Admittedly, my observational skills can be limited. If there’s a bloom or otherwise notable attribute, I won’t miss it. But, handfuls of camellias that now rise to ten feet in height were hardly noticed when flowers were scarce. Mostly, they were just big, green shrubs, backdrops to more colorful treasures. And then, a year ago…

In this thirty-one year old garden, plants come and go. Most losses were minor presences, not well suited from the start, but occasionally a more prominent focal point is lost. A year ago, a long established, but slowly declining Alaskan cedar was lost, and while I’m happy not to be gazing out the kitchen window…

As many leaves have fallen at the start of November, my wife notices the splendid coloring of the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia, below) outside the kitchen window. Leaves of several Japanese maples are late to turn, so there are colorful trees, and others that are now completely bare. I am not fooled, however, by the…

Stubborn. Obstinate. Take your pick, but I am not one to give up, even when evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. A discarded ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia (Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’, above) became available, and no matter that several have died in the garden in recent years, the price was right and what the heck. I…

I speak with little expertise regarding starting plants from seed. Yes, the garden features many hellebore seedlings and fern sporelings, but these occur naturally with no assist from me. I am challenged by routine tasks such as watering, so gardeners with such lackings are ill advised to undertake growing from seed. Failure is nearly guaranteed….

Leaves of the garden’s sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum, below) are now gloriously colored, and with arching seedpods it is quite a marvelous sight. Unfortunately, I must imagine this beauty since the lowest branches are at least thirty feet off the ground. Why are there no lower branches, you ask? Simply, the sourwood is sandwiched between a…

There are several ongoing trials in the garden, with tribulations certain to follow. If forecasts for another mild winter hold true, though one as “warm” as last winter cannot be expected, ‘Spider Web’ fatsias (below) might survive again without protection. Though rated as hardy to zero, I lack trust that these will tolerate temperatures below…

Despite the passing of remnants of two hurricanes, each dropping in excess of an inch of rain but with nothing more extreme, our recent weather has been glorious. Not unusual for early autumn, and perhaps a bit cooler on average, but there is no more splendid time of the year for us. Several nights have…

Berries on the variegated leaf beautyberry ‘Duet’ (below) are scarce enough to be almost an afterthought, so imagine my curiosity upon first glance at a dense covering of berries on a single branch. A closer look revealed a mutation, a branch with dense clusters of small white berries, but with atypical variegation of varying shades…

My wife bemoans the lack of a view from our kitchen window. She imagines that trees, ones that I’ve planted over three decades, obstruct her view of the Bull Run Mountains just a few hills away. Certainly there are trees in the garden, many, since my preference is clearly for woodies rather than perennials, but…

A year ago, I pledged to discontinue additional purchases to increase the collection of toad lilies (Tricyrtis). Recent acquisitions were not significantly different that I could tell, and with all common and reasonably priced varieties already in hand, why should I pay a premium for ones that can hardly be differentiated from ones half the…

What do I know? I just live here. Amongst semi-mysterious goings on in the garden, in early October there are two common witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana, above and below), one that has defoliated completely and the other not at all, and both are flowering. Of course, the blooms on naked stems are much more obvious,…