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Articles from Francis Rosenfeld | Selfgrowth.com
- Companion Gardening - Planters - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldFinding good companion planting is even more important when the plants are stuck together in a container. I watched the denizens of assorted pots fight for dominance many a time and more often than not one species brazenly asserts its rights over the sun, water and nutrients and ends up owning ...
Views: 15 - Perpetuals - by Submitted on Oct 05, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldSome annuals are such reliable self-seeders they can pretty much hold their own with their perennial counterparts. They are usually wild meadow flowers, a little rugged but relentless in the propagation of their species. I still find tall bell flowers from two years ago, blooming where I ...
Views: 27 - At the End of September - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldWith temperatures stubbornly stuck in the eighties and nineties I would have missed the beginning of fall this year but for the garden following its own internal clock: warmth or no warmth, once we passed the fall equinox, everything in the flower and vegetable border went into liquidation ...
Views: 29 - Mushrooms - by Submitted on Sep 24, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldEveryone is familiar with this weird characteristic of mushrooms: they spring out of the ground overnight, fully grown, whenever they get a good rain and enough warmth to trigger their development. You go to sleep with a lawn and wake up to a mushroom hatchery. The good news is that mushrooms ...
Views: 40 - Hybrids - by Submitted on Sep 16, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldIn the world of plants the word hybrid immediately brings forth a specific image: greenhouses filled with long tables covered in little potted plants, perfectly tended to by a diligent team of professional growers and fed a perfect blend of nutrients to optimize their development. The truth ...
Views: 37 - A Breath of Humid Air - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe air has been steadily humid for a month now, cool and humid, it reminds me of foggy mornings in the mountains or tropical places in winter, it’s almost too cool for August, not that I’m complaining, mind you. Every now and then I catch a break between raindrops and get out into the garden ...
Views: 43 - Autumn Favorites - by Submitted on Sep 01, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe stonecrops are ghostly pale this fall and I'm not used to seeing them like that, normally they turn up rosy hues as soon as the middle of August; it must be the rain, they didn't have enough sunshine to start ripening. Despite the wet weather the fall bloomers are right on time - the ...
Views: 44 - The Delightful Aromatics - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldAromatics come in two flavors: kitchen herbs and medicinals. A few herbs cross over from one category to the other, rosemary and lavender would be good examples of that, although using lavender for cooking is a bit of an acquired taste. Almost everybody has grown kitchen herbs on a sunny ...
Views: 62 - Second Wind - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldSomebody who is fated to live a linear life can’t easily grasp the cycles of nature; I’m envious, almost, of the way the garden gets to reshuffle the deck at the end of each year and start fresh in spring, one level up from where it was before. Sometimes this cycle skips like a record with a ...
Views: 72 - Planters - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe planters get a little tired and overgrown by the end of the summer, when the ideal combination of colors, heights and textures or their original design gives in to the whims of nature. There is beauty in that disarray, the beauty of the natural hierarchy that establishes itself outside of ...
Views: 99 - Container Garden Companions - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldFinding good companion planting is even more important when the plants are stuck together in a container. I watched the denizens of assorted pots fight for dominance many a time and more often than not one species brazenly asserts its rights over the sun, water and nutrients and ends up owning ...
Views: 67 - Millefleur - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldEvery spring I plan on planting more annuals and every summer I fall short of the desired effect. At least this year I have an excuse: after clearing up the shrubbery from a large portion of the front yard, the design of a new perennial border became a priority. There seems to be a quiet ...
Views: 73 - Second Wind - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldSomebody who is fated to live a linear life can’t easily grasp the cycles of nature; I’m envious, almost, of the way the garden gets to reshuffle the deck at the end of each year and start fresh in spring, one level up from where it was before. Sometimes this cycle skips like a record with a ...
Views: 101 - For the Love of Athena - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldI don’t think the goal of traveling is to see places and learn things, often you get better images and information from photography catalogs and travel guides. The goal of traveling is to get immersed in the spirit of a place. The longer you stay in Greece, the more it becomes clear to you ...
Views: 97 - Mushrooms - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldEveryone is familiar with this weird characteristic of mushrooms: they spring out of the ground overnight, fully grown, whenever they get a good rain and enough warmth to trigger their development. You go to sleep with a lawn and wake up to a mushroom hatchery. The good news is that mushrooms ...
Views: 87 - Northern Orchids - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldI couldn’t imagine my garden without the toad lilies, whose blossoms are as close to approximating a tropical orchids as any cold weather plant is ever going to get. Don’t get deceived by their fragile look, they are hardy to zones four through nine and just like their cousins, the spring ...
Views: 91 - Maltese Cross - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThere is something about this flower that fascinates me, I don't know why. I don't seem to be able to grow the classic four petaled variety that inspired the plant's name either, just the five petal one. It is one of those perennials you forget you planted, only to have them startle you in ...
