At 5900 feet elevation, this alpine meadow in the French Alps is in glorious bloom. From a distance, the flowers appear scattered and the meadow green, but as we stroll along this mountain ridge, there are countless blooms. Several hundred feet up slope are pockets of snow with water crashing down the mountain sides. Tomorrow,…

The carryover of spring’s lushness in the garden continues late into June, but there is little doubt that it will soon decline with the heat of summer. The degree to which brilliant colors fade and browned edges creep in largely depends on rainfall, but even in the wettest summer, the garden changes. Already, several plants…

Just prior to this wave of summer heat, Barbara and I left to hike in the French Alps. This was my first vacation since retiring, and soon, I’ll follow up with photos of the glorious alpine meadows and rocky slopes and perhaps a picture of snow-covered trails that are horticulturally relevant since many plants are…

Unfortunately, I had to stop developing construction of an ill placed ground nest earlier in the spring. While bees hardly acknowledge my presence when feeding, they are understandably defensive near their nest. But, the destruction of the nest that was barely started seemingly has had no effect on the abundance of bees in the garden….

Long ago, I discovered that the best remedy for my impatience, waiting for a plant to grow or flower, is to plant something else. Yes, this is a temporary distraction, but by the time the effect wears thin, the gardener’s attention is likely to be diverted by another shortcoming, or perhaps a beauty that calms…

I have nothing against periwinkle (Vinca minor) despite its reputation as an invasive. Its seeds are not carried into the wild, and in the garden, it covers only as much ground as it’s given while it serves to minimize weed growth. While periwinkle’s spring flowers and a yellow leafed form are enjoyed in the shaded…

How fortunate that the garden where I volunteer has two trees with flowers that will not be seen in this garden. The Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla, below) in my garden was obtained years ago from the nursery of a longtime acquaintance in Tennessee. The magnolia, ten feet tall and one-of-its-kind in this nursery and a…

I find it difficult to plan ahead in the garden. I believe that my career was driven by efficient organization, but in the garden, there’s little doubt that my attention is as scattered as a child’s. Perhaps that’s what I enjoy most. While there are sporadic visitors, the garden is mostly for me, though I…

While two ‘Aphrodite’ sweetshrubs (Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’, below) grow at a moderate pace in a dry shaded location, a third in brighter shade at the forest’s edge but with little direct sunlight grows with remarkable vigor. Also, the brighter aspect encourages increased flowering. All three flower several weeks after blooms of other sweetshrubs in similar shade…

The increasing shade in the garden is most evident on the circle patio in recent weeks as trees have come into leaf (below). Planted containers annually moved from the basement, where they are overwintered, to the patio, once flourished here with a few hours of midday sun. Today, a fraction of the small patio gets…

The inclusion of big green shrubs in the garden is open to question, even in a larger space. Do two weeks of flower substantiate the area consumed by ‘Magicien’ deutzia (Deutzia x hybrida ‘Magicien’, below)? If I were a gardener willing to chop the shrub back by a third every second year, there would be…

While the leaves of two Floating Cloud Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Ukigumo’, below) in this garden are unlikely to ever match their brillance in the cool Pacific Northwest, in this cloudy and often rainy Virginia spring the colors are the best I can recall. Other Japanese maples match favorably in color until the warmer day and…