I cannot honestly remember being as excited as over the last week, since the announcement of the discovery of the earth-like exoplanet, GL 581c, which deserves a better name.While the possibility of human life may be remote, plant life may be abundant due to the old age of the planet and the low light levels, both which would promote evolution. Testing GL 581c’s botanical life will be an honor bestowed… Continue reading

Bright spring mornings bring moments of pinpoint beauty. Our perceptions don’t keep pace with our senses. The spectacularly focused scenes—a lone heron flying languidly high above, trees shining out of the forest as if they were flexing their bark, and cool sunlight reaching every corner of the garden—make fine art photographers famous. Even the bugs are unprepared, looping around bedazzled.
I wish the nearby assisted living facility had a retractable roof… Continue reading

The notion of competence has always intrigued me. As a kid, I naturally admired great people—Albert Schweitzer and JFK were favorites. I also focused on the problem of what made people incompetent—especially me, of course. I was a mediocre student in an extraordinarily competitive environment. In the 60s, elementary and grade schools were tough, and high schools were especially unforgiving. If we got an F, we flunked out of school… Continue reading

We shall hold two VIP auctions on Friday, April 20 and Saturday the 21st at noon, after the first lecture of the day by Bill LeFevre. His talks about pre-Revolutionary War plant exploration will dovetail with these sales. Both days will feature extremely rare plants collected over the past decade on several continents. Each will be well potted and at least two years old. Over 15 specimens will be sold… Continue reading

A charming walk-around city, like a miniature version of London, Boston has nevertheless succumbed to the excesses of urban planning over the last 30 years, since I rambled around there. I lost my way last weekend on streets I knew perfectly in the 70s. It’s disconcerting to pass by chain restaurants and mall stores on Newbury and Boylston, but there it is. Actually a very small city—just over 500,000—Beantown still… Continue reading

The phone lines and internet ordering site burn from the intense flow of customer orders through the catalog and web. Literally. We put our palms on the tops of the phone switchboard and the internet server, and they’re warm. Wires are humming, hard drives are whirring. Everything inside is hot. So, what’s smoking up the kitchen tables, nightstands and living room sofas of American gardeners?

1. Helleborus x hybridus

While we recommend you wear old shoes and pack an umbrella when you visit our Hellebore Open on April 20 and 21, we promise you will be greatly rewarded with a full day of unprecedented early spring beauty.

Unbeatable value, too.

Imagine what a five dollar ($5.00) entry fee—refundable as credit for a plant purchase—gets you these days, and you cannot even dream up anyone to match our offer of a day… Continue reading