I’ve always loved Japanese Kousa dogwood trees (Cornus kousa), especially their white (and sometimes pinkish) flowers. Well, it turns out that their blooms are not really flowers after all! The four showy dogwood flower petals aren’t actually “petals” as botanists define them. The spectacular white pointed beauties are “bracts,” which are modified leaves that look … Continue reading Kousa Dogwood Tree Blossoms →

A self-seeded “biennial” Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), bearing several tall spikes of pink tubular blossoms, grows next to a Knock Out Rose. After blooming, the stalks are pruned off and left to dry in the garden shed until the pods ripen. Filled with tiny seeds, the pods will be strewn here and there all over the … Continue reading A Self-Seeded “Biennial” Foxglove →

The June garden does not disappoint. Especially pretty are the purple and white bearded irises, the blue false indigo (Baptisia australis), the spikes of common foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea), clematis vines, the white Kousa dogwood flowers, and the pink climbing roses (Zephirine Drouhin), to name a few. Foxgloves are biennials that seed themselves all over: in … Continue reading June Garden Forward to Summer →

It seems that everywhere we look in our gardens there’s lots of plant colors to enjoy: red, pink and white azaleas, pink rhododendrons, early white dogwoods, pink bleeding hearts, white Deutzia gracilis, creeping phlox, Virginia bluebells, and variegated Solomon’s seal, to name a few. Even the emerging leaves of different hostas and irises add to … Continue reading Garden Colors Delight →

In addition to “the waking up of our gardens,” via hundreds of emerging plants and colorful blossoms, there is much to celebrate in April. April is known as both National Garden Month and National Orchid Month. Then, there are the official celebrations: Earth Day, Arbor Day, and even National Dandelion Day (who knew?). In fact, … Continue reading Waking Gardens →