Several frosty nights quickened the garden’s seasonal change, but this was noticeably accelerated by one night of freezing temperatures. Many hostas and several late blooming perennials have collapsed, while bees and ants remain hard at work pollinating autumn flowering camellias (below) that will continue into late November. Flowers of several toad lilies (Tricyrtis, below) have persisted…
Month: October 2025
When to come in
The garden is a mishmash of styles from rock gardens to Japanese maples and an increasing number of large leafed plants that are tropical in appearance. Some are cold hardy (Tetrapanax papyifera and Musa basjoo, below) and others are not. While little care is required for much of the garden, the non-hardy plants must be…
Fabulous foliage
I see little in the autumn coloring of Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum, below) to justify the acclaim for its faded yellow. Perhaps I am missing something, and unfortunately I am unable to enjoy the scent of its fallen leaves that is most talked about. Undoubtedly, environmental factors effect such things as foliage color, and I’m pleased…
Not only a pollinator garden
I presume that thieves breaking into the greenhouse to raid the koi food container are raccoons, a beast capable of outsmarting lesser humans (apparently including me). After multiple efforts, I’ve blockaded the door and window to discourage them, though the reason they’ve moved on could be that the food supply is dwindling. While I monitor…
Worth the wait?
With a single night dipping into the thirties (Fahrenheit), flowers of several toad lilies (Tricyrtis) have quickly faded. Others remain in bloom, attracting the few bees still active. The last of the toad lilies to flower was the vigorous ‘Miyazaki’, but it is also the first to fade and set seed (below). I’ve potted many…
It’s over
Okay, summer is officially ended. Overnight temperatures in the forties are not summerlike, and now it’s dipping into the thirties. This isn’t quite winter, but it’s clear we’re headed in that direction. I’d be happy if early October lingered a few extra weeks. The shortened hours of daylight are as much of an issue as…
Again and again
This week, I’ve received several packages of plants ordered from West Coast mailorder nurseries. These are mostly favorites for small gaps in shaded areas such as jack-in-the-pulpits (Arisaema) and mayapples (Podophyllum), but I also ordered thirteen one-year Japanese maple grafts. Isn’t the garden already too overcrowded to add so many trees, you ask? Of course,…
Better and worse
The rice paper plant (Tetrapanax papyifera, below) has disappointed this year. I was pleased when last year’s stems did not die fully to the ground, but cutting back to a side bud has slowed its growth. Instead of growing to ten feet, they are a bit more than half that height. In this climate, the…
A dogwood’s story
In May, I was worried. The dogwood (Cornus florida) along the front walk was struggling. It was one of the early plants in this thirty-six year old garden, and while it has long suffered from the black spotting, powdery mildew, and galls common to the native dogwood, this was a turn for the worse. Every…
Color in early autumn
Many thirsty leaves have fallen after a dry late summer, but aside from drought-stressed yellows it’s a few weeks early for autumn foliage colors. But, there’s plenty of color in the garden, from late-blooming perennials, purple and white beautyberries, and red berries of dogwoods, hollies, and spicebushes. Fewer pollinating insects are seen, but there are…
Just a few more?
Recent plantings have filled a gap in the side garden and added moisture-tolerant perennials to weed-prone low spots in the lower rear garden. I have not planted, or even looked for, longtime favorite toad lilies (Tricyrtis). Yes, toad lilies are still favorites of the early autumn, but as I purchased one variety after another, I…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 