I was in the Rutgers Gardens greenhouse the other day, transplanting lovage that I had grown from seed. And I’m looking at it and thinking to myself: “Tastes like celery. So what? Why would anyone want to grow this stuff?” Obviously, I’m not a veggie gardener. If I were, I would have known that celery is notoriously difficult to grow … Read More

I was preparing to teach a workshop on growing and pruning herbs recently when I made a dismaying discovery. As I was making up my notes for the section on knot gardens which originally used germander, I realized that I knew nothing about germander other than the fact that it had been used in knot gardens. So much for dazzling … Read More

I’ve always wanted a bay laurel. No kitchen is complete without one. But we never have them at the plant sale at Rutgers Gardens. You can imagine my excitement when I found one last fall at a local nursery. It leans to one side but it was the last one that they had in stock and it was on sale … Read More

I was first introduced to yarrow as an ornamental . It was a pretty flower that looked like Queen Anne’s Lace and had intriguing feathery foliage. Then I discovered that it was a native plant. That guaranteed it a place in my borders. Native plants are always my first choice for garden plants. As I learned more about beneficial insects, … Read More