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Browse every published article connected to Francis Rosenfeld, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to Francis Rosenfeld, or search within this exact expert archive.
Everyone is familiar with this weird characteristic of mushrooms: they spring out of the ground ove ight, fully grown, whenever they get a good rain and enough warmth to trigger their development. You go to sleep with a lawn and wake up to a mushroom hatchery.r
I got the candy, and the pumpkins, and the scary ghoul costumes, we're all set for trick or treat. The garden path decorated itself in expectation of little guests. Well, technically I was too idle to clean up the fallen leaves, but I recently renewed my committed to a positive outlook on life and refuse to see it that way. I'm trying to ignore the hibe al light, or lack thereof, that puts a chill through the bones for no other reason than a rodent inspired instinct to settle into a cozy tree hollow and stockpile nuts. Ugh, winter.r
A shaded corner isn't usually the gardener's dream, but the challenge of creating abundance in an otherwise barren and uninspiring spot is impossible to resist. Fear not, eager green thumbs, for the effort you put forth into finding out what would grow in less than ideal conditions brings with it the prize of a relaxing nook for the sweltering summer days.r
So, since I brought it up, a little more information about soil pH. The alkaline soil is quite easy to recognize, it’s usually clay, heavy, and out in the open, away from any large trees and shrubs, whose annual leaf drop helps acidify the soil. It tends to dry out on the surface, but deep down it keeps moisture better than other soil types, and plants who had time to develop a good root system thrive in it. It is usually found in the open plains and arid areas.r
If you want to create drama in your garden, by all means, pick all white flowers. People don’t usually crave intensity in a cottage garden, which is a care free collection of gregarious annuals and perennials suited to comfort the spirit rather than stir it up. Most of the cottage garden staples do come in white however, and you certainly can get the look if you find it appealing. Here is a list of perennials that will carry the white flower theme through all the seasons.r
It turns out flower gardening meets the criteria in the definition of art: it is a human activity dedicated to the creation of a physical item principally meant to be appreciated for its beauty and emotional impact.r
Even though the three basic sun exposures are full sun, part sun and shade, the last one comes in so many variations, all with their own little quirks, that it deserves a full chapter all to itself.r
I will continue with the love and romance theme, since it’s Valentine’s Day and all, a day when the meanings of cut flowers suddenly rise to prominence, fact made evident by the dire scarcity of red roses around this blessed date. On this day it is impossible to escape the knowledge that the flower of love represents, well, love and passion, but did you know that tree blossoms have symbolism associated with them too?
Every summer I plan to thin the violets and every summer I change my mind at the last minute, and this picture is the reason why. How can I pull these delicate flowers that cover the earth in spring in every shade of blue between aqua and indigo?r
I plant morning glory every year. Always in the same spot, always the same variety - Heavenly Blue. I forget about it after I plant it, it is slow to start in spring and its foliage gets lost in the jumble when the mid-summer growth takes over the flower beds. Come August, its growth accelerates enthusiastically, especially if summer rains have been plentiful, and it swallows up its supports, clambering eagerly to the highest point it can find, and only there it starts to bloom.r
There is a time around the middle of July when the garden looks absolutely resplendent. It feels like every flower is in bloom, competing for attention. The late spring blooms haven’t faded yet and the some of the late summer ones decide to show up early, so there is a surreal mix of seasons that coexist in harmony before my very eyes: delphiniums, lilies, salvias, roses, daisies, bee balms, cone flowers, catmints, lavender, yarrow, spider flowers, black eyed Susans, day lilies, hostas, coral bells, and last, but not least, giant clumps of fragrant garden phlox.
Because they are so old, irises have become quite heavy with symbolism and legend, so much so that I almost got drowned in the downpour of information that carried me from the gods and goddesses of Antiquity to the budding medicine of the Middle Ages, to the royal house of France, and then back to perfumers and ancient chemists, bouncing about betwee Christianity and magic. Several hours later I abandoned the search that almost gave me a headache.r
Aromatics come in two flavors: kitchen herbs and medicinals. A few herbs cross over from one category to the other, rosemary and lavender would be good examples of that, although using lavender for cooking is a bit of an acquired taste. Almost everybody has grown kitchen herbs on a sunny kitchen sill or in a pot on the patio at some point: parsley and dill, oregano and marjoram,tarragon and chives, basil and sage.r
There must be a hive somewhere in the neighborhood, because bees visit my garden very often, to gather nectar from their favorite flowers. Sedums produce an abundance of it, and their small flowers make an insect's work a little easier. Did you know that a worker bee lives just forty days over the summer and during all this time of collecting nectar it only manages to gather a twelfth of a teaspoon's worth of honey? I feel guilty now, just thinking of all the times honey dripped off the bread.r
If you thought February is when the gardener has nothing to do but wait for spring, that would not be correct: February is planting time.
I worried when I added valerian to the herb wheel that it wasn't going to last very long in my garden. Cats are supposed to be so attracted to this plant they can't rest its scent and chew it into oblivion. Either we don't have enough free roaming cats in the neigborhood or its reputation of being irresistible is exaggerated: other than a slight wilt, due to the latest dry streak, it seems to be fine for now. It bloomed too, and its flower umbrellas are delightfully fragrant.r
Long before the dawn of chemistry herbs held the honor of providing people with a readily available pharmacological treasure, foraged and cataloged by natural healers. Herbs may not be able to cure severe illness, not in their natural form, anyway, but they have the answer to the smaller things that ail you, the occasional headache or stomach upset, the minor scrape, the sleepless night, the anxious mood. When you start researching medicinal plants, you find out most of them are analgesic and antiseptic.r
I always thought of goldenrod as a dyer's plant and was surprised to learn that it has medicinal properties. Its Latin name, Solidago, literally means "to make whole", and puts goldenrod squarely in the wound healing category. It has other medicinal properties, too, mostly related to improving the kidney and circulatory functions. Apparently it is edible, but I wouldn't know about that and will refrain from testing this hypothesis on my long suffering stomach.r
The amount of time I spend contemplating the fresh seedlings in the starting tray would probably irritate an action oriented person. I would likely have some difficulty explaining to that person the wonderment of seeing the first set of leaves emerge, or the excitement of watching the tiny shoots develop from delicate strands barely hanging on to life to healthy plants ready to withstand whatever circumstances bring.r