Horticulture

A TRANSPLANT from Dallas by way of Australia, Jimmy Turner arrived in Salt Lake City in March 2020. His leadership of the University of Utah’s Red Butte Garden began in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, but he is optimistic for the present and futu

I LOVE THE IDEA that my gardening can have a positive effect on the health of the greater landscape. That’s why I was particularly struck by an interview I conducted with Adrian Ayres Fisher for my podcast, Growing Greener, last spring. Adrian served

SEED CATALOG SEASON has arrived and I’m busy making lists of all the varieties I want to grow this year. 2020 was a challenging year on many levels, including in the garden, where seed shortages and delivery delays meant I couldn’t stick to my origin

ALTHOUGH WE HUMANS tend to think of ourselves as something separate from nature—observers of nature but apart from her—that is a misconception. Nature is the tumultuous, inexorable river of life, and all of us animals and plants are swimming in it as

Once so rare that explorers lost their lives seeking them, orchids are now items that you can toss in your grocery cart alongside your milk and eggs. But how do you pick the perfect plant and care for it once you get it home? Take your pick: Buying

Each year, organizations across the United States choose plants that are exceptionally garden worthy. These tried-and-true trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and edible plants are singled out by garden professionals in the hopes that they’ll find the

Just 25 miles north of New York City stands Lyndhurst, an elaborate mansion overlooking the Hudson River. Its landscape, now in the midst of restoration, is a remarkable example of American garden styles from the pre-Civil War era to the 1940s. Held

During the growing season, it’s easy to know the name of a tree. The clues are familiar, often learned when we were children. It could be the unique shape of a leaf, like the mittens and gloves of the sassafras, or the autumn color of a sugar maple,

They’re with us all year, but evergreen conifers call for some extra praise in winter, when their color, texture and form prove invaluable. They’re the sparks of light in a bleak landscape. These plants belong to a number of different genera from var

Large houseplants have become the pièce de résistance of many interior-decorating schemes, and with good reason. Having a large floor plant in your home brings nature indoors in a way that a smaller plant or collection of plants can’t quite do. And w

EACH YEAR I LIKE to write a couple of articles in which I share what I have recently observed or learned about gardening techniques or various plants. Sometimes this also brings to mind useful things that I once knew but I forgot. There is an apparen

by Julia Kelly This title isn’t a “gardening book,” but it is sure to delight gardeners who enjoy reading fiction. In The Last Garden in England, novelist Julia Kelly tells the stories of women separated by time but connected by one estate garden in

STARTING PLANTS from seed can be a fun activity for all ages, but, as with all things gardening, plant choice is key. Here the “right plant” needs not just match the site conditions, but it should also suit the sower. For young children and people wi

I’M GUILTY OF IT, you’re guilty of it and almost all of our gardening friends are too: We all have a motley collection of plants still in their nursery pots living in our driveways. And before anyone gets all superior and claims that their driveway i