Do your spirits need a lift in this cold and rather dreary season? Enjoy this picture of late summer flowers, sent in by Patti, a gardener who photographed them while on vacation at a Montana lodge last August. Patti writes, “I couldn’t believe this lodge was able to keep so many beautiful flowers going during [...]
Back in the Victorian Age, flowers were filled with meaning. A man who gave a woman a rose might never say a single word, but the flower in his trembling hand spoke volumes about his love and passion for her. Other blossoms symbolized other feelings. Sunflowers meant pure, lofty thoughts, while violets indicated faithfulness. Rosemary was for remembrance, and clover, good luck. But woe [...]
I fell asleep last night to the sound of rain, always a pleasant lullaby–until the weather got intense, and the rain began to pound against the roof. I started to picture our gutters overflowing and all my good garden topsoil floating away down the hill. Still, after years of drought, rain is always welcome here. Besides, it [...]
Remember The Color Purple, by Alice Walker? In a memorable line from the book, a character says that God doesn’t like it when we walk by a field of purple flowers without noticing them, because He wants to share the good things He has made. I’m crazy about purple flowers, and I do notice them. But there is one color that’s hard [...]
Okay, class: what do foam, frogs, and pearls have in common? I should be fair and tell you that the kind of pearls I’m talking about aren’t the freshwater ones that grow in oysters (so lovely when strung on silken cords and worn around the neck–hint, hint, Santa). I’m talking about Water Pearls, floral foam, and metal frogs. Water [...]
Still stuffed from your Thanksgiving feast? Me, too. That’s why I’ve got an easy question for all you gardeners today. What’s the most popular flower sold at Christmastime? That’s right: the poinsettia. According to growers, about 75% of us buy red poinsettias for our holiday decorations. But why settle for red, when there are so many beautiful varieties out there? One of [...]
Thanksgiving is almost here. Are you panicking yet? Suddenly I’m slamming into a boatload of things I meant to do before the holiday. I was going to polish the furniture with the good paste wax; clean the windows; iron my best tablecloth; wash the pretty glasses that never get used until company comes, and….well, you get the [...]
When I opened my mail today, the first thing I saw was a catalog reminding me that “Books Make Great Gifts.” Colorful gardening books with glossy pages are especially welcome at this time of year, when the landscape itself is becoming pretty dull and dreary. If you’re looking for a holiday gift for your favorite gardener–or [...]
Imagine your holiday table dressed up with gorgeous flowers blooming in deep red or snowy white; pale pink or brilliant copper; dark burgundy or even pale green. Better yet, imagine that you’ve grown these beauties yourself, indoors–and with very little effort at all. You may have already guessed that I’m talking about amaryllis (Hippeastrum). You can find amaryllis bulbs for sale now, at garden [...]
Got a dollar? That’s all you need to make a pretty arrangement for your Thanksgiving table. You see, many grocery stores have pumpkins on sale right now—poor, little wanna-be Jack O’Lanterns that nobody bought to take home and carve. Because the stores need to make room for fresh produce, they’re often willing to sell these orange orbs at bargain prices. Our local [...]