Exemplifying glorious disarray, if not wild abandon, is a little known valley in South East Kent known as The American Garden. You won’t find it in any guide book, and without a decent map you may not locate it at all. However, during the month of May you’ll find The American Garden open each weekend from 2-5.30pm. I’d urge you to make the detour and immerse yourself in its dank, dark, yet exuberant depths. It is little known, receives no subsidy, isn’t RHS or anything like that – but is the MOST GLORIOUS RHODODENDRON and AZALEA spot I have ever seen, for myself. TOTALLY ‘UNSPOILED’ one hardly has time to draw breath, as one moves through this heavenly valley of unsurpassed floral beauty! It “beggars belief’ that around each corner as you walk through this garden, you discover yet another “breathtaking” display of glorious, colourful, mind blowing blooms ! The whole aura here “pervades your senses”– transcending anything worldly, leaving you suspended in nature and the “wonder” of it! I guess the true lovers of this garden experience “covet” their own discovery of it – to such an extent, that we don’t seek to publicise its’ existence, selfishly hoping it will retain its’‘magic’ and never “be discovered” by commercialism. Keep it a secret 😷 or allow word-of-mouth to suffice.

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Add to the beauty of your landscape by dividing your own plants to create an impact with masses of identical offspring. In Defense of the Freedom to Garden by Marianne Willburn Out of print since 1856, The American Gardener is perhaps the first classic work of American gardening literature. In it, William Cobbett, Victorian England’s greatest and most gifted journalist, draws upon his experiences during a two-year exile on a Long Island, New York, farm to lay out the rudiments of gardening for American farmers and, ultimately, to tailor principles developed in wet, drippy, weed-prone British gardens to their fine, sun-drenched counterparts in America. Full of practical knowledge memorably imparted with Cobbett’s gift for the indelible phrase, The American Gardener offers advice still useful today on all aspects of gardening, with special attention to those plants successful in the New World, including the artichoke (“indeed, a thistle upon a gigantic scale”) and the increasingly ubiquitous potato. Rediscovered 180 years after its composition, The American Gardener is evidence of a great mind and pen at work in the earliest days of American gardens.

This membership level provides you with all the benefits listed above plus up to 2 membership cards Conservationist Danae Wolfe discusses the importance of moths in the ecosystem. Gifts for Gardeners Add exotic flair to your kitchen and garden with these delicious and attractive tropical herbs. Outstanding Conifers by Rita Pelczar My first ever visit to The American Garden yesterday (05/22) drew me to read a bit about it – thank you for that info. Save 30% on gardening books from Princeton University Press, including The Gardener’s Botanical and several books focused on pollinator gardening.In many residential areas governed by community associations, cookie-cutter landscapes are the norm, which limits the role of gardening’s role as a source of individual and cultural expression. Highlights from our Departments News from the AHS Geared toward the environmentally caring gardener, it’s a must-read for serious gardenistas.”— Nancy Szerlag, The Detroit News

The LA Green Grounds Teaching Garden brings the world together in South Los Angeles. Captivating Toad Lilies by Bill Johnson Discounted or free admission at select flower and garden shows where the AHS is presenting Environmental Awards

AHS News & Blog

Keith P. Tomlinson is the new director of the AHS, the AHS to partner with New Directions in the American Landscape in webinar series, how you can help the AHS while shopping online this holiday season, and more. Insect Insights

All articles with orange titles are open to the public to read.* Features in this Issue Gardening for Birds by Jo Ann Abell

Feature articles run 1,500 to 2,500 words, depending on subject and assignment. Freelance submissions are also encouraged for the following departments: The American Gardener is primarily freelance written, and its content differs considerably from that of other gardening publications. Our readers are mainly experienced amateur gardeners; about 20 percent are horticultural professionals. Among the topics of particular interest to us are profiles of individual plant groups; innovative approaches to garden design; profiles of prominent horticulturists whose work has a national impact; plant research and plant hunting; plant conservation, biodiversity, and heirloom gardening; events or personalities in American horticultural history; people-plant relationships (horticultural therapy, ethnobotany, and community gardening); environmentally appropriate gardening (choosing plants suited to one’s region, using native plants, conserving water, etc.); and plant lore and literature. We also seek articles that describe and show how to construct simple garden features such as ponds or paths, or illustrate useful gardening techniques such as grafting, pollarding, or propagation. All articles with orange titles are open to the public to read.* Features in this Issue Wildlife-Friendly Groundcovers by Amy Ellsworth Free admission and other discounts at more than 345 public gardens and arboreta across North America via the AHS Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP)