Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Horticulture is Dirr(ty) work

If you tell someone you found it in “Dirr” they’ll know you mean the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses (now in its 6th edition). But Michael A. … Read more.

Scarecrows come in all shapes and sizes

I still haven’t seen any of our super scary yellow and black orb-web spiders, but it’s been a week of other frights – which of course makes me think of Halloween even though we’re still … Read more.

Totally equinoxious

I have been reluctant to call it fall yet probably because we were a little (a lot) gypped by summer. But regardless of how I feel about it, the asters and Jerusalem artichokes have started … Read more.

Shop therapy

There’s nothing in the world that beats a car trunk full of new plants. Gail and I went off today to try and find a couple of things to fill a couple of holes in … Read more.

Purple haze

Back in June when we planted the lavender/purple experiment in the Display Garden, I said that I would talk more about it. Since it’s officially full grown, nearly past full bloom and it’s Garden Bloggers … Read more.

Color after Labor Day

It’s not my intention with this post to brag but we’ve still got a lot of color in the gardens. So many visitors seem surprised by that – and as shocked as if we were … Read more.

Life of the party

Some plants provide entertainment for the whole season and others just don’t and I sometimes have to try very hard to remember why we give clunkers space in the gardens. Campanula lactiflora or Milky bellflower … Read more.

On grazing

I have come to the realization – as I think I do every year – that there is nothing better in this world than feasting on the garden’s harvest. But I think the critters have … Read more.