Is it too early to think about planting perennials? Yes, I know, it’s just the beginning of February, and the cold weeks ahead seem like a long stretch to spring. But sowing seed indoors during deepest winter can prompt some precocious perennials into blooming in their first season, and that’s an effective way to get the jump on spring. The trick is to get busy, order the seeds … [Read more...] about Perennials that bloom the first year from seed
echinacea
The scents of it all
No one has found a way to make the Internet scratch and sniff. This is a great pity, because if I could, I’d share the fragrance in my garden with everyone. Every morning I go out to walk about and breathe in the scents of the garden, and on calm evenings I do the same. You’d have to join me to appreciate the layers of fragrance, from the petite sprigs of lavender to the huge … [Read more...] about The scents of it all
New coneflowers
For the past few seasons, I’ve railed about the demise of traditional coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) forms. Of course, they aren’t really gone, it’s just that the newer cultivars are being bred with other Echinacea species to produce modified flower parts that are (to my view) rather strange. I know I can be really boring about this, but I just don’t want to see coneflowers … [Read more...] about New coneflowers
