Genesis 1:12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. One of the miracles of plants is their ability to reproduce by means other than simply seed (which is miraculous in and of […]
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. (Joel 2:23) With the equinox, fall is officially upon us. But for people like me, fall has been ongoing for a while now: my calendar is a gardening one. The rains are here and […]
How do I care for my daylilies? It’s a common question and sometimes daylilies can seem confusing with respect to their maintenance. Hemerocallis, the daylily, is not a true lily and that fact is itself a source of confusion. To compound matters, the variability within the genus Hemerocallis is quite remarkable. Daylilies grow from fibrous […]
When I worked at Home Depot, there was always confusion when the Asiatic lilies went on sale. People would arrive at the registers with all kinds of things—calla lilies, day lilies, peace lilies, even lily of the Nile. What’s in a name? Aren’t all these things lilies? Every plant has a common name which serves […]
Today is Memorial Day and a day for remembrance of America’s fallen patriots who have ensured ongoing liberty. For many gardeners, though, it has also become a border crossing saying “Goodbye Spring” and “Hello Summer!” Among the Spring Goodbyes are a farewell to tulips and daffodils. The blossoms of many of these—except the latest season […]
There are ants on my peonies,” she said to me. “I’ve heard that peonies need ants for the buds to open. Is that true?” When I worked at Home Depot, I could guarantee this query at least a dozen times each weekend that the peonies were in bloom. Gardening has its share of pieces of […]
Every house in which I’ve lived has had its garden problems: too much shade, too much moisture, too much sun, too much heat. The key to overcoming these garden problems is plant selection. Just as every one of us has unique personal tastes, every plant has conditions that promote its best growth, conditions it will […]
Part of the joy of gardening is the beauty of wildlife drawn to a well planned garden. I love birds. When I was a child, I kept a bird-watching journal and enjoyed identifying birds and their habitats. A long time ago, I abandoned the written journal, but mentally, I have a record of birds in […]
I sometimes watch ads for products and services and I’m not sure whether to laugh myself silly or be appalled. It’s going to take more than Miracle products to have a perfect garden like those made for TV. It’ll take a real miracle: the Second Coming of Christ. Yes, more than advertized rescue inhalers will […]
Last year, my clematis that I bought grew so big that they topped the trellises I had on the side of my garage and cascaded back toward the ground. This year, I’m giving them support worthy of their vigor and beauty. Since it’s early spring, I know now is the perfect time to make the […]
