Plant lust

Returning to the issue of plant lust (and that really is what my plant-aholic pals and I call it: plant lust) – I guess it’s really not so different from other collectors’ obsessions. Except our collectibles are living, and require various levels of ongoing maintenance. And replacement, if you’re not so good about the maintenance part or if the plant simply lives out its lifespan.

Northern Dutchess Botanical Gardens (on the outskirts of Rhinebeck) is one of my favorite spots for picking up plants in the area. It’s a little hard to find but well worth the hunt – they have exceptional perennials and every year seem to be more adventurous in the varieties of heirloom vegetable seedlings they grow. My interest is mostly with edible plants but this nursery also turned out to have a great collection the year I developed a coleus obsession and was trying to find every variation available of this highly ornamental plant with bright variegated foliage.