by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

A few months ago, I was talking to a friend of mine Naomi Blumenthal. She is a garden designer and writer out in western Massachusetts. I was talking to her about some of the weak points of my garden  and she gave me some good suggestions. The comment that stuck in my head was her suggestion that to consider scale and the vertical space in the garden.  Since then all I can think about is how to use more of the vertical space in my garden, especially in the entryway. As I've written before, my garden is bordered one side by a tall brick wall (a neighboring building). While I don't think it is legal without asking the landlord of that building...which I'm planning on doing....I'm going to hang three planting panels from The Gardeners Supply catalog...a la Patrick Blanc.

I have a mini-version of the green wall, indoors. My husband bought me a small staghorn fern for Christmas. Originally I was going to hang it on this tall wall I have in my bathroom, but now I've realized that it needs too much watering that makes it very drippy. The wall would then become very mildewy, which would not be good. But it is beautiful and watching each new frond form and grow every day is fascinating. Everyone should have a staghorn fern.

This may not have been what Naomi meant by considering vertical space, oh well.

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by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

A couple years ago, I was plant shopping with my friend Carleen. Every nursery we went to, she kept picking up teeny tiny hostas and squealing with delight. (I should have know then that her love affair with agaves would be quickly coming to an end.) I didn't have much time for the little hostas, they seemed yet another plant on the fast track to squat dwarfdom. Well, let's just say that I've always been a little slow to pick up on trends and have been spending many an hour on the computer or the couch (or both), searching out which of these tiny delights to get for my garden this spring. One that will definitely be there and hopefully in quantity (for me that means 3) is Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'. It has just been named the 2008 Hosta of the Year by the American Hosta Growers Association. See it in this photo and buy it from Plant Delights or Song Sparrow or any other nursery headed up by the hosta-obsessed (find more vendors at the American Hosta Society).

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by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

I've been very poor at posting lately. This is Les Brake's fault. Les is one of our contributors; he lives in Alaska. During the long, cold, dark winter he turns to making ice (In the summer, he works on one of the most gorgeous gardens--see our upcoming April issue for photos). And tons of it in all colors and shapes. Here in Boston, we had a cold snap for about 8 days. I was frustrated, then I thought I'd try making some ice. Then my husband tried making a igloo. Here are pictures of some of them. I'm hoping for more cold weather and a big snowfall---not the wintery mix falling out there right now. Ugh.

 

by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

Here is how the pros do ice. And as Les says, "Don't forget about those icicles."

Aren't you know hoping for more cold?

by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

In three days, the new year has melted almost all of our big snow drifts (I'd hoped they were going to keep everything cozy and heave-free 'til spring) and then frozen the dickens out of the ground. But I do love the this cold, clear weather. It makes the lingering oak leaves rattle and the moon seem just fingerlengths away.

And I love the new year, it sweeps us toward spring (in my mind) and brings about my resolution. For someone who is not a master of self-reflection, I like how the new year forces that upon me. My resolution (and I like to make them as broad as I can, so that I can feel good about them) is a bit cliche.... "Use it or lose it". Subsequently, I've been clearing out closets, the fridge, the pantry. And this weekend, I'm going to turn it to my houseplants. I've got a clivia called 'Sarah' (given to me as a gift) that I've had for at least four years, maybe five. It has never put up more than a meagre cluster of leaves. It is uuuuuugly. And has never even indicated that it has had any interest in putting out the orangey-apricot color blooms I envision. It is entirely my fault (while bad at self-reflection, I'm not afraid of placing/accepting blame). But it is time for it to move on. Not to the garbage, to whoever else wants a try. And there are alot of you out there who grow clivias like it is the piece of cake it is supposed to be. Leave a comment if you are interested and I'll send it to you.
 
I'm also going to get rid of the ponytail palm that my dad gave me when my son was born in June. It is buggy and makes my cat barf. And I don't really like it (but don't me wrong, I still love my dad and my son!). I'm going to move my lovely little gold and green oxalis up to my bathroom where I can enjoy it more. Same goes for a lovely little begonia that my daughter "gave" me on my first mother's day.

And to reward myself for following through on my resolution (at least so far), I'm going place an order at Logees for more houseplants!

