Along the southern boundary of the back half of the rear garden is a shallow depression that runs a hundred feet or more to the back of the property. From beneath the concrete footer of the garden shed a damp weather spring emanates, and in much of the year water runs through this low area,…
Month: August 2013
The little salvia that could
I think I said it wouldn’t happen, not that it couldn’t. I believe that I hedged, thinking it wasn’t impossible, just unlikely that the ‘Black and Blue’ salvia (Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, below) would find its way out from under the wide spreading paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysanthus). When I planted the salvia several years ago…
Summer blooms come and gone
For years I grew a handful of varieties of dahlias. I was particularly fond of the dark leafed types with single flowers, and mostly I avoided those with oversized and double blooms that seem a little garish to me. Dahlias are not cold hardy in my garden, so the tubers required lifting and overwintering in…
Quack, quack
When the large pond in the rear garden was first constructed it was dug deep enough so that I could take an occasional dip in it on a hot summer afternoon. Despite recommendations by pond references to the contrary, I stocked the pond with ten small, inexpensive koi and two goldfish that were transferred from…
A delightful August
August is typically the month that drags this gardener’s spirits to their lowest point. Even in the starkness of winter there are blooms that spark some enthusiasm that spring is near, but in August the cumulative effect of summer’s heat stresses the most vigorous plants. Many perennials are bedraggled, and trees often drop foliage and…
Passion flowers in August
The hybrid purple passionflower vine (below) perished over the winter. Last year, it grew vigorously to the top of a wrought iron cage and into the neighboring paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysanthus) by summer’s end, and there were many small flowers, but perhaps this spot on the low side of the garden was too wet through the…
It seemed like a good idea at the time
From my occasional recollections, I suppose a reader could get the impression that this garden is an endless series of disasters and missteps, but I can assure you that the contrary is more the case. Yes, there are disappointments, but few, and mostly the garden is the source of boundless satisfaction. A few days ago…
Late summer flowering hydrangeas
I grew the smooth hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, below) in a previous garden with reasonable success, but had no inclination to plant another when this new garden was begun twenty some years ago. The large white blooms were striking, but the lower branches flopped into the mud whenever it rained, and often did not…
New and better?
A benefit of traveling to visit nurseries growing next year’s plants is the opportunity to evaluate new introductions and others that are a few years off from being ready for market. Sometimes these are old plants that have been reintroduced, but others are hybrids or sports (mutations) that are new and different (though not always…
A bit unusual
A year ago the Seven Son tree (Heptacodium miconioides, below) was ripped from the ground in a violent summer storm. Unfortunately, it was not uprooted, for trees with roots intact can sometimes be replanted successfully. The manner of the Seven Son is to grow quickly and decidedly top heavy, so when the winds blew the…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 