The argument favoring planting merrybells (Uvularia sessilifolia) is unconvincing, and fortunately my wife rarely questions one plant or the other. Raised eyebrows and incredulous looks are common, however. This native perennial is a slight presence, with sparse foliage and unremarkable blooms, though I consider it quite lovely. So unquestionably, a dozen were required for planting…

No doubt there are rewards in the garden on the bleakest winter day, though a bit more effort is required to find the scattered blooms or whatever it is that pleases the gardener. On this marvelous April afternoon, following a string of days that would satisfy any gardener, there are blooms at every turn. And,…

My wife, helpful sort that she is, suggests that I am too old to be digging trenches in the lower garden, trying to salvage waterlogged planting beds and the small section of lawn that was saturated and remains so after an unusually wet year. Hire someone, she tells me, but slyly, after the digging is…

The assistant gardener insists the garden is getting out of hand. I agree, and couldn’t be happier. We, of course, are seeing this from opposing viewpoints. She requires control, and I encourage wildness. A robust hosta has grown to cover another, a fine yellow leafed hosta of moderate size (below). Once, these were layered appropriately,…

Yes, I admit, my wife is always right, and hopefully this admission cools any hot water that is likely to bubble up when I question otherwise. Of course, I knew that some of the various ivies would be problems, someday, and I didn’t pay much attention until I drove home yesterday and found her at…

I must be getting old, or at least more crotchety (is that possible?). Finally, spring has arrived, and though the threat of chilly temperatures continues, I’m betting (and hopeful) that the worst of it is over. All winters seem to drag on, but this one seemed to last forever (regardless that it was not severe),…

Seedlings from various plants are not unusual in the garden. Hellebores and Japanese maples seed by the hundreds, and occasionally seedlings are found in densely planted areas already grown to a foot or two in height before they are seen. Then, the Japanese maple (or whatever) is weeded out and discarded, or occasionally, potted or…

The cheery, delicate blossoms of flowering cherries are everywhere. Visitors flock to area parks and gardens that feature the spring blooms, but a ride through any local neighborhood will display dozens, and even hundreds of the showy trees. The primary attraction is the white flowered ‘Yoshino’, though later in the blooming cycle these are joined…

As early spring progresses and I am more regularly out in the garden, it is clear that the cursory clean up of the garden was inadequate. Yes, the clearing of piles of leaves brought hellebore blooms into full view, but the current sloppiness is hardly acceptable. Additional raking is necessary, or perhaps the rapid decay…

On occasion, two variegated winter daphnes (Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’, below) flower late in January, though more typically in early March, and a time or two not at all when a severe winter kills the flowering branch tips of this marginally cold hardy shrub. This year, two degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) was enough to damage leaves,…