Please consider these dozen new cultivars for either brilliant touches or brave, dramatic plantings. All offer great interest and novelty. Perennials Sun/Shade Zones Arisaema fargesii Part sun 6-9 Arisaema franchetianum Full sun/part sun 6-9 Arisaema taiwanense-silver leaf (Jack-in-the-Pulpit) Full shade 6-9 Musa sikkimensis (Indian Banana) Full sun/part sun 7-12 Oxalis triangularis (Purple shamrock) Full sun [...]

Our strikingly beautiful cover item, Paris polyphylla, deserves its prominence. The name stems from the parity of its symmetrical, mandala-like, layered pattern of leaves, sepals, petals, and stamens. Fruit appears like a perfect egg in the center-an exquisite effect. Just as remarkable is Paris polyphylla’s hardiness, from zones 5 to 8 in partial or full [...]

Last night ‘The Illusionist’ put me to sleep. But I bolted up when the orange tree fruited without flowering. I imagined nearly a half-dozen people across the world shaking their heads in displeasure. Years ago Anne Raver wrote a nice article about movies that screw up garden-related details.I long for the old days (“when movies [...]

Remember the back issues of Heronswood catalogues? They may seem as scarce as hen’s teeth, but they’re still available to purchase online. Providing information and essays about the Nursery’s origin and early development, they express a unique sensibility about gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Subjects range from Asian woodland plants, “room” designs and the personalities of the founders, Dan Hinckley and Robert Jones. The “old Heronswood” modeled itself on…

George Sessions Perry Walls Rise Up — Most hobo tales are weighed down by sorrow and angst, but not this one. A little known, hard to find gem that tells of three Texas dust-bowl drifters who find trouble yet remain “pure of heart”. Jimmy, their leader, is unforgettable. Perry later wrote the novel, Hold Autumn In Your Hand, which became the movie, ‘The Southerners’, about a poor farmer…

Chopin is the composer of love – tender, soft, dreamy love that dwells in the senses after passing through the heart. The lilac, anemone and daffodil stir hearts that wait on the senses. Hear Chopin with Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur’, as well as Hydrangea macrophylla, ‘Uzu’ and ‘Madame Emile Mouillere’ .Somewhere between a whistle and a [...]

July, 2006 Speech to “Garden Writer’s Association”
Good Morning!It’s a privilege to speak to you.I was asked to tell you what I thought made a good story to attract new gardeners. Well, I’ll try.“The upward flame”—people want hope and promise. They really do. Especially gardeners. The public dislikes negativity, fighting, controversy—even though they may be attracted to it temporarily. They may receive a psychic reward from conflict—and this may sell magazines…

When we relocated Heronswood Nursery to Pennsylvania last spring, we not only expanded the research and display gardens and greenhouses, but also initiated an evaluation of our customer offering. Our goals are to fulfill the desires of a sophisticated nationwide gardening market, and to continue to serve our customers back in the Seattle area. We can do this much better on our 60 acres at Fordhook, located close to the…

Several years ago I tried to find our town’s trash dump. Turns out there is no such thing. I called the Bucks County commissioner’s office. None in the county. I searched on the internet. What a mess! The nearest place I could take some exceptional “trash”—non-essentials of deceased relatives that I wished to throw out in a ritual manner—was over 25 miles away in New Jersey. Too tired to drive…

I grew up in a small town in the 60s, when Hollywood and Madison Avenue exploded with new colors in movies, television, billboards and magazines. This dazzling visual revolution would be unimaginable today. Snappy colors appeared everywhere; pastels and candy colors seemed to be invented with every consumer rage, from lipsticks to yo-yos. Grown men started wearing colored dress shirts and, even more weird at the time, brightly colored socks…