Flowers in the snow

This is a gentle snow. Temperatures are cold and getting colder, so this is not the sort of snow that threatens to bend and break branches. It accumulates on branches of evergreens, trapped by dense needles, but even the tall stems of nandinas (Nandina domestica, below) do not arch under the slight weight. Reports are…

For the birds?

Gardeners, I suppose, are an optimistic lot, sometimes ignoring the obvious for years, or even a lifetime. There is ample evidence that I am a slow learner, with lessons too often requiring a decade or two, if they are ever to be learned.  And, so it is with winter berries, or at least many berries…

A heavy, wet snow

Long stems of nandinas (Nandina domestica) arch under the weight of the wet and heavy late November snow. Leaves remain on several Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Okushimo’, below) so that these catch more snow than others with bare branches, though this snow will melt quickly and no damage is expected. A well prepared gardener will…

Lightning strikes

It is unfortunate that I could find no better place at the time to plant ‘Lightning Strike’ toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta ‘Lightning Strike’, below) than tucked beneath a tall nandina (Nandina domestica) and beside stone steps that lead from the lower deck. Two clematis have draped themselves so that along with the leaning stems of…

For the birds

In late February, abundant berries remain on nandinas (Nandina domestica, above) and many of the hollies (Ilex spp.) in the garden. The uneaten berries are typical, I suppose evidence that these are unappetizing to all but the hungriest birds. Even in years when I’ve been discouraged from stocking the bird feeder due to the growing…