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….
Author: Dave
I've been in the landscape business with Meadows Farms since 1976. I have a one acre+ garden in Warrenton VA started in 1989 that I test new plant introductions and landscape products. I have 6 ponds in the garden and a number of patios and paths.
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…
It’s a beauty(berry)
The native beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is only occasionally available in garden centers, though it is readily available through mail order suppliers. Asian imports (Callicarpa dichotoma, above) are showier, I suppose, and in a long established garden I avoid small, mail order sized shrubs and tree unless there is absolutely no alternative. The Asian beautyberry is…
Autumn flowering azaleas
After a winter of prolonged cold (with a handful of nights that dropped below zero), many azaleas fared poorly and bloomed only sporadically in the spring. Only the old dependable Delaware Valley White flowered normally in this garden (though three weeks late in mid May), and a few varieties of the repeat blooming Encore azaleas…
A few September flowers
Unsurprisingly, after being eaten to a nub by tiny caterpillars a few weeks ago, violets (Viola labradorica) growing beneath liriope (Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’) and ‘Chocolate’ Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’, below) have recovered to fill in quickly. My wife complains that the violets grow into every crack in the driveway, which is true, though as…
Mysterious disappearances
This is hardly surprising, or disturbing, but very little seems to go exactly as planned in the garden. Perhaps this is why the gardener is so pleased when one thing or another goes right, which fortunately occurs with some regularity. On occasion, a perennial or bulb disappears from one year to the next, and I’m…
Fruits and berries
I’ve been known to sample just about any fruit or berry that I find in the garden or the neighboring woods that looks good enough to eat, so long as I’m confident it won’t kill me. I steer clear of pokeweed (below) and others that suspiciously look like they might be poisonous, but others must…
Foolish speculation
Years ago I realized the folly in speculating about natural cycles. I am continually amused that folks presume to forecast a winter’s cold or a dry summer, or that as a result of some weather event there will certainly be fewer mosquitoes, ticks, or whatever in the next season. If a scorecard were kept, perhaps…
Late summer blooms
The flowers of several cultivars of toad lilies (Tricyrtis) are too narrow for bumblebees to fit to sample the nectar that is protected beneath pollen laden anthers. So, the bee simply chews a hole near the base of the flower (above), and takes its fill. The bee’s shortcut undermines the toad lily’s natural mechanism designed…
While Tiger swallowtails (above) have reappeared in the garden after a notable absence earlier in summer, their numbers are not nearly as abundant as a year ago when I was astounded to see a dozen or more on one Joe Pye weed ((Eutrochium purpureum). More typical is to see a few at a time, and…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 