Horticulture

THERE IS A LONGING for perfection in the human heart. Every gardener knows this feeling. In our mind’s eye we see the plant perfectly placed in the garden or landscape, its satisfaction with its spot written in the happy toss of its leaves and its th

AS I WRITE THIS, we’re facing serious fertilizer shortages, according to many and various news outlets. Because of the war in Ukraine, a large portion of the world’s exported fertilizer seems to be stuck in Russia and Belarus. Even before the invasio

THERE ARE LANDSCAPES that alter our understanding of what gardens can accomplish. Prominent among them, for me, is Brooklyn Bridge Park. Stretching for almost a mile and a half along New York City’s East River, this 21st century park is, at 85 acres,

BESIDES PLANTING MILKWEED in their gardens, people interested in helping monarch butterflies might want to turn off the porch light. Biologists at the University of Cincinnati say nighttime light pollution can interfere with the remarkable navigation

IN 1986, the Worcester County Horticultural Society, one of the oldest in the country, set out to create a public garden in Boylston, Mass., naming it Tower Hill Botanic Garden after the farm that previously occupied the space. Hard work throughout t

SPINACH IS ONE of my favorite greens to grow for autumn and winter harvesting. It’s outstanding in fall garden beds or tucked under the protective cover of a cold frame or mini hoop tunnel. I direct sow spinach seed in late summer through early autum

When the Worcester County Horticultural Society began building what is today New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, a collection of special apple varieties finally found a permanent home. These apples had been grown by Stearns Lothrop Davenport, a

A perfect garden style is impossible to pinpoint, but the keyhole garden belongs on the top-10 list. First designed in the 1990s to assist people in drought-stressed southern Africa to grow food, keyhole gardens have since gained popularity in home g

By now, nearly everyone has heard of climate change and its consequences. Global warming is often equated with climate change, but climate change goes beyond increased average temperatures and includes the increased frequency of abnormal precipitatio

A In the fall, the soil is still warm, so roots will continue to grow. Plants installed in early spring, meanwhile, get off to a slower start because the soil hasn’t yet warmed to optimum temperatures for root growth. Fallplanted plants begin root gr

Suzanne Matta’s phone pings with an alert. Rosie is upside down. A glance at the app finds where in the yard Rosie is stuck, and Suzanne runs outside. Rosie is catawampus under a big spruce. “Oh my gosh, Rosie, are you okay?” Suzanne helps the little

THIS IS ONE of my occasional collections of recent gardening-related observations, including some updates on past speculations. How often have you missed taking a beautiful photograph of a garden specimen in full flourish? Since most of us constantly

PLANT, OR A WEED? Weed, or a plant? The crown jewel of all things that confound gardeners. Winter is just long enough that many of us forget about half of what we’re growing. Along comes spring and a million plants rear their little heads from underg

PLANTS WITH LEAVES that turn shades of gold in the fall are treasures for the garden. They contrast beautifully with perennials that bloom late in purple, like many asters, and they provide the perfect foliar echo for late summer and autumn’s yellow