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by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

I have two routes of egress from my house. One leads to the back yard (and the recycling box, the grill, and the hose), one to the front yard (the bigger portion of my garden, our stroller "zone", and the way out to the street) . At any given moment, I might need to go out, in any kind of weather. In most cases, I need footwear. And I need footwear that is sturdy enough to allow me to walk at least out to the curb (where I might need to fetch plant catalogs that my husband has tried to secretly recycle for the third week in a row) and into the garden. For the last two years, I've been wearing fluorescent blue rubber clogs for this purpose. And while they worked well for three seasons, they are a bit dodgey for winter.

Well, two weeks ago, my lovely younger brother, who works for Puma and Tretorn sneaker companies, gave me a little slice of garden footwear heaven. They are called Skerry Vinter--I think that is Norwegian for "scary winter". But really, they are making winter not so scary. They are low, sturdy rubber boots lined with some kind of cozy, artificial fur. They are like outdoor slippers. They are beyond perfect. The only flaw may be that the sole doesn't seem like it will grip the ice so well, but so far they've been fine. So, now I have the skerries at the front door and clogs at the back. No more carrying wet mucky shoes from the front door to the back.

The second "tool" is from Lee Valley. It is called A Saw for All Seasons. I guess it was originally intended for cutting drywall. They've adapted it as a root saw for gardeners. I haven't used it, but you can bet it is on my wish list. I've destroy more than one pair of pruners trying to cut roots in the dirt. Lee Valley is also selling a couple new products from Haws. A lovely red watering can that looks easy to carry and fill, as well as an elegant brass watering wand.

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by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

Today's post is inspired by a press packet that came to Horticulture a few weeks ago. We receive alot of press packets and alerts about new plants, tools, and really, any product that might remotely qualify as garden-related (reusable cement anyone?). The packet I was leafing through this morning was from Terra Nova Nurseries, one of the big breeders, growers, and plant introducers (is that a word?) in this country. They first became known for owner Dan Heim's heuchera breeding and until recently, I thought of them as rather heuchera-centric. But now, things seem to have changed. Of the 41 new perennials they are releasing in 2008, I've picked out five that particularly made me swoon on this cool, grey, dark November morning (NB: I have grown none of these plants, so cannot advise anyone on the quality, vigor, or hardiness of these plants)(NB part deux: These particular plants appealed in part because I'm planning for a pale lemon yellow/blue spring palette evolving into a hot orange/purple scheme by late summer).

Bergenia 'Solar Flare'

The variegation of this bergenia is nuts and gorgeous. This is a genera I cannot get enough of. If they die in my garden, I plant more.

Echinacea 'Tiki Torch'

There are so many gorgeous new coneflowers out there. This crazy orange (and the name) screams summer to me.

Coreopsis 'Moonlight'

Can't resist the pale lemon yellow color, even if it will be blooming when my hot orange/purple combo will be supposedly in full swing. I usually don't get that psyched about coreopsis, but I'm trying to break through my prejudice. We'll see if 'Moonlight' can do it.

Campanula 'Summertime Blues'

The printed picture looks super-blue, but I'm guessing it tends more towards a purpley-blue, which would work well for me if it really blooms for as long as they claim.

Heuchera 'Midnight Rose'

Had to include one of these guys. And this hot pink-flecked-burgundy-leaved heuchera looks really beautiful. I love using heuchera leaves in little bouquets, you appreciate their details better that way. This color combo really gets me pumped. Have you ever seen Hemerocallis 'Midnight Oil'. Ridiculous.

And that is it. Photos will be posted by noon today (and are courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries).

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by Sara Begg, Executive Editor

I've been off my blog for some time now, mostly because I've been travelling and been away from my computer. I've been up in Toronto for a family wedding and was there for what feels like the better part of November. And it was great. Hard, but great. In Toronto, all the streets are familiar, even if I've never been down them. Everyone I've known all my life lives there. It makes it hard to visit, because I miss it both as a city and as my former home. I was also amazed at how many gardeners  are living in the city. In any given neighborhood, most of the front yards are planted up with interesting plants---cool trees with good texture and size, unusual shrubs and perennials, not to mention vegetables and fruit trees poking out of every possible pocket of soil. It seems to me that gardening is a bigger part of the culture there than it is here in Boston. I don't know why, but it just is. I don't think I've ever really noticed that before, perhaps because I usually spend the bulk of my time north of the city.

