In the Victorian era in order to create the flashy flowerbeds called carpet beds or ribbon beds, a gardener had to employ an array of colorful plants, usually annuals. Luckily, thanks to plant hunters, there were annuals arriving from Asia,…
Did you know that Japanese knotweed jumped the wall? During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries English gardeners hosted exotics. They took great satisfaction in growing plants that flooded the country from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Plant hunters then searched…
Everyone can easily list two important Victorian flowers. In his book The Victorian Flower Garden garden historian Geoffrey Taylor hesitates not one moment and presents his two typical Victorian flowers. He writes, "The hollyhock and the scarlet geranium are what…
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…
American gardening has long imitated the English style - At breakfast this morning I glanced at the label on the marmalade jar. I read the words 'An English Classic.' Who knew my marmalade belonged to a long line of English…