GARDENING PHILOSOPHY

(above) view from my front step looking NW, pre summer storm (below) view from my patio area looking NE, late summer afternoon By PHILOSOPHY essentially I mean your style. That is, how you garden will dictate what you do -- your thinking and action. While I suspect few people actually think of a style when they build or make changes to their garden, they do choose one or more by virtue of what they use and how they use it. For example, your emphasis could be a type of plan

5 hours ago

FALL COLOR (continued)

[continuation of my Oct 2025 essay PHENOLOGY & COLOR, this part with a maple emphasis] PROLOGUE: Much has been said about AI generated writing. I will tell you straight up that not one line of anything I have ever posted or anything I might publish in the future has been or will be AI generated. Good or not, it is me -- my perspective based on my experience. While challenging and very time-consuming, I enjoy the creative process unlike Dorthy Parker who famously said, She

Sep 30

Gardening Mistakes, Misconceptions & (Mis)guidance

(top) fall (L) and late spring; (2) back patio summer; (3) partial front mid summer, (4) front after every heavy rain; (5) view back towards house (summer) from area that floods; (bottom) out front view during window replacement (24 Oct 2024) All from my place and all contrary to the title. Included to give you an idea of the look I prefer since I refer to "my style" several times below, although it is impossible to give a true feel since only 2D visual and there are litera

Aug 31

IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO

The title of this rant is from Gershwin's stupendous 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. I will use it to build upon the concept I brought forward in last month's rant, namely that being native does not mean a species is a good ornamental choice. Yes, that "native" might be pretty but if used in the wrong way or place perhaps not and behavior is every bit as important as looks, I dare say almost always more so. I will profile four Midwest native plants to drive home my point. I lik

Jul 31

IDEAS & REALITY: Carex, Hosta and me

I like and utilize many sedges (Carex spp.) at my place, most of them naturally occurring. I recognize and encourage them. One can sometimes purchase Carex sedges, although rarely at your local garden center. Two of the best mail order options are Prairie Moon Nursery (MN) and Hoffman Nursery (NC) although the latter is wholesale. I also sometimes transplant from the wild. Carex is by far the largest plant genus in the Midwest flora, each state with well over 150 species

Jun 30

THE WALKING KIND

PROLOGUE: I first want to do a shout-out regarding the excellent Angel Wings (Caladium) display at the Habig Cottage Garden Shop in N Indianapolis. I like and use Caladiums as an annual foliar embellishment at my place every year. The display Rick and his associates have at Habig's (Nora location) is by far the best I have seen. We should thank him/them and consider a purchase. In the attached pic the white forms (my fav) have been picked. ___ The rant this month will be

May 31

Swamped

My plate is more than full. Haven't even had time to enjoy my irises. I'll be back next month.

Apr 30

GARDENING HOLIDAY

I last took a break from this monthly posting almost a decade ago. This month I will be doing so again. My plate is full. I need the pause and to reassess. In place of my absent fresh message, I recommend you read or reread one or two of my previous posts. Permit me to suggest PHYTOFASCISM (Apr, 2023) and/or an appropriate title . Also enjoy the spring and consider doing something special, something different in your garden. Before I take off, the idea of a serious gard

Mar 31

THREE A+ RECENT INTRODUCTIONS

Having concluded that I need to do more species assessments, I shall. The essays will feature plants I have no problem recommending. Some of those upcoming posts will be monospecific. Others, like this one, will be polyspecific. -- Again, I have not asked for nor have I received any compensation for the advocacy, although the financial burden of this website is getting to the point where I may need to consider doing so. We gardeners get to know each species and specimen by

Mar 1

The Maidenhair and Mr. X

My March 2025 essay was entitled GARDENING INJURIES: OUCH or worse! Near the end of that piece I very briefly discussed allergic reactions. Mind you, one could do books on the topic as there are lots of unrelated plants that can cause some sort of immune response, as well as considerable individual susceptibility and various contributing factors. This month I will describe a specific example but need you to understand that I am doing so in the context of another topic -- c

Feb 1

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Rant of the Month

Unfortunately, most people know very little about plants and gardening, this includes many "professionals" employed to design, choose, install and maintain landscapes. Nor should you assume a garden center owner or employee is a gardener or knows plants (i.e., have experiental {good} advice). This blog spotlights specific issues with commentary on remedy or recommendation for course of action. Examples are numerous and easy to find, rarely requiring me to travel far from home. Hopefully, these postings will make the task more difficult. I feature seasonally appropriate topics and focus on species and issues to help educate.

The new rant is scheduled to post at one minute after midnight on the first day of each month.

Finally, over the last decade or so, I have told many people that I lack a filter. NOT TRUE. While I am frequently direct, know that my written speech is moderated (i.e., given time to settle). I can hear all the, "Oh may goodness! Can you imagine the raw form?" Know this, it is sometime too much even for the mad botanist, thus the settling time.