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Articles from Francis Rosenfeld | Selfgrowth.com
- Beautiful Flowers to Plant in the Shade - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldThe shade border rests at the end of summer, when it gets too warm and too dry for its taste. Since this summer was cool and rainy, the plants maintained the exuberant growth of early spring. The hostas are lush and full, the begonias are in full bloom and the toad lilies have doubled in ...
Views: 576 - Perennial Gardens - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldA perennial garden is an aggregate entity, not a discrete collection of plants. There is a surprising amount of interdependency that needs to develop between the neighboring plants, an adjustment that takes years and happens mostly underground. By the time a perennial garden gets fully ...
Views: 576(1 vote) - 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: 573 - Black Cohosh - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldBlack Cohosh has everything a shade gardener can dream of. It grows six to eight feet tall and produces these almost surreal wands of rosy white fuzzy flowers that smell like honey and bloom abundantly against the background of its strikingly dark foliage in full shade from mid-summer to the end ...
Views: 572 - Garden Phlox - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldGarden phlox makes a big impact in the garden, it grows over five foot tall and its clumps get larger as it becomes established. Even one or two of them can brighten up a garden, especially when nothing else is in bloom. This feature is particularly valuable towards the end of summer, when the ...
Views: 572 - Harvesting Seeds - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldCleome is a prolific self seeder. I gathered close to half a pound of seeds off of it last summer, and it still managed to populate the flower bed for the following year. It is beautiful, even though its flowers are a lot more subdued this year. Here’s the drawback: the original plants were ...
Views: 572 - Summer bulbs - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2015 from Francis RosenfeldIf you thought starting plants indoors worked for seed alone, think again. You can give your summer bulbs a good start by planting them inside in a pot four to six weeks before the last frost and transplanting them outdoors when weather permits. Tuberous begonias, callas and caladiums will ...
Views: 572 - Rose Geranium Oil - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldRose geranium essential oil has been a staple ingredient for perfumery and skin care for a very long time. Just like its regular counterpart, the rose oil, it is very useful for mature skin, because it moisturizes it and helps restore its elasticity. There are many benefits associated with the ...
Views: 571 - Waiting for Violets - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2017 from Francis RosenfeldEvery summer I plan to thin the violets and every summer I change my mind at the last minute, and this picture is the reason why. How can I pull these delicate flowers that cover the earth in spring in every shade of blue between aqua and indigo? Sweet violets are to the flower bed what Pac-Man ...
Views: 571 - Charming in the Shade - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldShade gardening grew on me, literally. I don’t know how fast trees grow, but it’s fast enough and those lovely giants of the vegetal world can cover a lot of territory, both above ground and below. That’s how I ended up with every flavor of shade known to horticulture. In this situation, if ...
Views: 570 - Enchanted Autumn - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2016 from Francis RosenfeldThe beginning of fall usually saddens me, but not this year, I don't know why, for some reason even the cold rain, the wispy fog and the chilly mornings feel soft, like an embrace. The garden doesn't look sad either, it doesn't don the scraggly, despair driven appearance that usually accompanies ...
Views: 570 - How to Attract Bees to Your Garden - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldI love watching bees swarm the stonecrops on nice sunny afternoons. If a garden is thriving, the bees will come to visit, but if you want to entice them further, here are a few pointers. Avoid using insecticides, pesticides or harsh fertilizers. Bees like tiny flowers that make it easier ...
Views: 569 - Tinctures - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldTinctures preserve the active compounds of plants indefinitely, or at least long enough for one to feel that way. A good tincture should last for twenty years if stored in a cool dry place away from the sunlight. Tincture bottles are amber or dark blue on purpose, to keep out ultraviolet light ...
Views: 569 - 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: 568 - August Flowers - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldThere is not much going on in the garden after mother nature rained and stormed and puffed the flower beds away. I spent the most part of yesterday cleaning up broken branches as thick as my arm that were strewn about the lawn, blocking access to my favorite spot in the back yard and ...
Views: 566 - 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: 564 - 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: 563 - Hellebores - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldHellebores are woodland plants, perfect to grow under the canopy of deciduous trees. They prefer alkaline soils - keep them away from pine trees - are adapted to the colder climate zones and are the first flowers in the garden, blooming as early as January during mild winters. They keep their ...
Views: 562 - Aromatic - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldA trip to the herb border in mid-summer is pure aromatherapy: the lemon verbena in the picture, for instance, smells so much like citrus it's used instead of lemons to flavor seafood dishes. During a sultry summer afternoon the herb garden is a symphony of scents: the lingering persistence of ...
Views: 561 - Very Early Violets - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldThe blooming violets are such a wonderful surprise, especially after last week’s arctic blast. They are very resilient plants, violets, a feature that delights at the beginning of spring and exasperates in the middle of summer, when they greedily take over the flower beds. They have a lot of ...
Views: 561 - Old Garden Roses - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThe old garden roses are a proud tradition among rosarians, because they have a long history. These are the roses cultivated before the creation of the first modern hybrids - the gallicas, the damasks, the albas and the centifolias and the mosses. They have been immortalized in the ...
Views: 560 - Container Garden Companions - by Submitted on Aug 04, 2021 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: 558 - What's an Eggplant Worth? - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldI’ve been growing vegetables in my little garden for over ten years, and one may wonder what is the benefit of waiting four whole months to get an eggplant when there is a whole stand of them at the grocery store all the time, even in the middle of winter. What happens is that every year, ...
