The variegated English hollies (Ilex aquifolium ‘Argenteo marginata’, below) have no berries. I suppose that all four are males, or perhaps there is not a male pollinator for the females. I’m not observant enough to detect the sex of the hollies from the flowers, so I’ll enjoy the variegated foliage and if they should ever get…
Category: landscaping
Hollies, berry nice!
Before finishing up here today we’ll have a good idea of the number of hollies in the garden. I haven’t counted (and won’t), but I’m guessing the number will be a dozen, and possibly a few more. I suppose that I can recall all the varieties, and then how many of each are planted, so…
It’s bittersweet
Yes, I know it’s bittersweet. But, is it the native American (Celastrus scandens) that is increasingly rare, or the invasive Oriental (Celastrus orbiculatus)? Before any research is done, it seems most likely that the vine will be the more prevalent Oriental bittersweet, but further investigation is required. Both are lovely vines with prominent winter fruit. Both…
Oakleaf hydrangea
The Oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) planted in deep shade against the forest’s edge have only a few leaves remaining, and these show little of the autumn color of ones planted in more sun. The leathery foliage of Oakleaf hydrangea begins to color early in October, but the colder temperatures of November bring out its boldest reds…
Sparkleberry, or no sparkle berries?
The Sparkleberry hollies (Ilex serrata x verticillata ‘Sparkleberry’, below) are bare. The leaves are supposed to be gone by now, but in most years the branches are cloaked with an abundance of red berries. Not this year. I blame environmental factors, though I’m guessing and really haven’t a clue why the berries are missing. The…
No bulbs this year
For some reason it slipped my mind. When bulb catalogs arrived in early autumn I set them aside, then did nothing. I usually scour them thoroughly, and of course get excited by one thing or several that are then planted by the start of November. This year, nothing. No bulbs were ordered, so none will…
An old spruce
The old columnar blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘Fastigiata’) is ready to give up. In twenty years it has gone from nearly full sun to part shade, and the Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) and a pink flowering ‘Satomi’ Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’) have further crowded it. The lower limbs are nearly bare, and I figure…
Winding down
My walk through the garden on Sunday afternoon was brief, too brief. And, my treks out into the garden are becoming more infrequent. There’s just not much to see. With several nights over the past few weeks that have dropped into the mid-twenties most of the garden has gone dormant. The toad lilies and autumn…
Yellow
Before the autumn foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs disappears completely I feel compelled to discuss the color yellow. Yellow is common, and perhaps the predominant color of autumn leaves, and for the most part it is my least favorite. With exceptions. Too often yellows are faded, or signs of disease. The foliage of hostas…
Japanese maples and late season foliage color
By mid November most tree foliage has turned color, faded, and leaves have fallen. If any foliage was hanging by a thread the hurricane winds surely took care to blow it into the next county, so that today most trees are bare. But, a few trees are almost fully in leaf, and now are at their…
Through freeze and frost, until ….
With little effort the gardener can find a surprising number of plants that flower late into the autumn so that the garden’s season is extended and the drab of winter is shortened. There are also winter hardy flowers for January and February, but that’s a story for another day. By early November there were frequent…
Winter’s coming …again!
I’m not ready for winter! It doesn’t seem possible that it’s November. I’m not ready for long pants or a jacket, and I definitely am not ready to start cleaning up leaves. I suppose I’ll get over it, but I won’t be happy about it. Two weeks ago there was one night that dropped below…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 