Today I was roaming through the garden with no particular purpose, just wandering, reflecting, listening. I choose each footstep carefully to avoid any of the abundant frogs that flee in terror as I approach, and pause for a few moments to watch a striped garter snake glide through the dark water in the front pond….
A topsy turvy garden
The Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha, below) will often bloom into late September when the leaves begin to turn to a beautiful orange-red. The contrast of colorful foliage and large white blooms with prominent yellow stamens is striking, but not this year. The last of the late summer blooms are fading, I see no more buds…
Delightful September days
In retrospect, I suppose that I was foolish to plant a handful of perennials and shrubs a few weeks back. Several cool days encouraged me, but they were followed by more of the same mid-nineties temperatures that have become too common in this long summer. Without a hint of rain for three weeks I’ve had…
Meadowlark Gardens
Today I visited Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia while taking part in the ZNA Koi and Pond Expo. The beautiful, huge koi are worth the trip, but the ninety-five acre garden is a delightful spot to spend a September afternoon. Unfortunately, the summer’s heat and extended dry spell have made the garden a bit…
Obviously oblivious
It snuck up on me while I wasn’t paying attention. Well, that’s not quite true. I knew what would happen, but failed to do anything about it. After years of neglect the lawn is a wreck and something must be done, particularly with the partially shaded front that is pockmarked by bare soil. In this wretched…
The last of summer?
Today a cool breeze whistles through the sliver of forest that borders the garden, the tall poplars and maples sway in rhythm. The sun shines brightly, but this is an autumn sun, not the unmerciful sun of summer. The past week has been quite hot, with temperatures in the mid-nineties that have become so familiar…
Bugs and blooms in early September
On a warm day at the start of September there are swarms of butterflies and bumblebees, dragonsflies, moths, bees, and wasps that flutter and swoop through the garden. On the sunny side of the Seven Son Tree (and the caryopteris, below) there are hundreds of bumblebees, and dozens of butterflies, mostly Monarchs. I have barely a…
The marvelous blooms of late August
When gardeners refer to August their descriptions are unlikely to be favorable. The “dog days”, and worse, characterize the most troublesome part of the growing season when the heat of summer has taken its toll. Spring is vibrant, full of yellows, reds, and blues, but August is dusty and brown at the edges, the gardener…
Older, but no wiser
The garden is a series of mysteries, and though it occurs to me that after gardening for forty years I should have learned a thing or two, I’m reminded constantly that I know very little. Every year, and each season has its oddities, and I suppose that this year has had a more generous number…
A garden project for mid-August
What was I thinking? In the heat of August I am accustomed mostly to doing nothing. Well, perhaps something, but very little other than pulling a few weeds as I wander about in the evenings, and this is followed by a long rest and several ice teas. A week ago I was home for a…
The swimming pond -Summer 2010
I’ve had several recent inquiries about my swimming pond, so I figure that it’s about time for an update. This is my favored spot in the garden, where I spend my most relaxed time, and (on rare occasions when I’m sociable) where my wife and I entertain friends and family. There are six ponds in the…
Color for the dog days
Who could argue that the dog days have arrived? The only contentious point could be that they began a month early this summer. If not for the wretched, weedy lawn the garden would show few signs of the stressful heat of the past months. Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, and shrub roses show plentiful blooms, and now are…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 