Garden Variety

Roses are red, violets are blue, gardening’s hot in romance fiction, too. Read more...

The planting pit that hides a grave, the freshly tilled soil revealing bleached bones—these are age-old themes in the mystery genre. Who hasn’t read a mystery that featured arsenic or strychnine in the garden shed or clues left clinging to the ivy outside the victim’s window? Like Holmes and Watson, like Poirot and Hastings, gardens and mysteries are a perfect pair. Read more...

Pablo Picasso asked, "Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No." If Picasso couldn't answer this, I sure can't. That's why I collect books about color, particularly color in the garden. Luckily, there are plenty of books to choose from. Read more...

What is a conifer? If that question makes you wrinkle your forehead and hesitantly think of pines and Christmas trees, these books may not be for you. On the other hand, if you know that conifers come in many colors—far beyond "ever green"—and that some are even deciduous, at least one of these books deserves a place on your bookshelf. Read more...

Trees and shrubs are a pleasure for many homeowners. They're asthetically pleasing in the landscape, and they offer shade, fruits, flowers, and—especially this time of year—dazzling leaves. But have you ever wondered where those trees and shrubs came from? Before they make it to the nursery? I'm curious about the actual origins of trees and shrubs. Aren't you? Read more...

Trees speak to us, if not with words. Dr. Seuss’ Lorax talks to the trees, and even William Shakespeare “finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” Some trees have more to say than others, and their words are hard to ignore. Read more...

No matter how much experience a gardener has, there is always more to learn. Nowadays, a lot of information can be found on the internet, but I like to have a good-sized library of reference books that I can call upon when I have a garden-related problem to solve. Read more...

I’ve always loved the fall, even if it does carry the underlying chill of winter days to come. It’s the season for leaf peeping, bonfires, jack-o-lanterns, and hot apple cider. Where I grew up in the Midwest, fall—or “autumn,” as my British husband prefers—was signaled by dried cornstalks, bumpy globes of osage orange, cigar-like pods of catalpas, and the vivid blue skies of what we called, with no thought of political correctness, “Indian summer.” Read more...

There is a homey sound to the phrase "Grandma's Garden ”—even if your grandmother never planted a flower in her life. The romantic vision of an old-fashioned garden seems to fit the description of a traditional English Cottage Garden. It is possible to recreate an heirloom or period garden. Read more...

Many people are not aware of which ornamental plants and flowers are harmful—or even deadly—to humans and animals. Are those potted plants of yours actually pretty poison? Read more...