Dorothy Biddle was a pioneer in the world of American flower arranging, traveling around the country by bus and train from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, encouraging Americans everywhere to grow and arrange their own flowers. Her legacy lives on today in her company, Dorothy Biddle Service, run by her granddaughter, which continues to sell flower arranging supplies—now on the Internet.
Up in Cape Cod, the rhododendrons are in full bloom at the annual Heritage Museums & Gardens Rhododendrons Festival. Home to two noted hybridizers—Charles Owen Dexter and Jack Cowles—the garden is a great place to see the many new varieties in bloom. A new and dramatic water element—the Flume Fountain—and a new children's garden are also worth visiting for their unusual landcaping.
A weed-covered lot in Southern California, owned by Caltrans, is completely redone by a couple who live adjacent to the garden, complete with native varieties, a citrus grove, and hundreds of new plants, creating a Mediterranean idyll.
My snapshots from Paris! A peek at the flower market, various florists and their bouquets, the flea market, and more!
Thistles on the fireplace, poppies atop the columns, lilies in the windows—these are the organic designs that defined the style of Chicago architect George Washington Maher (1864-1926).
Near Cape Town, a farmstead hotel restores gardens and spirits.
A photographic tour of the beautiful gardens of two Sri Lankan brothers: architect Geoffrey Bawa's Lunuganga, an English-style folly, and Bevis Bawa's Brief Garden, an unusual series of jungle garden rooms.
London-based artist Zadok Ben-David makes flowers and trees out of cut metal, including his best-known pieces, which feature intricate flowers, modeled after Victorian illustrations.
Iraqi Kurdistan, a region in northern Mesopotamia, is home to mountains, steppes, and pastures that were part of the Fertile Crescent: the birthplace of agriculture—and, indeed, civilization. There, ancient farmers nurtured a wealth of crops that would become staples throughout the world. Today, after years of wars and sanctions, Kurdistan is reengaging its land. As it negotiates the challenges of a new era, native plants and crops remain a defining feature of the landscape and people—how long can the agricultural heritage last?
Arizona artist Kathy Klein gathers natural materials to design circular arrangements in situ. After photographing her work, she walks away. The colorful medallions are now ephemeral gifts for whoever comes along.
