In the states, we know this tough, cold-hardy cabbage cousin as “Dinosaur” kale, its name coming from the rough, leathery texture of its leaves. We use it primarily as an ornamental for the fall and winter garden, combining it with pansies, violas and other cold-hardy winter growers where it provides a textural, architectural accent for…
After several months of revising and revamping, I’m proud to finally announce the re-launch of my old “Garden Notes” blog. You’ll notice that the title of the blog has changed, but don’t fret. I still plan to deliver all of the gardening information that was included in the blog before the changes–new and unusual plants,…
Spring has burst forth with a vengeance in Nashville this week! Forsythia, daffodils, quince, hellebores and many other spring favorites are at their peak, so I thought I’d share a few shots from the garden this week. Forsythia ‘Lynwood Gold’. One of the oldest and best known varieties of Forsythia on the market, this is the…
Don’t get too comfortable in your shorts and flip-flops just yet, for winter will most assuredly return for another round or two or three. But as I was out and about our fair city today, I couldn’t help but notice that spring–just when I need it the most–has finally begun to peek slowly and cautiously…
Exciting news this week! We’re off and traveling! I am working with a local travel company even as I am writing this to you and it seems that in all likelihood my dream of taking gardeners and garden lovers like you on trips to some of the finest gardens in the world–both stateside and abroad–is…
I want you to meet my new favorite hellebore, Helleborus niger ‘Josef Lemper’. I have never met a hellebore I didn’t like and my garden is full of them, but I have to say that ‘Josef Lemper’ has quickly risen to the top of my list of favorites. Helleborus niger ‘Josef Lemper’ Having only been…
It’s Sunday afternoon and much of the South is bracing for yet another nasty swipe by Old Man Winter. He has already taken a couple of good whacks at us this season and it looks as though tonight’s snow and ice may extend as far south as Birmingham and perhaps even further! To help chase…
In addition to a regular blog post each week, I thought I would start doing a “Plant of the Week” feature and introduce my readers to some of the unique, unusual and beautiful plants that I have known and grown over the years. Here is the inaugural “Plant of the Week” post: I love a…
One of the fun things I had the pleasure of doing earlier this fall was taking a trip to Italy with a group of five other friends. We rented a fantastic house (http://www.priello.com/) up in the hills of the upper Tiber River Valley near the small town of Caprese Michelangelo in the far eastern reaches of…
Greetings Everyone! I know you thought I had disappeared for good, but I promise I haven’t. Late summer and fall were incredibly busy and I was on the road–almost continuously, it seemed–from the third week in July, when I went to Portland for the annual Perennial Plant Association Symposium, until mid-November, when I had my…