1. Today in the Garden of a Lifetime: Lively in the Vase
(A Gardening Journal)

...  For New Year's Day, I put stems of giant pussy willow and southern magnolia in a large vase, then left them alone to cool their heels clear into mid-February. By yesterday, both were still lively—a ...

2. The Best Spring Ever: Giant Pussy Willow in Bloom
(A Gardening Journal)

What's so big about the so-called giant pussy willow? All Winter long, each of its nascent pussies is covered by a mahogany-colored scale as large as a kernel of corn. Showy? Oh my, yes—but not giant ...

3. Today in the Garden of a Lifetime: Dead-of-Winter Vase
(A Gardening Journal)

Not even witch hazel is in flower. Snow drops may well be out but, since they're buried beneath a foot or two of snow, who can tell? With such deep and sustained cold, the expression "dead of Winter" ...

4. Giant Pussy Willow
(A Gardening Journal)

Giant pussy willow's biggest show is the bright red-mahogany covering that protects the pussies before they emerge.  These bud-scales' combination of size and color is unique in willows, and mak ...