Views: 99 - The Happy Go Lucky - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldSome plants find their way into your heart just because they look so cheerful and innocent. Who doesn't love daisies? They are the embodiment of simple and wholesome, like milk, child giggles or sunshine. The fact that they are easy going and thrive with a minimum of care doesn't hurt ...
Views: 125 - Daylilies - by Submitted on May 26, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldIt’s not summer until the day lilies bloom and they usually do so before the fourth of July in anticipation of the joyous celebration. For a few weeks the whole garden turns blazing orange and after the flowers fade, their foliage slowly dies down to the ground to make room to the late summer ...
Views: 122 - Valerian - by Submitted on May 19, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThere is a whole list of plants I feel like I know well because I encountered them in literary works, but most of which I haven't actually seen until recently: hyssop, heliotrope, verbena, wallflower, camellia, primrose, jasmine, heather, wolfsbane. The list is actually much longer, but I'll ...
Views: 131 - Sweet Cherry Pie - by Submitted on May 13, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldI have become very fond of vintage cottage garden flowers in the last few years, a sentiment which stemmed from the realization that my idea of a cottage garden is significantly different from my grandmother’s. Sure they share some staple plants, without which neither a modern nor a vintage ...
Views: 110 - Pretty Wild Things - by Submitted on May 05, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldOk, I didn’t actually plant fleabane, but so what! It’s here, it’s blooming and it blends beautifully with the orange daylilies. There is a long list of wild flowers that earned their rightful spot into the flower border, many of which have been bequeathed to us as components of the vintage ...
Views: 118 - A Celebration of the Sun - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThere are many traditions, myths and folk tales associated with the summer solstice, many of which involve the herbs and plants that bloom around this time and whose medicinal and aromatic properties are said to be enhanced when gathered on the eve or morning of the solstice. I remember an ...
Views: 108 - The Glow of Late Afternoons - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldEverything looked radiant in the glow of the golden hour, before the sunset dimmed it to violet and blue. This surreal light quality created halos around everything, lighting up the late daffodil blossoms from inside like so many tiny lanterns. I stayed outside for as long as I could and ...
Views: 121 - Vintage Cottage Gardens - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldI have become very fond of vintage cottage garden flowers in the last few years, a sentiment which stemmed from the realization that my idea of a cottage garden is significantly different from my grandmother’s. Sure they share some staple plants, without which neither a modern nor a vintage ...
Views: 148 - A Celebration of the Sun - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThere are many traditions, myths and folk tales associated with the summer solstice, many of which involve the herbs and plants that bloom around this time and whose medicinal and aromatic properties are said to be enhanced when gathered on the eve or morning of the solstice. I remember an ...
Views: 114 - The Delightful Aromatics - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldAromatics come in two flavors: kitchen herbs and medicinals. A few herbs cross over from one category to the other, rosemary and lavender would be good examples of that, although using lavender for cooking is a bit of an acquired taste. Almost everybody has grown kitchen herbs on a sunny ...
Views: 118 - Planters - by Submitted on Mar 24, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe planters get a little tired and overgrown by the end of the summer, when the ideal combination of colors, heights and textures or their original design gives in to the whims of nature. There is beauty in that disarray, the beauty of the natural hierarchy that establishes itself outside of ...
Views: 97 - Fall Perennials - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldBy the time sedum starts to bloom autumn is not too far behind, and since every year I have the same problem, which is that the fall landscape turns into a sea of mums in every color known to man, I made a list of other perennials to get a little variety during the cooler months. Between the ...
Views: 122 - Garden in Bloom - by Submitted on Mar 18, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe one good thing about a cold spring is that the tree bloom lasts long enough to enjoy. The cherries, the dogwoods and the early magnolias covered the whole landscape in pink and white veils for over two weeks, it's very poetic. Now that good weather is finally here it brought with it the ...
Views: 119 - Garden Color Theory - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe most common harmonies in the garden are derived straight from art color theory: monochrome, complementary, triadic, and analogous. The monochrome scheme is pretty straight forward. Same color, same hue. Everywhere. The complementary scheme is one of the most used in professional ...
Views: 127 - Gardening Superstitions - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldWhen you grow up around gardening activities you're sure to internalize a few old wives tales. Some of them are backed up by science, but most are just taken on faith and passed along from one generation to the next without any reason or explanation. Here are a few. If you want a plant ...
Views: 133 - Preparing Vegetable Beds - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldMost vegetables are annual, which makes the gardener’s work to prepare their beds significantly easier. There are no roots to disturb, no bulbs to accidentally dig up. Early in spring, preferably before the vegetation starts reemerging, turn the soil to a spade’s depth, which is about twelve ...
