Victorians reignited tulip interest. Tulips have been popular flowers for the gardens of Europe and America since the seventeenth century. After tulip mania, when the cost of a single tulip might equal the price of a house, tulips became common…
Exotic Vine Once Considered Ornamental, Now Invasive - Recently I noticed what appeared to be an invasive vine in my garden. The vine Celastrus orbiculatus, or Oriental bittersweet, had climbed up a lovely white birch tree, practically strangling it. [below] I cut and…
Strawflower became Victorian favorite Lately I have devoted some time to consider what annuals I want to plant whether in containers or beds. For that research I visited a local big box store. In the large greenhouse area there I…
Late nineteenth century increased marketing images. Today we think nothing of the images for products and services that come before our eyes daily. Most of the time they appear uninvited as advertising or emails selling something. To think of a…
Flower Shows share long tradition Recently I attended the Boston Flower and Garden Show. Though it was a cold day and remnants of a recent storm of wind, rain, and snow lingered on, it was a wonderful morning. Such shows teach…