SprottHaus: A Gardener's Journey

I had an unexpected emotional setback today.  It wasn't anything horrific or horrible, or anything else that starts with h-o-r-r.  It was just... well, unexpected.  And from a fragrance , of all things.   It's no secret to those who know me well that winter in the garden is my favorite time.  This was especially true when I was in charge of Elizabeth ("Libba") Lawrence's garden, as she literally wrote the book on Gardens in Winter (Claitor's, 1977), and her living legacy showcased some magical hibernal botanical treasures.   Actually, I never really thought about gardens in winter prior to curating Libba's garden.  Before I read her book, I never knew there were bulbs or perennials or shrubs (other than Forsythia ) that reliably bloom in December, January, or February.   One of the most frequently asked questions I received from visitors was, "When is the BEST time to come see the garden?"  To which I always enthusiastically r...

I don't make personal New Year's resolutions anymore.  I used to, but I never was very good with the whole self discipline thing, so my "new and improved" habits didn't tend to last much more than a couple of weeks or a month.  Maybe two. In more recent years, I found myself making mental promises (okay, resolutions ) to remember to do all-the-things-you-should-be-doing-in-your-garden-at-the-proper-time... not for my own garden, but for Elizabeth Lawrence's, of which I was primary caretaker from November 2010 through March 2024. I must admit that I did a better job of keeping those resolutions than any I'd made for myself personally, but there were always tasks that fell through the cracks or were forgotten.  For a long time, I carried the foggy weight of guilt of those discarded good intentions.  That is, until I read this: "This January, I have added a new resolution to the old promises to get behind my garden sins; the new one is to take time to e...