I first planted edgeworthia despite concerns that this deciduous shrub was not sufficiently winter hardy for my northwestern Virginia garden. I had seen its marvelous blooms somewhere or the other (and now I don’t recall where), and decided that planting it was worth the risk. Over the years I’ve planted many marginally cold hardy plants,…

For the past ten days nighttime temperatures have been around freezing with a day or two dipping into the mid twenties. With a brisk breeze this afternoon maple leaves are drifting across the garden, and soon the forest that borders the rear garden will be bare.  A shrubby bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora, above) grows in the…

Along the southern border of the garden are tall tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) and swamp red maples (Acer rubrum) that straddle a narrow spring fed creek. In autumn the foliage colors of these forest trees are unremarkable. The poplars turn yellow early and leaves drop in a hurry, and the maples change to a sad…

I was at a trade show in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this week, but could not escape the excitement generated by the impending snow storm that was to arrive on Saturday. My initial skepticism that snow this early was improbable was quieted late in the week with realization that it was likely to snow, but I…

I don’t recall the exact timing, but it was probably twenty years ago when a fervor for ornamental grasses gripped the gardening world. At first I resisted, but slowly I was convinced to try a few in my garden that was just getting started. This seemed an inexpensive way to fill spaces quickly, and I…

For whatever reason the deer have been particularly active in the garden this autumn. The shrubs and perennials that are protected by deer repellent have suffered no damage, but I’ve seen a few low hanging leaves eaten on a Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa) that has never been bothered in the past. A few evergreens leaves…

I am accustomed to doing things in the garden in the nick of time, or often after the fact when damage has already been done. I don’t know if procrastination is the exact term for it, or if it’s just plain laziness, but in the end most everything seems to get done, and of course…

Several of the crapemyrtles in the garden have become more shaded by taller neighbors through the years so that they begin to flower several weeks later than in nearby sunny gardens. This year there were only a few scattered blooms on Natchez in late June, and the normally later flowering Sioux began to bloom only…

Occasionally, my wife becomes “disturbed” about one thing or the other in the garden, usually that plants are flopping over and obstructing the stone paths that wander through the garden. I learned long ago that telling her not to come outside doesn’t work, and after a period of inaction on my part she usually threatens…

Today is cold, not an early October chill, but November cold, still in the forties at midday! The sky is gray and scattered raindrops are carried on blustery winds. The gardener is tempted to believe that the season is past, but a brief stroll reveals many blooms, some just beginning. Large pots of tropicals are…

The common names of plants can be aptly descriptive, or absolutely puzzling. The mostly spotted blooms of  toad lilies (Tricyrtis) are exquisite, and indeed it is difficult to imagine that the flowers bear any resemblance to toads, so do not be dissuaded by such an unpleasant moniker. Toad lilies are pest free and easy to grow,…

The crinum (below) has finally come into bloom, a bit later than normal to my recollection. Though it is marginally cold hardy I planted it in a pot, and each October I lug it indoors to spend the winter in the basement along with elephant ears and assorted other tropicals. No more! In the next…