Views: 109 - Daffodil Gardens - by Submitted on Feb 19, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldI’ve only seen daffodil gardens in public parks and plant conservatories, gardeners usually grow these lovely spring bulbs in mixed borders, where their fading foliage can be concealed by the fresh growth of the summer perennials after they are done blooming. The basic layout of a daffodil ...
Views: 128 - Perennial Borders - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldOne of the myths of gardening is that once you planted a perennial border it is set in stone and it will come back, year after year, exactly the same. That is not true at all, I look through pictures of my garden through the last few seasons and it is almost unrecognizable from one year to the ...
Views: 150 - Charming Tangle - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldIf you want a real cottage garden, don’t tame it, it is supposed to be wild, messy and overgrown, sort of jumbled together without too much focus on height hierarchy and perfect color schemes. Many of its traditional plants are tall, broad and thick and spill over railings, fences, trellises ...
Views: 139 - High Drama - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldIf you want to create drama in your garden, by all means, pick all white flowers. People don’t usually crave intensity in a cottage garden, which is a care free collection of gregarious annuals and perennials suited to comfort the spirit rather than stir it up. Most of the cottage garden ...
Views: 164 - The Garden on the Window Sill - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldWith not even half of the winter behind me I have no choice but to concentrate on the miniature garden on the window sill. Fortunately for me, the indoor plants are generous with their flowers. The African violets, the lovely ruffled cyclamens, the amaryllis, the dark begonia, even the Christmas ...
Views: 133 - The Magic Hour - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldToday I was out in the garden before dawn and I watched the crescent moon fade slowly into daylight as carpets of clouds moved very fast across the sky. Slowly the birds and the moths started to emerge from their nightly hideouts, eager to catch an early meal before the morning rush. The ...
Views: 134 - All Things Lucky and Green - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldIt seems fitting, now at the end of the year, to make a list of plants that bring luck, you know, just in case. Let’s start with the classics: lavender and roses. No garden should be without them - lavender for luck, roses for love. Honesty and sage attract prosperity to the household. It ...
Views: 196 - Cooking with Roses - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldWhere I grew up, roses belonged in the pantry. Between the rose preserves, the rose syrups, and the rose water in pastry dough, the aristocratic flowers doubled up as bona fide cooking ingredients. What do roses taste like? They are a bit of an acquired taste. Rose preserves are extremely ...
Views: 167 - Bells of Ireland - by Submitted on Dec 17, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldHave you ever had this sinking feeling, when you want to try a plant you’ve never grown before and you look at the beautiful photos on the seed packet, that there is absolutely no way this botanical wonder will ever grow in your garden? I’m not one to dismiss instinct, it is usually based on ...
Views: 160 - Medicinal Herbs - by Submitted on Dec 08, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldThe first time I saw an herb garden in a public park I asked myself what was the point of it? The fact that it occupied a small nook in the middle of the rose garden, at a time when all the roses were in bloom, didn’t help its cause very much. I know better now. Of course, I selected the ...
Views: 197 - Crop Rotation - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldCrop rotation requires a lot more space than is usually available in a backyard, but I can discuss it in concept. It is a natural gardening method that allows the soil to maintain its balance, so it doesn’t get depleted over time due to the repeated cultivation of a crop that makes heavy use of ...
Views: 186 - The Dormant Garden - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldIf you were wondering what happens to your perennials during their winter hibernation, here goes. At the approach of winter they transform the sugars developed through photosynthesis into starch, which they can store inside their roots long term and use during the winter in the same way ...
Views: 159 - Bulb Propagation - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldIf you love root division you’ll be happy to know that it works for bulbs too, via scaling, slicing, scooping and scoring. Scaling is a propagation method that seems almost custom designed for lilies, whose bulbs “bloom” naturally, turning them into tiny clusters that look like artichokes. ...
Views: 170 - Propagating Plants from Cuttings - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldStem, root or leaf cuttings are the nursery standard for the propagation of perennials, especially those whose clumps grow woody with time. The benefit of this method is that the young plants are true clones of their parents. Leaf cutting is the simplest and most miraculous of the methods. It ...
Views: 191 - White Fragrance - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldYou would think that the white fleshy flowers that have a heavy, almost overbearing fragrance would be the easiest to extract perfume from, but it is the very opposite: lilies, gardenias, lily of the valley, tuberoses, honeysuckle, and jasmine are notoriously difficult to pin down scent wise, as ...
Views: 168 - What Plants Need to Thrive - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldIf you ever drove by a flower meadow in the middle of summer, you must have realized that plants handle themselves very well without human assistance, as they’ve always done. The gardener is only there to cheer them along. A plant needs three things to thrive: sunlight, water and a proper ...
Views: 156 - Magic Hour - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldToday I was out in the garden before dawn and I watched the crescent moon fade slowly into daylight as carpets of clouds moved very fast across the sky. Slowly the birds and the moths started to emerge from their nightly hideouts, eager to catch an early meal before the morning rush. The ...
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