Spotting of foliage of the red horse chestnut seems unavoidable by midsummer. Probably, a regimen of fungicides would prevent this annual plague, but instead I must recall its most glorious spring days and know that the disfiguring spots will not deter their return. Certainly, the severe spotting might persuade against planting the horse chestnut, but…

This Seven Son tree’s (Heptacodium miconioides) meager blooms are excused by it’s small size (planted a year ago), but the still sprawling shrub has made considerable summer progress. Three branches have turned upright, as hoped when I wondered how a tree could be formed from only horizontal stems. Today, I see the path, and with…

Inches of rain have fallen over this past week, so of course I can now cease whining about this summer’s dryness. I will not jump into complaints about the garden’s wetness, at least not yet. A before and after might reveal stark differences between the stress of summer heat and dryness, and the relief following…

Sightings of hummingbirds are more frequent this summer, though I cannot tell if one makes multiple appearances or if their numbers are greatly increased. I see slight differences in size, I think, so I presume there are more than one, and from only occasional sightings in prior years hummingbirds are now seen on the patio…

Yellow wax bells (Kirengshoma palmata, below) should not be at the top of a gardeners’ must-have list, I think, but in early spring I scoured online plant listings to find this pleasant but unremarkable summer bloomer with large, maple-like foliage. Finally, I found a single source, and purchased three. One planted years ago survives, but…

Gusts from an incoming thunderstorm have dislodged many of the large, seed bearing fruits of the Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla, below), I suspect before the seed has ripened. It is not unusual for many of the heavy fruit to be torn from the tree in summer storms, and occasionally branch tips are severed to ride…

A ‘Golden Showers’ Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia ‘Golden Showers’, below) is off to a good start despite its miniscule size upon delivery and extreme heat that set in shortly after it was planted. Certainly, I do not have the patience for a tree this small, but the yellow, variegated leaf dogwood is jammed into a…

There are many problems in the garden, but none that are unusual or overly concerning. No doubt, a certain decline from the lushness of spring is expected with the heat of summer. A few Japanese beetles were spotted early in summer, but now there are none on the Ostrich ferns, or elsewhere. No other beast…

In recent years, native Joe Pye weeds (Eutrochium purpureum, formerly known as Eupatorium) and a patch of cattails have invaded the perimeter of the koi pond, lending additional wildness to this untamed water feature. Long ago I would float and sometimes snooze on the pond, but then Northern Brown water snakes took up residence along…

Thankfully, recent thunderstorms have somewhat renewed the garden’s vigor, though the standard for the summer garden is low. There are numerous flowers and uncountable pollinators. Alone, the wide spreading patch of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum, below) invites so many of a variety of bees that butterflies cautiously steer clear. Swallowtails feast on the last of…

I’ve been twice frustrated by losses of sweet ferns (Comptonia peregrina, below) in the garden. The reasons are uncertain, though I suspect positioning in too much sun and unsurprisingly, too little moisture. I first became curious about sweet fern seeing several shrubs at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Sweet shrub is notable mostly because it is…