I often overlook magnolias when listing the various collections of trees in the garden. No doubt, Japanese maples, redbuds, and dogwoods are favored but I suspect the number of magnolias, both deciduous and evergreen, are in the range most folks would consider fanatical. I’m certain I could not resist purchasing a six foot Siebold’s magnolia…

Presumably, I would survive a winter without flowers. But why? Little sacrifice is made to allocate a portion of the garden to winter blooms, and while most are as unremarkable as any other plant past bloom, their contributions are considerable. No inch of ground covered by hellebores or winter flowering bulbs is regretted. With layers…

I mention this as a consequence of recent hikes in nearby forests on chilly days with little green in evidence besides scattered American hollies (Ilex opaca) and Virginia junipers (Eastern redcedar, Juniperus virginiana). The forest floor is blanketed with assorted fallen leaves, mostly maples, oaks, beech, and tulip poplar, but occasionally by scattered bits of…

Having survived the first third of the dreary winter months, I will presumably outlast the chill to again greet the splendid blooms of ‘Merrill’  and ‘Royal Star’ magnolias (below) in the early weeks of March. Labor in the garden will not be required until then, though I might gain some steam to brush leaves aside…

In this December that has been quite chilly until the past week, no snowdrops have yet to  poke above ground. A year ago, several flowered in December. Not this year. Recent temperatures in the mid-teens (Fahrenheit) ended the extended period of camellias flowering that began early in October. With milder temperatures this week there’s a…

Sadly, I see that the small Wheel Tree (Trochodendron arailiodes) is suffering. I don’t know if this is a result of the heavy rain in June or the sparse rainfall since. I hope it makes it, but I won’t know until April. Already, I’m overly anxious for spring. Too anxious, with months to go before…

With apologies to Minnesota and North Dakota and other parts that are truly cold, I often must consider the varied conditions for planting within this zone 7 garden in dealing with winter temperatures. Degrees of sun and shade are easy enough, but I am often mystified when considering microclimates that can protect plants that are…

Again I’m baffled, not unusual in the garden where flowers occasionally appear in the wrong season. Plants perish and  mysteriously return to life. There are explanations, not always ones I understand. Of varied volunteer positions to help fill the hours in my retirement, working with the Horticulture Department at the local high school is the…

The days are long over when I collected plants for evaluation. For several decades I was able to offer first hand knowledge so others could make informed choices. Of course, I reveled with each acquisition for the garden, just as I do today. But now, the collections have grown into a mature garden where the…

With infrequent snowfall in northwestern Virginia I am obliged to document the garden’s blooms under the thin blanket of snow that covers the garden on this chilly afternoon. Unsurprisingly, flowers of the white ‘Autumn Rocket’ camellia (Camellia sasanqua ‘Autumn Rocket’, above) planted close beside the sunroom have survived recent dips of temperature into the low…

Occasionally, a plant of value disappears in the overgrown clutter of treasures, a consequence of too many collections and scattered attentions. Once discovered, or remembered, these are regretably lost, a category listing too many plants that have suffered due to inattention or procrastination. Now is the time that Underway mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Underway’ now…