Today a thoughtful home and garden marketing firm that I deal with sent me a paperback version of an interior decorating book titled Slob Proof! Real-Life Design Solutions. I’ll pass it along to my wife. I’m eagerly awaiting the garden version. I need help! In my garden an obelisk lies on its side, wrapped in a tangle of…
Category: Flowering plants
I knew it all along
The southeast is not always sunny and warm I’ve just returned from a week touring nurseries in the “sunny” southeast. After four days of rain the sun made a brief appearance, a respite from the monsoon. I flew out Friday evening in a sweatshirt with temperatures in the mid-thirties. Back home in Virginia, I awakened Saturday morning to large,…
A few of my favorite things ….
Mahonia ‘Winter Sun’ I get excited about new plants. A lot! I’m intrigued by the latest and largest, the newest color of this or that, and any new cross or hybrid of one of my old favorites. My wife will tell you that I buy one of each, but that’s not strictly true, sometimes it’s…
Flowers in late November
Instead of leaves I see houses in the distance, the last of the blazing orange Japanese maples were stripped in the wind and rain earlier in the week. Wet leaves are ankle-deep in the garden, and I bemoan the drab winter ahead with the red berries of hollies (below) and nandinas the only bright colors….
To do, today and tomorrow
Don’t bother me, I’m busy! There’s no time to visit, no guests permitted. Not until the leaves are raked, chopped, hauled, and piled in the compost heap. The dahlias, cannas, and elephant ears have been dug, cleaned, dried, and now must be bagged with dry leaves and set on shelves in the garage nearest the…
Blooming, in November?
A blast of sub-freezing temperatures late last week ruined the flowers of toad lilies, Encore Fall blooming azaleas, and roses. The azaleas and roses have numerous unopened buds that were tightly wrapped, and thus insulated from the freeze. If the weather stays mild, if nighttime lows don’t drop too far into the low-thirties, then we’ll…
Blooming today, mush tomorrow
At zero degrees Celsius (thirty two degrees Fahrenheit) and below, intracellular freezing causes membrane damage and leakage of cellular contents. Or something like that. My slightly less technical explanation, one day you have flowers in the garden, the next mush. On this November weekend the trees are bare in this northern Virginia garden, but a…
Autumn colors – Japanese maples
I didn’t plant Japanese maples in my garden for their Autumn foliage color, but many are notable for their brilliant and varied hues. In fact, I believe that the most spectacular leaves in the garden are from the Full Moon, or Fern Leaf maple (Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’, two photos below). From every angle you walk around Fern Leaf…
The grand finale
Fall color
That’s the way the world goes ’round
We’ve hired a fellow to rid our attic of squirrels. The pesky tree rats have chewed through wires, destroyed a heat pump something-or-other, and are generally making a nuisance of themselves. Thus far, a skunk and possum have been captured in the live traps, but no squirrels. There is plenty of space on this property for…
Flowers in late-October
Perhaps it’s too early to be late in the month, but that’s really not the point. There are flowers in the garden, lots of them, and this is Virginia in October, northern Virginia, closer to the mountains than the shelter of the city. Nighttime lows have fallen into the mid thirties, and there are not…
Ask the Garden Guru – October
It has come to the attention of the Garden Guru that some have questioned his credentials. He admits to not being a true “guru”, but has been told he has many guru-like tendencies. Most importantly, he has a garden. Beyond that, the resume is thin. Read ahead at your own risk. As always, feel free…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 