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04.05.2024 - 13:03 / awaytogarden.com / margaret
THE AREA around Philadelphia is well known for its richness of public gardens, including many historic ones. But the region is also home to an impressive roster of distinctive private landscapes from formal 19th century European-style estates to mid-century modern residences and contemporary ones. Now, a new book takes us inside the gates of 21 of them, places filled with ideas for our own gardens maybe, too.
“Private Gardens of Philadelphia” (affiliate link) is the new book from garden writer Nicole Juday and photographer Rob Cardillo, both of them Pennsylvania gardeners in their own right. Its pages welcome us into a rich world of horticulture and landscape architecture, and they shared with me some of what they saw and learned in creating the book.
Plus: Enter to win a copy of the book by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page.
Read along as you listen to the May 6, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
Margaret Roach: Oh, boy, there’s just so much beauty and so much to learn from reading and looking at the book. So just to get started, I keep wondering why this area around Philadelphia?[Laughter.] Because I mean, not long ago I read a book about the DuPont family gardens in the Brandywine Valley, in that same area, and now here’s your book.
And what are the forces that you guys think made this area so horticulturally rich? I know in the book you say something like, “It’s the northernmost southern city, and the southernmost northern city.” That made me laugh (and I wondered if I was going to be
If you love something, make it flat—that’s how the saying goes, right? When it comes to flat croissants, at least, that’s definitely the case. We all know (and love) the classic flaky croissant, but bakeries and home chefs have taken the pastry to new heights (or lows?) by flattening it and frying it to make it even crispier.
Like many northern gardeners, I had red-hot poker envy for many years but ruled out growing them because of their iffy -chances of surviving winter in my region. However, I am very excited about some of the newer Kniphofia introductions we are growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Being able to overwinter a South African plant in the Midwest is pretty cool, right?
Tested by Mark Dwyer
Cucumbers are among the most popular crops for home gardeners. They’re easy to grow and just a handful of vines can provide enough cucumbers for fresh eating from mid-summer through late fall. But proper cucumber plant spacing can mean the difference between healthy, productive plants and disease ridden, low yielding ones. Let’s take a look at how far apart to plant cucumbers based on your growing technique and the method you use to plant them. Why properly spacing cucumber plants matters Before we dive into the details on proper plant spacing for cucumbers, let’s take a
TODAY’S TOPIC is orchids, but not the ones you might be growing as a flowering houseplant. Our subject is native terrestrial types that are more often than not under great pressure in the wild, their numbers dwindling.
Summer Perennial Bed with Mighty Chestnut Daylily 'Mighty Chestnut' daylily is a mighty fine addition to summer perennial beds. Add colorful perennials to summer-blooming beds
How to Plant and Grow Parris Island Cos Lettuce Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island Cos’
How to Plant and Grow Scarlet Runner Beans Phaseolus coccineus
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are among the most popular herbs for home gardeners to grow. They are easy to plant and care for, and since they are a hardy perennial, they return to the garden year after year. The fragrant and flavorful leaves of the chive plant are delicious to people, but the deer and rabbits leave them alone. To add yet another benefit, chive flowers are a favorite nectar source for many of the pollinators who also help pollinate other edible crops. Learning how to harvest chives for use in the kitchen is key to enjoying this easy-to-grow herb. Let’s take a look at several different ways to harvest chives for both fresh use and for preservation. The best time to harvest chives Before we get to the information on how to harvest chives, it’s important to understand
Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance.