RECENT POSTS
Abuse of Osmanthus Shrubs by Power Tools
Take a look at the two 'Goshiki' Osmanthus (a/k/a False Holly) on either side of my front door, where they get just a couple...
Temporal disobedience
Hate turning your clock back? You’re not alone. Here’s guest Ranter James Roush’s opinion of it:
That's it. Professor Roush has had it! I'm done...
Last of the Great Reference Plant Manuals?
Allan Armitage has been at the center of perennials for over fifty years. He is tireless, passionate, knowledgeable, affable, well-liked, been everywhere, knows everyone, and, between his academic career, speaking schedule, and writing, no one else is anywhere as uniquely positioned to be the black hole of the perennial universe.
Little Island Coming in 2021 and I Can’t Wait!
When a friend spotted this image in the Secret NYCC Instagram feed, she alerted me immediately because - I mean my God! What IS...
Canna, hot greenhouse fantasies, and the brutality of ice. A Letter to the Midwest.
December 29, 2020
Lovettsville, VA
Dear Scott,
Well, I think we’ve established that you’re the better person at this point.
As we will not agree about using...
Anthropomorphism and plants
This won’t be a popular opinion. But it’s been on my mind for a while, and, as the practice becomes more and more common,...
Scenes from a Community Garden in Winter
I think "Peace Love Relax" and "Welcome" are fitting messages for the garden, especially on Christmas Day.
When I visited my town's community gardens on...
A gift for the environment
All I personally want this year is to stay healthy and get to the other side of 2020 and beyond. Staying away from the...
’21 Is Gonna Be a Good Year
December 20, 2020
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Marianne,
I’ve gotten into the habit of blaming a lot of things on 2020. And most times, maybe every time, despite...
The Pleasures and Perils of Young, Broke Gardens
To walk through a young garden in winter is a courageous act when the garden is your own, and the budget, diminutive. We forget...
Who Says Native Plants have Longer Roots?
Still Ranting about Generalizations
Over my 14+ years of garden-ranting here, my number one target has been sweeping generalizations about plants - they're stupid and...
Wrapping Up 2020 at the Big Box Store
Wrapping Up 2020 at the Big Box Store
Bob Hill is back and overcome by impulse.
Problem No. 1 was I left my reading glasses in...
Winter interest revisited
Every year about this time, or maybe later, I brashly state my lack of interest in winter interest, at least as far as my...
PBS Documentary on Norman Borlaug’s “Green Revolution”
Norman Borlaug had long been on my radar for starting a "Green Revolution" in farming that no one today would call green.
But in his...
It’s #Ad Season. Don’t believe everything you see.
It’s the holiday season and our feeds are currently stuffed with gorgeous filtered photos and fifteen second videos warmed with soft music – all...