What are Ornamental Trees? These trees are usually small with special features like interesting bark, showy flowers, or eye-catching foliage. An ornamental also has a pleasing shape and fits easily … [Read More...] about 3 Tips For Landscaping Successfully With Ornamental Trees
2009
Chihuly Reimagined at Franklin Park Conservatory
While not getting to all the events we wanted to this Holiday season, we did manage an after Christmas trip to the Franklin Park Conservatory. I have a number of picture posts to make, but the first thing I wanted to highlight was the medley of art glass and botanical beauty that is so well melded in the Chihuly exhibitions that Franklin Park Conservatory presents.I think this is the perfect … [Read more...] about Chihuly Reimagined at Franklin Park Conservatory
Winter Landscape
After Christmas day rains, we again had snowfall and the ground and trees were trimmed with a confectioners icing of powdered snow. It sifted down and clung to all the branches with little puffs in the crooks and crannies of the shrubs. Since most of that took place in the night hours I took no new pictures of it. but thought I would post more of the early morning photos from the first lot.From … [Read more...] about Winter Landscape
Just A Note
It snowed over night, and I woke up to the beauty of a world draped and trimmed in fluffy white. My son remarked how much warmer it felt with the snowfall, but we didn't know why. Turns out Susan Reimer has done some homework on it:Snow actually protects the garden from the cold, and especially from the drying effects of a cold wind. It is an excellent insulator. Snow increases the temperature at … [Read more...] about Just A Note
Busy December
Every season has its busyness, but holiday preparing and plans always seem to compound it for December. The garden waits quietly for me- I still spend some time on it but it moves far down the task list this month. This season there are different birds in the garden, and it can be fun to have feeders in order to watch them more closely. for some birds, especially later in the winter, feeding … [Read more...] about Busy December
Mid November Garden Photos
Here are some photos in a plain collage, the only common feature is that they are from my garden and taken after frosts have visited. Now, fun question. Can you guess what the golden leaved shrub is called,(pictured in the top middle and top left photos)? The reason I wonder is [hint] because so often it is censured as "dull" and without much seasonal interest. Well, now that I have photographic … [Read more...] about Mid November Garden Photos
More November Retrospects
This is the Gardener's Year in Review...probably the one thing in which we gardening enthusiasts are a step ahead of the rest of the world: review the year in November.I spoke already of some of the successes and failures of 2009, but I have some other things to add. This blog has become a memory bank of sorts, like any proper journal ought to, and I often look back into my posts to see the names … [Read more...] about More November Retrospects
Season’s End
End of November will mean the final end of my growing season. There have been years I plant and do garden work in December and January, but it is a bit of madness really... and I don't see that in my future at this point. So the end of my garden season, it is. I'm cleaning up around the yard, and I pushed to plant the final fifty tulip bulbs. Turned out to be more difficult than I pictured. Not … [Read more...] about Season’s End
Never enough time…
But we make time for those things we want to. Just sometimes it is response to others applying pressure and all we want is to get that feeling of pressure off! Well, today let's just buck that trend, shall we? Do you need to take a little time to savor life today? Here are some of my photos and some links I thought were very worthwhile reading lately.Assorted and asundry photos that for some … [Read more...] about Never enough time…
Sad Truths
There are many sad truths in life. We find many of them in the garden, contributing to the melancholy way we feel in fall when our natural tendency is to do a retrospective similar to the way we view the timeline of the year at New Year's. The same transitioning from one season to the next draws us into such thinking.Actually, the inspiration for these thoughts came from the very mundane action of … [Read more...] about Sad Truths
Giant Pumpkins
Yesterday I watched, with a mixture of fascination and horror, the PBS documentary "Lords of the Gourd" about the lengths people will go to in growing the most gigantic pumpkin. It isn't that I couldn't identify, but that is part of the horror.Gardening is something with hooks. I think it is the combination of science, beauty , and nurture.... it causes us to connect on many levels and that is … [Read more...] about Giant Pumpkins
Just a Word On Autumn
Yesterday as I went abroad for supplies to round out my little family party, I was struck by the way the height of Autumn had visited so suddenly. It had been announcing itself for weeks, as my photos have tried to capture, but as rain moved in and I traveled to the more protected spaces of the city my eyes were almost assaulted by the orange, gold, and scarlets of the trees and bushes.I hurried … [Read more...] about Just a Word On Autumn
My Autumn #2
After some frosts and cooler weather the leaves have turned and my yard has more color. The hostas are especially bright, and surprisingly the foliage of the lily of the valley are also a bright yellow.~~~//~~~ I suppose I should follow through and identify the pictures :)Upper left is a picture of a self seeded maple from the container of another plant. I had bought it in fall and the color was … [Read more...] about My Autumn #2