By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Contrast is useful in any garden design. Contrast draws the eye. It’s dynamic. It grabs the attention, and brings certain areas into focus. It can be created using many...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist This is the time of year when the lawn gets a work out — kids and dogs playing on it, having the grill out and people standing around, and...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist The spikes of iris, billows of lupins, and even the glorious blooms of the peonies are done for the year — peonies done by the Fourth of July! —...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Right now you’re probably seeing abundant flowers, but one brilliant orange tends to stick out from the billows of pinks, whites, and purples. Papaver orientale, the Oriental poppy (not...
By Laurie Brown Reader Garden Columnist Spring blooming bulbs can provide a glorious show, many blooming before many other plants leaf out. Sadly, many of us find them an exercise in frustration, as some...
By Laurie Brown Reader Garden Columnist Autumn is officially here, which means some plants will start putting on a colorful show. The colors we see in the leaves now are actually there all year;...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist The days are noticeably shorter, the geese are flying south and there is a different feel to the air. It’s still officially summer, but autumn is coming on fast....
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist It’s September, and the gardening season is winding down. Time to start putting things to bed, raking leaves, and… planting. Yes, planting. It’s the perfect time of year for...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist Tea has been made and drunk for thousands of years. It’s the most commonly consumed liquid other than water. Technically, the only true “tea” is made from Camellia sinensis—...
By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist A garden is a source of beauty and joy. The foliage, flowers and wildlife they attract add a lot to people’s lives. But a surprising number of common, gorgeous...
