2017
A happy 2018 to everyone everywhere
Sunday, December 31, 2017
It’s a world full of Happy New Year. Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Laimingų Naujųjų metų! Manigong Bagong Taon! Gëzuar Vitin e Ri! سنة سعيدة! Yeni iliniz! Heri ya mwaka mpya! Buon anno! Bonne Année! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!…➤ Read More
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that Fuchsia ‘Santa Claus’ soon would be there…➤ Read More
Going kiku for autumn. The chrysanthemum festival
Sunday, November 05, 2017
What’s autumn without the chrysanthemum? Little it seems these days. But beyond the generic and ubiquitous mum balls that appear on every corner and outside every front door is the superb artistry and aching perfection of trained chrysanthemums, the Japanese kiku...➤ Read More
Overwintering potted fuchsias made simple
Wednesday, November 01, 2017
November. It’s the last gasp of the growing season in the garden. The potted fuchsias are still alive and even blooming in the waning sun. Jack Frost’s chilly breath is falling down your neck, though. It’s coming, Winter’s coming. Forecasts of cruel freezes are coming in from the weatherman. Reality. Denial won’t keep it way. What to do…➤ Read More
The fuchsia spotlight. Venus Victrix
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Fuchsia ‘Venus Victrix’ has small white-tubed flowers with white sepals tipped in an apple green. Almost tiny flowers compared to most other fuchsias. Not bad looking but ‘Venus Victrix’ is also a very finicky plant. Hard, yes. Yet the Fuchsia ‘Venus Victrix’, true to its name, is a classic….➤ Read More
Fuchsia Facts
Monday, October 02, 2017
I started #FuchsiasFacts for a bit of fuchsia fun on Twitter. It was a little hard to reduce the text down to Twitter’s old 144-character limit without leaving some, if not most, of the fuchsia fun behind. Twitter’s new standard of 280 characters is not a lot better. Something had to be done….➤ Read More
The legendary Elgin Botanic Garden
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
There are quite a number of public gardens and other worthwhile parks—big, small, and tiny even—in the greater New York area. Of course, not all of these gems are dedicated just to the fuchsia… but they're still thoroughly interesting for the visit…➤ Read More
Goodbye Fuchsia. Hello Gongylocarpus!
Saturday, April 01, 2017
Get out those label makers. Change is coming! But are you sitting down for this one? In a stunning reorganization within the Onagraceae, or Evening Primrose Family, it was announced a year ago this morning that the whole of the genus Fuchsia has been folded into a related spinster genus…➤ Read More
Holland. Flowering the World. Strolling to the finish line
Sunday, March 19, 2017
I overheard some people ask, as they were approaching the Flower Show this year, “How long does it take?” “Well,” came the answer, “You can probably do it all in in three or four hours. But that’s not counting the marketplace.” That estimate’s possibly true but…➤ Read More
Holland. Flowering the World. More! More! More!
Friday, March 17, 2017
Rested? Good. Welcome back. There’s More! More! More! So let’s continue traipsing through the tulip fields at Holland: Flowering the World…➤ Read More
Holland. Flowering the World. The exhibitors
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The portal into the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s annual indoor extravaganza of Spring is always a grand theatrical affair that sets the stage for the delights of the show. This year Holland’s Flowering the World and…➤ Read More
Holland. Flowering the 2017 Philly Flower Show
Monday, March 13, 2017
The Philadelphia Flower Show, that rite of spring, always seems to come at the right time to lift my spirits. It doesn’t matter. Long winter, short winter, cold one or mild one, this annual floral production of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society…➤ Read More
Fuchsia boliviana. Good for what ails the heart
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Fuchsia berries are very edible. For some reason this fact often surprises people. Granted some are better tasting than others. Some much better. This fact is again not surprising as most fuchsias were bred for their flowers than than…➤ Read More
Happy Lantern Festival
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Fireworks! The Chinese New Year certainly comes in with some big bangs and more than a few snap, crackle and pops. But it’s the Chinese Lantern Festival marks the last day of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. Its bright lanterns symbolize the letting go of past selves…➤ Read More