Happy Thanksgiving From Overseas

Display of seed-grown vegetables at a flower show

Although the British don’t have a Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve been fortunate to have been invited to celebrations over the years and remember some of the treats that will be prepared for family and friends. This is the best I could offer as sympathetic magic. There are no sweet potatoes here to be mixed with pecans and brown sugar and topped with marshmallows, and no asparagus for the casserole, but anyone who had a quarter of these raw ingredients would surely feel thankful. Continue reading “Happy Thanksgiving From Overseas”

Liatris (Blazing Star)

Liatris flower border in a walled garden

Liatris is one of many showy American natives that British gardeners have taken to their hearts. Fluffy, rose-pink flowers open from button-like buds that circle a slender tower of narrow, lance-shaped leaves.

Where groups of liatris corms are planted naturalistically, the flower plumes are dramatic, reaching up and out like grounded fireworks. Continue reading “Liatris (Blazing Star)”