It may be winter outside, but in the greenhouse, it's always summer no matter what the weather. It's humid, warm and when the propane heater gets going, almost hot. I love it.

I got a big box in the mail. My postal carrier, who is a dear woman, drove it up my long driveway and honked for me to come outside. She said, "It looks like rain so I didn't want to leave this one in the box." We have a box just for packages on our fence. Keeps the dogs from tearing into them. Like Pooh Bear, I almost said, "Tut, tut . . .," but I didn't think she'd get the reference. She might even be offended. Does anyone even say "tut, tut" anymore? Probably not. Like The Little Engine That Could and The Little Red Hen (Paul Galdone Classics), Pooh's dialogue, in The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, is mostly packed in mothballs these days. Please read these stories to your children. They will remember one day and thank you for it. Claire and I were discussing the first two...

Autumn arrived at RDR this morning with a kiss from icy lips. A cold front with rain barreled through the center of the state making the roses shudder and wave their petals about in the swirling winds. This morning is chilly, and the Queens of May like it not. Poor, distressed damsels, they suffered in the hot summers of 2011 and 2012, and they want you to know the level of their discontent. Rosa 'Cramoisi Superieur' Like all mid-life beauties, they want more time. These salvia still look pretty good because they are in a protected place, but even they are beginning to show signs of a decline. The tropical plants curled in upon themselves, their foliage black as though burned. Frost spells a chilly death for them. They will soon be dust. Did you know crapemyrtles turn beautiful colors in the fall? Oaks, maples, crapemyrtles and other hardwoods sing...

Rebecca Sweet, co-author of the bestselling, Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces that I reviewed a couple of years ago, wrote another wonderful book this year. So, seven of us decided to throw Rebecca a blog party celebrating her latest horticultural achievement, Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture and Form. Rebecca is a blogger, writer and garden designer living in California, and I was lucky enough to visit her garden when the Garden Bloggers Fling went there last summer. She's been featured in many magazines and writes a regular column for Horticulture. She also writes the very popular blog, Gossip in the Garden. You can read more about her work on her company webpage, Harmony in the Garden. 'Rococo' tulips with pansies in my garden My post is an invitation to check out Rebecca's new book and see how she can help you transform your...