I’ve always been great at dreaming up and starting new garden projects. But I haven’t been as successful finishing them. I work in fits and starts. Take the aviary above, for example. I started it this spring; it’s still not done. And to make matters worse, at least in the short term, I always have several projects in the works at any given time. This lends my garden a certain element of–let’s be honest–chaos. At best. But the multi-tasking suits my short attention span: I can work on whatever project calls to me on any given day. Or not. Interruptions are never a problem, After all, the whole point, ultimately, is enjoyment. So why obsess? My garden ADHD is not a bad thing, and thankfully my wife is very tolerant of my laissez-faire methodology. But truth time approaches. I usually host a Garden Conservancy Open Day tour in mid-September, so this is when panic starts setting in. How many projects will actually get done by the big day. And how much of a mess will I have to disguise? And can I whip the rest of the place into the finely manicured showcase (Hah!) it usually is by the appointed date?  [Read more →]

When I read that Fran had chosen heuchera as the GGW Plant Pick of the Month, I was pretty psyched. The plants have such a tidy, mounded habit and handsome leaf shape that they immediately come to mind when I’m looking for a hardy foliage plant in the front-of-the-border height range. And well, with such incredible colors and markings to choose from, what’s not to like about heucheras? Ah, yeah, that’s where reality sets in. I adore heucheras, but they sure don’t feel the same about me. [Read more →]

After several years of not being able to put much of anything into a permanent home, I’ve spent this season madly digging new beds and filling them with many plants as possible. All this planting has been as much a welcome relief for this garden-starved gardener as it has been for the plants that moved down with us from Pennsylvania to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The plants especially appreciate the change from waiting to planting, since they spent the years of transition and house renovation languishing in containers or packed cheek-by-jowl into holding beds. While it would be a lie to imply that I no longer have plants waiting in containers or stuffed too tightly in holding beds, the tide has turned and I’m finally covering new ground. [Read more →]

I first heard about Russell Gardens Wholesale several years ago when its name continued to crop up in conversations with other gardeners or through local plant societies. I finally made the trip ‘out yonder’ to see if it was as good as all the perennial mavens said it was. It didn’t disappoint!

Alan Russell is the ‘head honcho’ of this family operation which was started by his grandfather two generations ago when Richboro, Pa., was pure farmland. He is a true lover and excellent propogator of perennials. And it shows! One only needs to drive through the front gates before your eyes are overwhelmed by the large blocks of colors and what seems like endless rows of perennials. Each time I go, I feel my heart pounding as I rush to park the car in order to get to see all of his wonderful plants.

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Couldn’t resist adding my own smiling sunflower photo to the one Nan posted.

Garden Joy sunflower

I am making a publicity post card of this one.  Anyone wanting a postcard for your fridge, please add your self to my mailing list - with your actual postal address of course. <g>

sholt@saxonholt.com

Saxon