Brushing past Rose glorybower (Clerodendrum bungei, below), it emits a scent somewhat reminiscent of peanut butter, but more unpleasant. For this reason I have planted Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) immediately beside so that the odor can be cleansed before I resume stomping through the weeds. (In fact, the proximity of the two is purely accidental, but…
Month: October 2014
Frogs in the basement
I am wrong often enough that it stopped being a bother to me long ago, but still it hurts to be the target of too many I-told-you-so’s from my wife. Last evening I heard the news that temperatures would be dropping into the thirties overnight, so this is the time to bring in the gingers,…
Autumn foliage and more
As outdoor temperatures turn inhospitable, this should be a period for rest, and certainly I do my best to avoid chores that pile up by the day. Winter weeds have gotten off to a roaring start with ground that has remained damp for weeks, but it is the autumn accumulation of leaves that I most…
Black pennisetem
I notice that the grassy field that surrounds the nearby farm pond now consists mostly of black pennisetem (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’, below) that has displaced the long standing fescues from the relatively recent past when this property was farmland. For several years I’ve seen ‘Moudry’ encroach to line the edges of this pond, and now…
The missing clematis
Just prior to dark this evening, as clouds neared that will bring rain tonight and perhaps a deluge tomorrow, I noticed again that the sweet autumn clematis, which I considered so troublesome in recent years, is missing. Again, I say, since I now recall pulling the dead vine out of the threadbranch cypress some time…
New toad lilies have arrived
Several new toad lilies arrived in iffy condition, and this late in the season it will be spring before I know that all have survived. A note was attached from the Washington state mail order nursery that one was headed into dormancy, most likely due to recent extreme heat on the west coast, I suspect….
Jindai aster
The Tatarian daisy ‘Jindai’ (Aster tataricus ‘Jindai’) is positioned so that it is not obvious to any but the most determined explorer of this garden. One day (long ago it seems), the aster was near the front of the border garden, but then the large koi pond was constructed, and the front became the rear,…
Gardening with nature
For years my wife and I have discussed clearing a section of the forest that borders the garden. When I say that we’ve discussed this project, my wife envisions a splendid shady spot to lounge on a sweltering summer afternoon, and I imagine the additional labor required to clear and maintain this space. So, along…
Lightning strikes
It is unfortunate that I could find no better place at the time to plant ‘Lightning Strike’ toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta ‘Lightning Strike’, below) than tucked beneath a tall nandina (Nandina domestica) and beside stone steps that lead from the lower deck. Two clematis have draped themselves so that along with the leaning stems of…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 