A garden is so forward-looking that it resembles sometimes a family or a business enterprise. I’ve even heard someone liken it to a crystal ball, making it surely unique. Seeds are literally prophetic: tiny crystal balls. Within 12 to 18 months, you’ll have exactly what was foretold. This makes gardeners a strong surviving force—we call […]
INDIAN SUMMER For pleasure during the cooling nights of late summer and fall, we offer a harmonious blend of cultivars for potager and flower beds. The following shrubs, annuals, vegetables, herbs and perennials combine beautifully with some particularly fine fruit. Vegetables: Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’ Beet ‘Bull’s Blood’ Broccoli ‘Flash’ Broccoli Raab […]
Recently I was interviewed about “American gardening”. I recalled my thoughts at “Virtual Horticulture“. However, the reporter pressed me about major trends and fashions. What’s the hottest plant? Trendiest perennial? Most popular vegetable? I tried, to no avail, to tell him that gardening is utterly decentralized—so much that it’s impossible to make generalizations, choose favorites […]
The Philadelphia Flower show celebrates 180 years and its parent Pennsylvania Horticultural Society its 182nd year. Happy Birthday! Over a thousand bloom-hungry patrons in gowns and black tie flocked to Preview Night last Saturday, enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy, the show’s 2009 theme, an eye, ear, nose and throat exam for stir-crazy […]
MIDSUMMER MIXES We’re proposing planting varieties both of edibles and ornamentals in a relatively tight space, so that “the lambs will lie down with lions”. Create a design for these midsummer, or hot climate cultivars of vegetables, herbs, perennials and shrubs, annuals and small fruit. They’re selected for their tidiness and harmony when planted “ensemble”. […]
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” -Psalm 34/35 When I visited rural Pakistan in 2003, I noticed that there were very few overweight people. On the contrary, most were skinny, including the elderly. At first I thought I was seeing the effects of poverty. Then I learned from NGO officials that the average […]
Solomon was a great king, but not a gardener. It turns out that, after all, there is an infinitude of new things under the sun. This is the essence of innovation and evolution, and the antithesis of tradition and the status quo. Thus, Darwin was, perhaps, the truest of all prophets. While I’ll never stand […]
Folks have asked, “How can I mix annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs together in one space?” The answer depends on your zone, the time of year you wish to enjoy your garden and the particular plants you prefer. The secret is spacing things out so you can reach in and harvest the vegetables and herbs […]
I find it surprising when it’s said that people lost their money with Bernard Madoff. Bernie Madoff didn’t lose their money—to do that he would have had to invest it—he found their money. There’s a big difference. It gets me thinking about Belgian dentists. Belgian dentists? Investment bankers have long used Belgian dentists as the […]
A hot topic recently was the First Pooch. The media roiled with speculation: what kind of dog would the President-elect’s family choose? The President-to-be told the press that the family dog would likely come from an animal shelter, adding, “It will probably be a mutt—like me.” To some, calling oneself a “mutt” smacks of self-deprecation. […]