On another note, if you do not have Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' in your garden, you must go out and get it now. I put it in my garden in the summer of 2006 and it has quietly been holding its place in the garden since. Quiet until now. It is simply on fire. A shockingly bright orange in late November, when everything else is turning brown, beige, or at best, muted yellow. The stem of each leaf is scarlet red and the rest of the leaf is brillant orange.  I gather from other gardeners that it is not always orange, in fact, it can be an amazing blend of red, orange, and yellow in its best years.

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Photo courtesy Great Hill Horticultural Foundation

Sara Begg, Executive Editor

The perennial craze that has been ongoing in this country (world, probably) for the last 30 years has meant that shrubs have been given the short shrift. I overlook them myself. I bet out of each order that I place through mailorder or each purchase I make at a nursery, 75 percent are perennials, 20 percent are annuals or tender perennials, and 5 percent is made up of shrubs and trees. Well, no more. The extended fall that we are experiencing here in the Northeast means that a good garden can't rely only on perennials and annuals to pull it through. (Not that it should ever have, long autumn or not, but I've been lazy). After a trip to Martha's Vineyard last weekend visiting houses and gardens, I've been made to see the incredible beauty of the shrub border. The textures, colors, and shapes of the borders were remarkable and elegant. Their muted hues accented by the red and purple berries of deciduous hollies and beautyberries. None of the gardens I saw would be considered a "collector's garden" but were gardens of very good design. They allowed the natural beauty of landscape to speak for itself, accented by plants. Plants that were in most cases natives. While I don't think I'll be going down the path of full shrub borders anytime soon, I've already been trolling the catalogs for shrubs to help add heft, shape, and beauty to my (perennial) borders.

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Sara Begg, Executive Editor

I haven't been able to get into the garden for long chunks of time lately, but that doesn't mean that I don't get things done in the garden, they just get done late. For many of my beloved bulbs that is fine. For other things, well, it causes problems, especially when the "other things" are bareroot plants desperate to get in the ground. To say I like to experiment with how long things can stay out of the soil is a stretch. I leave things out for days, convincing myself that plants are resilient. And they are, but I think my garden would be much better and the plants would be happier, if I would just get them in the ground. So, my fall garden resolution is to buy, acquire, accept from others, only the amount of plants that I can successfully get into the soil in a span of three days (could I stretch it to five? Any thoughts out there? Guess it depends on the plant). Yes, a solution to this would be to have a nursery bed (no room) or have containers and potting mix at the ready for those barerooted numbers (too much clutter already in the small garden). So I'm stuck with my resolution.

Of course, I have to start this resolution after I get my two new Adiantum pedatum (Maidenahair ferns) and a few chunks of bare-root peonies that came from a good friend's neighbor's garden in Garrison, NY. The clumps are alleged to be 100-years old, so it will be interesting to see what the peonies look like (if they make it....gulp).

I wonder if anyone else out there makes these resolutions, and if they do, how fast do they break them?

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Sara Begg, Executive Editor

I think for many gardeners the best times of year are the times when the seasons shift. When you live in a part of the world like New England these times are even better (in my opinion). This fall is providing particular relief to us in Boston because we are finally getting rain! Phew. My garden has had a tough summer go of it and I'm looking forward to an upcoming weekend of bulb and perennial planting, having waaaay over-ordered from Brent and Beckys Bulbs and Odyssey Bulbs as well. While I might be cursing myself as I struggle to find one more open spot in my tiny city garden, I will be happily hopeful all winter long as I wait for the show  in the spring. If you haven't ordered bulbs yet for planting this fall. It is not to late. Do it now and you'll thank me in the spring. This spring for me (not unlike most springs) is going to be all about tulips, the viridflora 'Spring Green' and parrot tulips 'Black Parrot' and "Professor Rontgen' (see attached photo) which is a gorgeous swirling combination of orange, peach, salmon, and pale yellow. You have to pick them for the house or they fall over from the weight and get wrecked.

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