trick called “Winter-Sowing.” Winter-sowing is an outdoor method of seed germination (invented by Trudi Davidoff) which...
View ArticlePerennials Which Require Cold Stratification
SPRING IS COMING, FOLKS! Consequently, if you haven't winter-sown your flowering perennials yet, you really need to get hopping. For certain seeds (like the cranesbill geranium 'Rozanne,' above)...
View ArticleBoxwood: An Extreme Makeover!
Hallelujah -- my boxwood received its annual haircut yesterday. To accomplish this job, I rented a gas-powered hedge-trimmer from the local hardware store. I also rented a professional boxwood-barber,...
View ArticlePlant Propagation: Layering
LAYERING IS PROBABLY THE EASIEST -- and surprisingly, the least known -- method of plant propagation. I've used this technique to increase the weigela (above), forsythia, rhododendron, and other shrubs...
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