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Evergreen Death by Drought! Plus, a Puzzling Graphic about Root Depth
We had two long hot and dry spells in the DC area this summer, and their impact can be seen all over town. Lots of dead conifers, especially Yews and Arborviteas. (Junipers seemed to thrive.) The drought also killed some broad-leaf evergreens, like these Cherry Laurels. And these grand old... -
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Kudos to Podcast about Nonnative Plants for Pollinators
In GardenRant’s 18-year history we’ve tackled more than a few controversial topics, including Marianne’s recent post about advocates of pure nativism, to which Ranter emeritus Thomas Christopher then responded. Lively discussions ensued! I love seeing disagreements aired and explored honestly... -
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Fixing the “Leave the Leaves” Meme
There, fixed it! Here’s another one. Or it could be fixed with just two words: “Where possible…..” If only there were room for 2-3 more words in this ubiquitous meme, so that conscientious, nature-loving folks would know to ask: gee, I wonder WHERE it’s possible to leave the leaves and... -
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Condemnation for Condemnation – However Virtuous
This week, Anne shared a post with me from Scribehound – a spanking new, paid-subscriber, UK gardening and countryside platform hailed with much fanfare, mutual-congratulations, (and not a little backlash) on Instagram this autumn. This post was by Kendra Wilson, a British garden writer who... -
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Doing Things Properly.
My father taught me that it is terribly important to do things properly. And his carpentry and work around our house exemplified this philosophy. This is my father, popping up through the roof in the process of making a dormer window for my bedroom. And here is the window, completed. I am... -
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Distracted By Joy
On Tuesday morning – the last of 2024 – I had a phone conversation with Scott Beuerlein, one of my co-editors here at GardenRant, checking in on his mobility after hip surgery this month. With his schedule, I just couldn’t wait for a letter. Somewhere in a conversation that ranged from the... -
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The hatchet job
I once ran with a posse of boys who scoured scrawny woods at the end of a suburban street with cowboy hats and hatchets. We were determined to carve out a tiny settlement of our own. The crew of six-year-olds chopped small trees until fatigue set in minutes later. Building a makeshift eight-foot... -
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What the Hell is Horticulture and Why Does it Matter?
I am a horticulturist who works at a zoo, and this is often terribly humbling. Although the zoo where I work is also a botanical garden, and a damned good one (great plant collection, a beautiful tree canopy, colorful gardens, research, community work, conservation and Arbnet level IV... -
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Pollinator Partnership’s Stewardship Training – a Disappointment
Examples like this would make Pollinator Partnership’s training more translatable to home gardens. UPDATE: I received this email from Pollinator Partnership:My apologies that the Pollinator Steward Certification program did not meet your expectations. We are always trying to improve our... -
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Roundup isn’t what you think it is anymore
None of these products contain glyphosate. Like all reasonably knowledgeable gardeners, I thought I knew what’s in the most commonly used herbicide in history, but not anymore. Take a look at the ingredient list for the “Roundup” products at your local box store. Since the 1973 launch of the... -
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Green businesses will feel the pain of tariffs
Last time I wrote about local florists and the Slow Flowers movement, I got a comment from a reader, Sheena, who said, “I did smile when you described Canada as ‘local.’” She was right to smile. Canada goes well beyond what I think of “local” when it comes to its garden and floral-related... -
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When the need for tree cover is questioned
Trees and forests are always subject to political winds of change, whether they’re blowing from the left or from the right. This time, efforts to improve urban tree cover are the ecological pawns in a backlash against any policy that admits to America’s history of racism. Susan recently posted... -
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In Defense of The Daffodil
Many years ago, my young daughter and two friends made three little shelters at the edge of the woods with fallen branches, and in front of each entryway they planted a daffodil bulb to signify planting a garden and to mark where they had spent a long, gentle summer in play. It is not too much... -
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Return of the No-Mow-Month Meme
UPDATE: More assessments on the no-mow-month campaign since publication of this post: A spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation said, on in April 2024 “A Way To Garden” podcast, “We’ve really been leaning into and pushing what we call “grow beyond No-Mow May. The reason is in certain... -
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Horticulture in Harmony? Here’s Hoping
“When will the tulips be at peak bloom?” We sure hear that question at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. A lot! Best guess up until a month out, mid-April. But every year is different. Weather. In Cincinnati. But today is April 12th, and, this year, 2023, they came in right on time. The... -
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Getting a bad name
Before embarking on this post, I did a quick search to see how many times the name “Audubon” comes up in Garden Rant posts and comments. The answer: many, many times, though – interestingly – not always in a complimentary manner. We’ve taken the National Audubon Society to task for buying into... -
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Love the weeds you’re with
I have taken liberty with Stephen Stills’s 1970 song Love the One You’re With. The singer-songwriter, deep in the weeds of love, was working through an anguished relationship and attempting to let go. “Concentration slips away. Because your baby is so far away.” Well there’s a rose in a fisted... -
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Set a Weed to catch a Weed.
Readers in America will have to forgive me some of this. I understand you have many ‘invasives’ and many people only wish to grow native plants. And I think many of you have local rules which also inform what you are allowed to plant. Though it does seems some Ranters like to indulge a weed. In... -
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Loving Gardens Elsewhere
Anyone who follows me on Instagram (@bensbotanics) will probably have come to the conclusion that I’m a bit of a ‘plant nerd’. I’m writing this article in the spare bedroom of my little house in Devon, UK, surrounded by my gardening books. I love plants. I love seeing them, finding out about... -
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It’s A New Growing Season! Cue The Paid Partnerships.
What are your numbers? From garden bloggers to your 15-year-old niece, one’s social media following has become a statement of self. At a recent trade show, I was introduced to a colleague not with his name and profession, but his name and impressive follower count on Youtube, a proclamation that...