Cornelia Oberlander, a Farseeing Landscape Architect, Dies at 99
Her acclaimed modernist but naturalist designs recognized the fragility of the climate and the social effects of parks and playgrounds.
Cornelia Oberlander in an orchard on her Vancouver property in 1989. “The longing for nature is built into our genes,” she said. “That is the driving force behind my work.”Credit.Kiku Hawkes
June 9, 2021Updated 4:56 p.m. ET
Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, a German-born Canadian landscape architect who blended naturalistic designs with modernist ideals and recognized early on the urgency of climate change, designing public spaces to mitigate its effects, died on May 22 in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was 99.
Can This Houseplant Be Saved?
It’s been a long winter, and your plants could use a little love or maybe a complete overhaul. Here’s what to do.
Cuttings of Darryl Cheng’s snake plants (Sansevieria) have been rooting in water for several months, to varied success. It could take a year or more to get a six-inch pot full of leaves from a few cuttings.Credit.Darryl Cheng
By Margaret Roach
May 26, 2021, 6:00 a.m. ET
I just moved my houseplants back outside, after an interminable winter of low-humidity, low-light indoor torture, and some are the worse for wear particularly one long-cherished fancy-leaf begonia.
If You Think You Know What a Fern Is, Think Again
Some live in water; others grow on trees. In 400 million years, these versatile plants have developed some surprising variations.
The 12- to 18-inch-tall Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum Pictum) are the most colorful ferns. Their foliage is very variable, from silvery-gray to burgundy, so choose carefully among the many named varieties.Credit.Shutterstock
By Margaret Roach
May 19, 2021
If you want suggestions of ferns to use as ground cover in shady spots, where you are probably already growing some, Mobee Weinstein has a list for you. But many of her ideas about making room for ferns in your life are less expected and even the ground-covering types she recommends may be unfamiliar.