Nineteenth century introduced flower gardens - In the eighteenth century the classic English garden took the form of an extensive lawn, a lake, a deer park, and trees to line the property. There was little room for a flower garden.…
Garden flowers familiar to generations - We all love garden annuals like lobelia and asters in the summer garden. Such annuals, and many like them, have been part of our flower gardens for centuries. Why is it that every garden…
Formal vs natural garden design - There has long been a battle with various levels of passion between those who love formal garden design and those who don't. Some prefer the 'natural' design as the English proposed it in the…
When people hated dahlias - There was a time when gardeners found little pleasure in growing dahlias. In 1866 American botanist Edward Sprague Rand, Jr. wrote in his book Garden Flowers: How to Cultivate Them , "In this country, the…
Book contract in the mail - I received some wonderful news this week. Ohio University Press offered me a contract to publish my new book All about Flowers: James Vick’s Nineteenth Century Seed Company. I want to thank the people…