Seemingly, I am incapable of recalling the dates of most events in my life without an unforgettable reference point. I’m quite certain I would not remember when I was married if it was not the year after I began to work full time after college (Egads! In the same place since 1976. It seems like…
Category: Native plants
A week away from the garden
A week ago, I left the garden in reasonably good order to travel to the west coast. Weeds were mostly under control, and I even fit in a bit of planting before leaving since a few afternoon storms were forecast. The storms faded, so the small perennials barely survived the week, but otherwise the garden was in…
Glimpses from the garden
While traveling to visit nurseries in Oregon, I offer random glimpses of the garden. With any good luck, I’ll find a treasure or two to add to the garden.
Where the wild things are
Perhaps the wildness of this garden has gone a step too far. Yes, Japanese beetle populations are mostly held in check by birds, and mosquitoes are minimized in the rear garden by dragonflies that perch on tall irises and sweetflags bordering the koi pond. The gardener will argue against the spraying of poisons, figuring that nature will find…
Marvelous foliage
The unfortunate timing of April freezes ruined this year’s blooms of the purple leafed Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, below). In the best circumstance there are only a few scattered flowers since the shrubby tree was a latecomer to the garden, and it is sandwiched between a tall, gold cypress and the maples and tulip…
The last dogwoods of the season
A gardener questions that his hydrangeas are not flowering this year, and perhaps they never will again. Possibly, they’re dying, he thinks. But, of course, the hydrangeas are fine, and only delayed a bit because they were nipped by April freezes, then constant rain and cloudy skies have slowed regrowth. Perhaps the problem is not…
A preference for informality
Only a single plant in this garden is regularly sheared to keep its shape, and this is by necessity, not for aesthetic purposes. For reasons that are unclear after many years, a spiral pruned Common box (Buxus sempervirens) was once planted beside the bluestone path that leads from the driveway to the deck in back…
Transplants, seedlings, and sporophytes
For the penurious gardener, there is joy in discovering seedlings of treasured plants, and a double measure when seedlings are found in just the right spot so they can be left to grow, undisturbed. In this garden there are many dozens, possibly hundreds of hellebore seedlings. Handfuls have been transplanted around, though only so many…
Close enough to perfection
There is a day, and if the gardener is fortunate enough, a week when the garden nears perfection, at least to the gardener’s mind. This does not imply that there is not a weed, or that pruning of the nandinas cannot wait another day or the paths will become impassable. That is an impossible standard…
Almost complete recovery
Though several Japanese maples continue to show minor damage from the ill timed April freezes (below), questions about their long term health have been answered. Most have fully recovered. Leaves that hang limply on damaged maples will soon become brown and fall off without any action taken by the gardener, and there seems little doubt…
A succession of dogwood blooms
Finally, flowers of our native dogwoods (Cornus florida, below) are fading as new leaves emerge. This end date of early May is very typical, but the start date for flowering was pushed forward by a week (or ten days) with the warm temperatures of March. The coolness of early April, and two late freezes did no…
From a muddy mess, flowers
In recent years more locally native shrubs and perennials have been added to the garden, not so much for propriety as by necessity. Doubtless, planting natives is the thing to do, but that was not my intent. As a portion along the southern edge of the rear garden has become much wetter, long established hollies…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 