Views: 558 - Green Flowers - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2020 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 ...
Views: 556 - The Scent of Heliotrope - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThere is something very sweet and nostalgic about this plant, with which I got acquainted in literary works before we met in real life. What is it that I find so fascinating about heliotrope? I don't know. Maybe it's its deep purple flowers that glow like gems wrapped in dark foliage, maybe ...
Views: 556 - 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: 555 - All the Flowers of Spring - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldUsually around this time of year I start to panic, look around and wonder where everything went? Where are the flowers, where is the order, how am I ever going to dig myself out of the mountain of debris that becomes the fall garden. This is when I find it useful to revisit pictures from seasons ...
Views: 554 - Freezing Rain - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldHow does one use freezing rain in a sentence without spoiling everyone's mood? I heard it, early in the morning, while it was still dark outside, the sound you can't mistake for anything else other than maybe sandblasting. Ice pellets. Nice! With that the last of the annuals abandoned the ...
Views: 554 - 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: 554 - Eighteen and Snowing - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI woke up this morning to a wispy snow flurry, the thin and icy kind that comes about when temperatures drop too low. Eighteen degrees, to be precise. It settled, unsure, in a thin, powdery layer that still lets the ground show through. I almost hesitated to disturb the pristine cover when I ...
Views: 553 - 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: 553 - All Summer's Glory - by Submitted on Jul 18, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThere is a time around the middle of July when the garden looks absolutely resplendent. It feels like every flower is in bloom, competing for attention. The late spring blooms haven’t faded yet and the some of the late summer ones decide to show up early, so there is a surreal mix of seasons ...
Views: 551 - Gardening by the Moon - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldGardening by the moon is a bit of a contentious subject among farmers and gardeners; some swear by it and find it very useful in their practice while others dismiss it as total hooey. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m only talking about it in the abstract. The basic tenet behind the practice is ...
Views: 551 - Maltese Cross - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldLegend has it that the Knights of Malta where so impressed with this plant, whose four petaled bright red flowers reminded them of their crest, that they brought it home when they returned from the crusades; it has been a cottage garden staple ever since. The plant has many names, some of ...
Views: 551 - 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: 550 - 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: 546 - Roses - by Submitted on May 28, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldOnce the rose enchants you you become a life time devotee. In all fairness who can deny this blossom anything, I mean anything, really? For what other flower would you suffer through the scratches and the winter protection and the constant fending off of beetles and blackspot and the capricious ...
Views: 541 - About Gardening - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI’ve been growing vegetables in my little garden for over ten years, and one may wonder what is the benefit of waiting four whole months to get an eggplant when there is a whole stand of them at the grocery store all the time, even in the middle of winter. What happens is that every year, ...
Views: 540 - Open Fields - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe familiar jumble of the cottage garden has evolved from a strange mix of prairie and woodland natives. I say strange because dame’s rocket and cone flowers require very different conditions and yet they happily coexist in the sunny border like they were meant to grow together. Their care ...
Views: 540 - Bee Trivia - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldThere must be a hive somewhere in the neighborhood, because bees visit my garden very often, to gather nectar from their favorite flowers. Sedums produce an abundance of it, and their small flowers make an insect's work a little easier. Did you know that a worker bee lives just forty days ...
Views: 539 - Grasses - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldI felt kind of guilty to see that the grass had gone to seed on my lawn, but then I saw it ripen in a lot of other places and relaxed, it seems the combination of warmth and plentiful rain gave it the oomph to grow wild this year. Because we're used to seeing it in its domesticated form - the ...
Views: 539 - 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: 539 - 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: 538 - Bulb Propagation - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2019 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: 537 - The Secret Lives of Plants - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldIf you ever watched a time lapse footage of a plant you can’t see the botanical world the same again. Nobody questions the fact that plants are living entities, but since their lives unfold at a speed so much slower than our own, one gets it intellectually, but rarely at gut level. The most ...
Views: 536 - Good Bones - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldSuccessful winter garden design relies on color and structure. Winter gardens are minimalist, they need good bones to make up for the missing greenery. Strong trees with well defined shapes and interesting bark, artful topiary, even tall pampas grasses or colorful seed heads can provide that ...
Views: 533 - 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: 532 - Bundled Indoors - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldSnow arrived, as promised, and blanketed a rather drab decor with a fresh coat of white. I’m bundled indoors, cozy next to the fireplace and a thick pile of flower catalogs: the summer bulbs are here. What’s featured in the glossy pages? Gladioli, every breed of lily in existence and ...
Views: 531 - June Tangerine or How to Care for Daylilies - by Submitted on Jul 23, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldThe day lilies came with the house and they were already established when we moved in, so I didn’t pay much attention to their care. It showed. I used to take day lilies for granted because they are so ubiquitous in public and commercial outdoor spaces people see them as care free. That they ...
Views: 528 - My Back Yard Beauty - by Submitted on Nov 24, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldMy beautiful is preparing for winter and there's not much I can do about it so I'm starting next year's planning early. There are never enough annuals or spring bulbs, so those are definitely on the list, especially for the new garden I started early this summer and which, with loving care, I ...
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