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Most Excellent Spring Perennials, or the Ones I really like because they’re not fussy and as strong as a bowling ball
Angelica archangelica OK, it’s really a biennial but it might as well be a perennial because it reliably self-seeds. How could you not like a plant that flavored reindeer milk in Scandinavia? Philip Miller (1768) claimed it got its name “from the angels, on account of its excellent qualities.” At 5-6’ tall its chartreuse umbels […]
More »Round Two – Happy Birthday Mr. President
Some think of him as the author of the Declaration of Independence or advocate of religious freedom or state’s rights but to me he was the greatest president-gardener. By now you’ve probably guessed – Thomas Jefferson, born 275 years ago this Friday the 13th. Obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist, curious, persistent all describe Jefferson as some of […]
More »Best Blossoms for Bees
Colony collapse and bee decline threaten our food supply. Bees, both bees (about 4000 kinds world-wide) and honey bees, depend on nectar from flowers for food. In turn we humans depend on bees to pollinate flowering plants for much of our food and for the beauty of our gardens. Bees don’t purposefully pollinate flowers. While […]
More »Heritage Flower Farm Honored by National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, is pleased to recognize that Heritage Flower Farm in Waterford / Mukwonago has successfully created a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife program. NWF celebrates the efforts of Heritage Flower Farm to create a garden space that improves habitat for birds, […]
More »Spring is nothing if not coy
Helleborus orientalis Spring is nothing if not coy It teases in late February with a blue-sky day Windless mornings birds sing Then the weatherman –liar that he is, Doesn’t lie when he reports “below normal” And the snowstorm comes on Monday Pussy willow buds push forth in defiance Slowly slowly melting snow Snowdrops bloom […]
More »Laugh at Walnut Trees
When you bought your house did you think about asking if there had been walnut trees on the property? No, me either. Whew, there aren’t any here but we’re surrounded by neighbors growing them and the squirrels see our property as a good place to plant them. Every year we dig up at least […]
More »“Happy Birthday Mr. President”
No, it’s not about Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy – This is about Plants and George Washington If you’ve ever been to Mount Vernon you know that George Washington (1732-1799) was a great gardener. Like most Virginia planters he started out as a tobacco farmer, but quit and turned to farming mixed crops. He rented […]
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