Victorians believed that colorful flowers needed to fill the garden all summer. In his book The Garden in Victorian Literature Michael Waters writes, "The massing of plants in showy color schemes grew rapidly in popularity." Waters provides three reasons for…
We know in the modern English landscape garden dating from the early eighteenth century the extensive lawn took center stage. Flower gardens were there, but not emphasized until serious plant collecting from around the world emerged, as well as the…
Last week I came across an amazing new article entitled "It's time to decolonise botanical collections." The author Alexandre Antonelli is the Director of Science at Kew, England's Royal Botanic Gardens. The main idea of the article is that plants…
A restored garden always brings a sense of excitement. You are seeing a garden the way it was first installed. Or so you think. Last week I visited the restored private garden called Blue Garden in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island.…
Every summer garden needs coleus. Whether in containers, a border, or a bed there is a coleus that will add color. Nineteenth century Victorian gardeners used this plant for colorful carpet beds. Many will peform well in shade, but some…