Dorothy Gilman

Dorothy Gilman writes about gardening and the outdoors for The Belmont Voice.

Garden Gems: Purple Love Grass is the Perfect Perennial

August 26, 2024
In this summer of extremes—drench, drought, horrible heat—many plants in my garden have struggled. But one of them, purple love grass, Eragrostis spectabilis, has taken it all in beautiful stride. Purple love grass is an easy to grow, low-maintenance, perennial bunchgrass. It…

Garden Gems: You Can Grow Cactus in New England

August 9, 2024
Years ago, when shopping for rock garden plants at my local nursery, I was surprised to find a cactus, eastern prickly pear, Opuntia humifusa, on offer. The notion of growing cactus in my east coast garden, some 2,500 miles from the nearest…

Garden Gems: Mayapples, Bumblebees, and Box Turtles

June 9, 2024
Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, are an interesting native woodland plant. Their wide (around one foot) deeply lobed leaves are carried singly or in pairs on 12 to 15-inch stems; a group of them resembles an encampment of green umbrellas, rather like an illustration…