The genius behind the lawn at Chatsworth was Capability Brown (1716-1783). In the course of his landscape work, he became the one whose style still appears as an integral part of several English gardens. With the sweeping lawn as the…
Certain plants , whether they like it or not, become part of a wave of popularity. One day nobody grows them, and the next you can't find them in the nursery. That's the case with the dahlia, my favorite flower.…
Since the seventeenth century, American plants have formed part of the English garden. American gardeners however preferred exotic plants, rather than native varieties, well into the end of the nineteenth century. Philadelphia nurseryman Thomas Meehan in his magazine Gardener's Monthly of…
To fit into any society, a person needs to reflect what is important to the culture at that time. In the case of the Elizabethan gentleman [below] there were certain expectations that society at that time demanded. Robert Dudley, the…
How I remember the day we received the Christmas cactus as a gift. It was 1986 and a sunny June Sunday afternoon. Rita Mae and I were having a party in the back yard to celebrate our wedding . We…