headstart on begonias and more tender bulbs; letter #2 on aging (my old car!)

The primitive cellar of my old house has the usual features: a furnace, water heater and such. But resident down there in winter is also my sleeping collection of tender bulbs -- begonias, cannas, and more -- some of the most rewarding, exciting and cost-effective garden "annuals." Collector Dugald Cameron shares tricks for growing and storing them, especially tuberous begonias, the best long-flowering substitutes in shady spots for impatiens, which have been under such disease pressure lately. Get started now!

dear old (love, older): oh, my aging car!

The second letter in a series with a friend on aging begins like this: "I guess we need to have a serious talk about cars next, Katrina, because I keep flashing back to one particular image of your recent visit since you drove off the other day. Both our aging silver-gray cars were pointed down the driveway, you following me, as we headed out to our next destination. We couldn't have staged a more symbolic picture if we'd tried." Keep reading.

did you miss it last time?

Margaret Roach
A Way to Garden

P.S. -- I'm having trouble letting go of my 10-year-old Saab, my fifth one. The first I ever drove was a vintage peach that got me hooked, and inside it looked like this: