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Articles from Francis Rosenfeld | Selfgrowth.com
- Winter Blossoms - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldI wasn’t sure if I should go out into the garden and attempt to take pictures, ‘cause what are you gonna find in this climate in the middle of winter, but then I remembered the hellebores. What glorious plants they are, evergreen and blooming in January as if weather is not one of their ...
Views: 501 - 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: 500 - 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: 500 - 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: 499 - 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: 498 - 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: 498 - 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: 498(1 vote) - 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: 497 - 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: 490 - 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: 489 - 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: 489 - 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: 487 - 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: 486 - 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: 482 - 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: 482 - Purple Belles - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldYou would think that hostas, like the shade plants with broad foliage that they are, would love nothing more than a rainy summer, right? Partially. They developed luxurious foliage, and yes, the large fragrant ones did bloom, but not as abundantly as they usually do. You are looking at a picture ...
Views: 482 - What Plants Need to Thrive - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2021 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: 482 - 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: 480 - Container Gardening - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldContainer gardening sneaks up on you. You start with one potted plant and pretty soon the entire patio or balcony is covered in them, looking almost indistinguishable from the adjacent flower bed. If you have lots of plants in pots, keep them grouped. That way the containers get some ...
Views: 479 - 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: 479 - Perennial Garden - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2021 from Francis RosenfeldTwo autumns ago I started a lot of perennials from divisions: irises, daisies, garden phlox, daylilies, and this is the year for them to start blooming. Of course, this fall I forgot to move the beautiful Pink Sorbet peony, which means it’s going to spend another spring trying to dig itself out ...
Views: 478 - 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: 478 - 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: 476 - 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: 474 - 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: 473 - Geraniums for Skincare - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldAfter a streak of sunny days, mother nature decided to bring the gloom, and I never pass the opportunity gloom provides to indulge in relaxation and pampering, isn’t this what rainy days were created for? The flower buds are on the brink of opening, but it looks like they decided to wait for ...
Views: 472 - 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: 472 - November Rose - by Submitted on Dec 21, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldI was walking through the garden trying to assess what is left to do before winter descends upon us for good and I ran into a lovely surprise. My miniature rose decided to brave two killing frosts and a freezing rain and bloom in the middle of November. Contrary to popular belief roses are ...
Views: 468 - 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: 468 - 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: 462 - 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: 461 - 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: 460 - 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: 456 - 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: 454 - 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: 453 - 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: 450 - 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: 450 - 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: 448 - 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: 447 - Winterizing - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThe winter arrived, somewhat tentative but for good. Yesterday it snowed with the large and fluffy kind of flakes which form when the air is still warm. At least the garden is ready: the flower beds are mostly cleared of leaves, the bulbs are in the ground, the trellisses and the pots are ...
Views: 447 - 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: 446 - 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: 446 - Sweet Alabama - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2018 from Francis RosenfeldEven a few climate zones change the landscape completely. The gardener finds himself surrounded by a different world of flowers unknown and enduring greenery. Despite the temporary chill the flora of Alabama maintained its subtropical resilience, attuned to the fact that temperatures close to ...
Views: 446 - Ground Floors - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2019 from Francis RosenfeldThey are tiny, understated and barely a few inches above the ground, but don’t mistake their simple demeanor for meekness, they will take charge of a full area if left to their own devices: crawlers, ramblers and ground covers have the most aggressive spreading habits of the whole plant world. ...
Views: 445 - 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: 444 - 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: 441 - 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: 441 - 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: 440 - Early Spring Border - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2020 from Francis RosenfeldThe area I’m really looking forward to this year is the herb garden. I must have just the perfect soil for herbs, because they’re thriving, every one I planted doubled in size. The herb patch concept started as a wheel, but the space allocated has the wrong shape, so it follows the wild and ...
Views: 439 - 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 ...
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