Slate Magazine - Gardening

How the Bloomerang hybrid is ruining lilac season.

Bradford McKee — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:44:37 EST

People who love lilacs know a certain urgency, for the flowers don't last long. At the nursery where I've worked on and off for seven years, there are always customers who reliably march in during the spring on a lilac mission. When I show them to the lilac aisle—the store usually carries a few of the hundreds of known varieties—customers tend to sniff them with eyes closed, swoon, and say something like, "My mother had these." I know what they mean. My mother had them, too. When I was a kid, we had a lilac out back that was 20 feet high and probably a good deal older than my mother herself. Cutting the flowers was a certified rite of spring. So I can attest that when lilacs bloom, so do vague but welcome memories.

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A garden coach can jump-start your vegetable patch.

Constance Casey — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:22:48 EST

"There are several ways to lay out a little garden; the best way is to get a gardener."

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The benefits of evidence-based gardening.

Constance Casey — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:01:56 EST

Confronted with huge, uncontrollable forces, we tend to fall back on magical thinking. Say a goat was sacrificed on the volcano rim last year and lava did not engulf the village. It must follow that this year some poor goat is doomed.

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Prepping your garden's soil for spring planting.

Constance Casey — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:55:40 EST

The driest, dullest entry in almost any garden how-to book is the advice on soil. It's a shame: The tale of soil is full of weird characters and fascinating processes we understand barely, if at all. It's also unfortunate because soil is the single most important factor determining success in your garden. Right now, this autumn minute, is the time to improve your soil. Right now, conveniently enough, is when you have a free supply of the ideal soil conditioner—fallen leaves.

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The benefits of autumn planting.

Constance Casey — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:45:11 EST

The landscape around us is obviously winding down as the days grow colder and the nights get longer. Mid-to-late fall sees most of the plant world going from mellow to muted to moribund. But, contrary though it seems, this is the best time of the year to plant new things and to work in the garden.

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