Victorian England treasured US rhododendron. Right now you see rhododendrons in bloom everywhere. The native rhododendron has fascinated me for many years. I always look forward to its late May and early June blooms. Here's a view of my garden right now. [below]…
Public relations campaign attacks clover. The lawn has been a part of the home landscape since the eighteenth century. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both treasured the English lawn, the inspiration for all lawns American. Clover, the tiny four leafed…
Early Wisconsin gardeners valued native plants. Just read a wonderful story about native plants in Lee Somerville's book, Vernacular Wisconsin Gardens: A History of Garden Making. As it happened a homeowner cleared a beautiful little valley full of native plants to prepare…
Coastal wilderness marks 1920s south Florida garden. I recently went back in time along the coast of South Florida to visit an island garden from the 1920s. In Fort Lauderdale Frederic Clay Barrett and his wife Helen built the house with its garden…
English coveted American plants. Recently I read about a restored garden called Painshill near Cobham, Surrey, England. What caught my attention was that its restoration includes a garden of American plants. Painshill dates to the eighteenth century, the time of…