The rear garden slopes gently so that the soil along the rear property line remains soggy through much of the summer, and in a rainy spring the area will be saturated for days. Two river birches and a variegated pussy willow thrive, and immediately beyond the border are cattails, brambles, and native vegetation that tolerates…
Category: gardens
Passion vine
A year ago the passion vine (Passiflora, below) didn’t emerge from the ground until early in August, so of course it didn’t grow nearly as tall as is usual, and there were fewer blooms. This year the vine popped up by the end of May, a late arrival for most plants but normal for passion…
Summer blooming bulbs
The garden’s hydrangeas and roses bloom off and on from late spring through the summer into early autumn. Other blooms last for weeks, and some only days. ‘Jane’ magnolia flowers early in the spring so that occasionally blooms are damaged by late freezes, but it also flowers sporadically through the summer (above). In July the…
Summer garden tour – July 2011
Most people with a lick of sense would not be inclined to tour a garden in the heat of July. I will be in Mobile, Alabama next week, and I’m looking forward to revisiting Bellingrath Gardens (below), a beautiful residence and garden that have been opened to the public. I’ll be dripping sweat and fogging…
Hiking on Bull Run Mountain
Hiking trails crisscross the southern edge of Bull Run Mountain, an area that includes the ruins of Beverley’s Mill (below) and the site of a Civil War skirmish. The 800 acre preserve is maintained by the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy. Bull Run is more a tall foothill than mountain, and the most difficult hikes are only…
The garden in early July
At the start of July the hydrangeas are most prominent in the garden, and one or the other will flower into late September. The large blue, pink, and white blooms demand attention, but there are other splendid flowers equally deserving, though for shorter periods. Daylilies (Hemerocallis, above) are quite common, but longed lived perennials that…
The bees are buzzing
I can’t recall the last time that I suffered a bee sting, until a few days ago. Over the past few years I’ve made a habit of sticking my nose (and camera) too close to blooms with bees buzzing about, and though I’m certain that I’ve been a terrible nuisance, I haven’t been stung. I…
Hydrangeas to beat the heat
What a marvelous weekend! A bit cloudy, but a pleasant break from the recent heat. I summoned enough energy Saturday to plant a few hydrangeas that had been waiting patiently on the driveway, and a few odds and ends were transplanted Sunday to make room so that the large agaves that are overwintered indoors could…
The mad pruner is missing
Through the spring my wife has been occupied with her studies so that she seldom ventures out into the garden. This is both good and bad. She is the one obstacle I have to an unfettered planting budget. Now, I’ve been able to plant without interference, though I suspect that her opinion (that there are…
The coreopsis are missing
I hadn’t thought about it until a few days ago, but ‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis is gone without a trace. Vanished, as if it was never planted, which is just as well. I believe that I’ve seen Moonbeam coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata “Moonbeam’, below) listed as a “can’t fail” perennials, and now I’ve killed it twice through the…
Don’t miss a bloom
Occasionally I hear complaints that such and such did not bloom this year, and could I please explain why? Of course there are times when a plant is sited improperly so that it doesn’t get sufficient sunlight, or a tree is over fertilized so that it grows an abundance of foliage at the expense of…
Too hot to bother?
Once the dogwoods and cherries, azaleas, and camellias are past bloom, what else is there? Summer is too hot, so why bother with the garden. Nothing will bloom in this infernal heat. Right? Well, the white Natchez crapemyrtle is just beginning to bloom, and in several weeks it will be joined by five or six…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 