Dahlias for the Masses
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.…
Amaranthus: Flower, Food, Medicine
Over many years I have often seen the amaranthus in a flower bed. I also have read about it. The amaranthus has been a garden favorite for centuries. In fact, horticulturist and garden historian Lawrence D. Griffith wrote about it…
Familiar Plants in the German Castle Gardens of 1613
The German castle Willibaldsburg was built in Eichstatt, part of Bavaria, in the fourteenth century. The castle served as the residence for the local Bishop. By the seventeenth century the castle had become famous for its beatiful gardens. The Bishop…
Exotics Not Always Welcomed in 19th Century America
In the nineteenth century it was not always popular to include exotic plants in the landscape. At the same time some horticulturists called for more native plants. In her amazing book of garden essays Foreign Trends in American Gardens: A…
How many hybrids of one plant do we need?
I love the weigela shrub. At the edge of our front lawn the old-fashioned weigela florida has bloomed each spring for many years. Did you know, according to Michael Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, there are 170 varieties of…