Dave – Page 108 – Ramblin' through Dave's Garden

A lovely spring

For four weeks the garden has been superb. After a late start to spring that left at least this gardener muttering aloud, redbuds, dogwoods, and magnolias that typically flower earlier in March all flowered at once. Since, while one flower or another has been a bit tardy, there have been sufficient blooms to allow me…

What it is

“It is what it is.” I suspect I say this too frequently when one issue or another pops up in the garden. Most are relatively minor problems that have been years in the making, so why be too bothered about them today? And, show me the gardener who has not erred in planting too closely,…

Keep to the path

On this warm afternoon my wife prowled the garden looking for stray branches to chop, pruners in hand. But, before going further, I must admit that in late winter, in a moment of delirium I purchased these moderately priced, gear assisted bypass pruners to replace overpriced and undersized anvil pruners that often did more harm…

The koi pond in May

Along one side of the koi pond a gravel bog filter (below) is planted with tall, variegated sweetflag (Acorus calamus), yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), and water lilies (Nymphaea). Pockets between boulders at the pond’s edge are planted with Japanese irises (Iris ensata), though a few clumps have been infiltrated by the…

Flowers in mid May

With a return of cooler temperatures I must take advantage to tidy up before the heat returns. The late crop of winter weeds is now mostly under control, but in this acre and a quarter garden weeding is an endless chore. Which is not to say that I work at it endlessly, but any time…

Along the highway and in the garden

Just a few weeks ago, the threat of frost delayed planting of several small toad lilies that were stashed in the garage for a few nights. Today, friends wonder if spring has been skipped over, and are we heading straight into summer? Of course this is typical, the ups and downs of spring weather, and…

He’s back

My wife identified the snake as a Brown Water snake, and who am I to argue? As far as I’m concerned, any local snakes besides black snakes. copperheads, and rattlesnakes are garter snakes, but she insists otherwise. While this snake is native to habitats a bit south of here, what do I know? Until late…

Early May in the garden

Several warm days have dried the garden considerably, and now I can walk nearly to the back of the garden without muck boots. Crapemyrtles are just beginning to leaf, but I am concerned with the Franklinia and hornbeam that show scant evidence of foliage. Both trees have been weakened in recent years, and it will…

The spring tour

Occasionally, a reader suggests that I should include a few scenes from the garden rather than photos only of individual plants. A time or two through the year I will do this if I can figure angles that edit out the piles of brush, and my old sailboat that is hopelessly landlocked by the garden….

The native dogwood

Forget this foolishness you read that native plants are hardier, sturdier, or more drought resistant than non-natives. Yes, some are, but others require regular irrigation, or are difficult to maintain in a garden. Some are even aggressive (or invasive), while many non-natives are completely care free and well behaved in the garden. Generalizations about native…

The scent of spring

If I can smell it, anyone can. It seems a shame that a gardener is not able to enjoy the scents, as well as the sights of the garden, but if you ask my wife my hearing is not so good either. So, I’m challenged in many ways. On this bright and breezy afternoon I…

Caught up? Probably never

Finally, I have caught up, in the garden and on these pages. Today’s update will cover just about everything that’s been blooming over the past week or two, and then in coming days there will be viburnums, redbuds, and dogwoods, and the buds of azaleas are swelling noticeably. So, there will be plenty to talk…