One of my favorite plants has to be the coleus. I cannot think of my garden without it. The coleus has been part of the American garden since the Victorian period. Allison Kyle Leopold writes in her book The Victorian Garden, "Coleus,…
Mixed borders, or what we call perennial borders, endured a rocky history in the nineteenth century. In the early part of the century they were popular in gardens everywhere both in England and America. By mid-century however mass plantings in ribbon…
Gardening provides a view of a particular time and place. Just take a look at plants that once were popular and now are considered not worth it, like Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silver Mound,' which I planted a couple of times with…
Before the lawn mower, invented in 1830 in England, gardeners would cut the lawn with the scythe. Animals sometimes helped keep the lawn's height manageable. Around 1850 the lawn mower appeared in America and soon made the lawn an important feature…
Something about the expression 'cottage garden' creates a warm feeling and even a sense of nostalgia among gardeners. Cottage gardens became popular in both England and America when late nineteenth century writer and horticulturist William Robinson and landscape designer Gertrude Jekyll…