Several redbuds and handfuls of dogwoods of various sorts are scattered about the garden. Most have been around since the garden’s early days, and of course all are favorites (even hybrid and Chinese dogwoods that flower in May). But the weeks pass, and as blooms of dogwoods, redbuds, and serviceberry fade, the view out the…

Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias, below) is an aggressive bully, I hear, and perhaps it is grudgingly admired but reviled by most gardeners, though it is favored in this garden for its finely textured, needle-like foliage and bright blooms. Here, it displays little sign of its reputed invasiveness, so while I cannot recommend this spurge, I…

White blooms of the serviceberry (Amelanchier) drift to the ground, nearly covering the walk and clogging a section of the stream (below) that runs roughly parallel to the stone path. I sit on the stone patio, rocking gently, fighting to stay awake in a low slung chair that has been refinished several times, and probably…

The earliest flowers of redbuds and dogwoods are often separated by ten days, sometimes two weeks, but this otherwise troubled spring continues to be blessed by a splendid year in the garden. A drive down a local highway, or a walk through the neighborhood reveals delightful blooms that are even more abundant in natural settings…

Encore azalea ‘Autumn Amethyst’ (below) is an unusual sort, at least at my place. While Encore azaleas typically begin their autumn blooming season as early as August, with heaviest flowering in September and October, ‘Amethyst’ often begins this cycle late in October or November. And, it’s the only azalea that I’ve experienced with a few…

I don’t claim to speak for gardener’s as a group, but I suppose that like me, many are fascinated by the beauty of simple things, today perhaps the tiniest violet (below), considered a weed by many, but richly colored and beautiful enough that the gardener momentarily forgets the woes of this world. There are plenty…

Today I’ll step away from my typical wordiness to catch up on blooms that have slipped past in the last week. This is a splendid time to be in the garden, so enjoy.

Things are popping up all over the place. There are perennials and ephemerals (below) that I recognize and recall, and others that I have no idea what they could be. But, soon I’ll find out, and failing to recognize emerging old timers and newcomers is nothing new. I plant every year, and it’s easy to…

The vagaries of early spring weather occasionally bring together the flowering of all of the garden’s magnolias that more regularly bloom weeks apart, as well as other flowers holding over from late winter along with early spring bloomers. In this last week of March the winter flowering witch hazels (Hamamelis x intermedia) have faded with…

Happily, I am still working, contentedly distracted by the everyday routine instead of the woes of today’s world. As I approach an indefinite but nearing schedule for retirement, I contemplate that first year when I can fully enjoy the garden in spring, not only the few evening and weekend hours. Today, many have been forced…

I see no reason the gardener should desire an area of boggy ground, but here there is a rather large area that borders the garden that is constantly damp. I presume the source of the moisture is a spring that is in close proximity or perhaps beneath the garden shed. The spring dampens the forested…

Every day in the garden is splendid, though some more than others, and a few where dark clouds must be brushed aside for the barest glimpse of sunshine. I’ve been happily spoiled by mild temperatures in early March, so when a single night drops below freezing I am greatly disappointed. Much fussing ensues, but such…