Saponaria Ocymoides, aka Creeping Pink Soapwort
Imagine: I pictured a sea of color below some grasses. I needed a plant that would do well despite the fact that half of the area it would be growing in was more gravel than soil. And yes, I was greedy…I wanted a plant that would self-seed and fill in, but not in an...
Growing Sunflowers
Imagine: When I first moved to Poison Ivy Acres the front entry to the house was a lawn. That’s all, just a lawn. I knew I wanted a flower garden to be the first “room” that someone entered when coming to our house, so the lawn was immediately tilled and planted with...
I Hate Rhododendron ‘Blue Baron’
Imagine: Yes indeed. Imagine a plant that looks fantastic in the garden center when it’s fresh from the grower. But that plant is out for just one thing: to break your heart. Normally I post a “I Love This Plant!” every Saturday. Today, I’m not...
Fragrance Under The Bedroom Window
Imagine: Carla loved to sleep with the window open. For her, the arrival of spring wasn’t announced by daffodils or tulips, but by her ability to smell the fresh, outdoor air through the cracked window at night. “Maybe we should put plants with fragrant flowers...
Cook Every Day
One of my favorite things is a linen dishtowel from Studio Patro, in San Francisco. I don’t know if they still make it, but if not you should email them and ask that it be revived. Because the message is both important and universal: Cook Every Day. I want to...
Cyperus papyrus, aka King Tut Papyrus
Imagine: Cheryl was feeling especially stressed. She had projects due at work, the kids had upcoming dentist appointments and dance lessons, and she’d promised her husband that they could have at least one weekend day at home as a family. But she’d also told her best...
What is Wrong With My Hydrangea Leaves?
This is the question I asked myself for three years. The first year I noticed the brown-gray “knitted” look on my leaves I thought it was wind damage. In 2014 we’d had a spring wind storm after the leaves had emerged, and I thought that’s what...
Crowdfunding A Garden Festival
For the past six months I’ve tried to enlist the help of larger plant companies to help cultivate the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, but have had no luck. But this week, I had an ah-ha! moment. “Why go big when we can go small?” I thought. Many smaller donations just...
Picking Treasure: I love Highbush Blueberries
Imagine: Frank planted over 45 blueberry bushes on the corner of his property almost 25 years ago. Originally he planned for these to be picked by his children and grandchildren and for the first five years that proved to be the case. But his sons and daughter got...