The tame, too smug, I cry; There's no adventure in security; Yet still my little garden craft I ply, Mulch, hoe, and water when the ground is dry... -Vita Sackville-West The Garden; 1948 The other day I was looking up odds and ends when I came across a word I have never heard. … Continue reading A Peculiar Fight For Turgidity
Tag: lilac
The Daylily: “The Lord Loves A Working Man”
They used to be regarded as a common old plant, almost a weed, when we grew the type which spread everywhere and was only a pale orange thing, not worth having... Now there are many fine hybrids, which may come as a revelation to those who have not yet seen them. They will grow in … Continue reading The Daylily: “The Lord Loves A Working Man”
Ramble On…
He kept them sitting for hours over the dinner table, he who was usually so impatient to move away; he kept them entertained by anecdote after anecdote, reminiscence after reminiscence, observation after observation... -V. Sackville-West Easter Parade: A Novel Copyright: 1953 Allow me, if you will, to ramble a bit? Ramble like a climbing, … Continue reading Ramble On…
Ghosts…
The cool weather we endured throughout February and March this year suited its arrangements perfectly, for a warm spell during the early months tends to hurry it up, and then the flowers are liable to damage by their two enemies, frost and wind....Avoid planting in a frost pocket, or in a position where [flowers: in this case … Continue reading Ghosts…
ROMANCING THE CLEMATIS
An unusual way of treating clematis is to grow it horizontally instead of vertically...but do this as gingerly as you can, for clematis seems to resent the touch of the human hand. ...the reward will be great. For one thing you will be able to gaze right down into the upturned face of the flower … Continue reading ROMANCING THE CLEMATIS
Friday Snippets: “Smash” Their Stems with a Hammer
Any lilac is 'easy': they need no pruning, though it is most advantageous to cut off the faded flowers, this is really important; they are perfectly hardy; and very long-lived unless they suddenly die back, which sometimes happens....By the way, if you strip all the leaves from cut branches of (lilac) they will last far … Continue reading Friday Snippets: “Smash” Their Stems with a Hammer






