The Beauty is in the Details

This is a view toward my front garden, taken near the side walk by the patio:

I enjoy such views immensely, but when I am strolling through a garden, sometimes the greatest pleasure comes from examining plants close up, often discovering delightful, unexpected details.

For example, at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover, there is a flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, near the entrance. Ho-hum. There are lots of dogwoods. No point in giving this one more than a glance. 

No, stop! Look close! This one is different, a rare double flowering one, 'Pluribracteata':

I wonder how many visitors walked past this tree and never saw the unusual blooms?

In my own garden there are several varieties of Cornus florida. I love this pink flowering one:

My favorite dogwood has to be Cherokee Sunset, with red blooms and fabulous variegated foliage:

I have never seen a variegated plant I didn't love. When a plant has beautiful foliage, it doesn't need flowers to impress me! Here is a sampling of some of the variegated plants in my garden:Top row: Caladium 'Candyland'; Variegated fig. 2nd row: Two types of toad lilies. While waiting for flowers enjoy the foliage! Tricyrtis affinis 'Lunar Landing' and Tricyrtis hirta 'Variegata'. 3rd row: Variegated Jacobs Ladder; Pieris japonica. 4th row: Unlabeled plant, but I think it is a Dracaena, also called Corn Plant; Silver lace fern, Pteris ensiformis.

Variegated Weigela is a plant with both variegated foliage and flowers. Sweet as candy!

I have lost count of the Japanese maples in my garden. The number has risen above 15, I know. Here are a handful. Examining the leaves, I fall in love all over again.Clockwise from top left: 'Butterfly'; unnamed tree that grew from seedling; 'Viridis'; 'Sango-Kaku'

Ferns are always worth a close look for interesting details:Clocwise from top left: Birds Nest Fern; Japanese Painted Fern; Holly Fern - note the spores; Lady Fern

Despite my love of foliage, I don't want to overlook the flowers. Here are a few worth a closer look. The purple clematis is H.F. Young, a good one for either sun or shade:Top row: Rosa mutabilis, also called Butterfly Rose. These single roses have an artless simplicity, but the flowers offer a variety of colorations. 2nd row: Lonicera simpervirens, a native honeysuckle that hummingbirds love. 3rd row: I just planted H. F. Young Clematis in the woodland garden. It is more purple than I expected, but I don't mind at all. I like the stripes on the back!

And finally, here are a couple of photos that sum up what spring is about: New birth!Left: Emerging flowers of an amaryllis; I discovered last year that these are hardy in my zone 7b/8a, and I am delighted to see these emerging and blooming! Right: Newly emerging foliage of spreading yew.

Happy gardening, and enjoy the details!  Deborah

The Game Called Gardening

Today was blessed with blue skies, pleasant temperatures, and low humidity.

Around the garden, foliage is lush and late summer flowers are blooming, though some plants are already preparing for dormancy. Dogwood berries are turning red. Hydrangea blooms are beginning to dry.Top: 'Cherokee Chief' dogwood. 2nd row: Variegated artemesia ' Oriental Limelight' is blooming; Hydrangea 'Limelight'. Third Row: Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'; Glossy Abelia . Bottom: Bees love Caryopteris, also called Blue Mist Shrub.Nevertheless, the woodlands are still green and are luminous when golden lights shine through them. Late afternoon is a magical time to be in the garden.

It was a great day to spend on the patio, resting my sore muscles upon the chaise lounge while watching hummingbirds and butterflies.

My muscles are sore because two days ago I transplanted four hostas, four heucheras, three holly bushes, and one very large snowball viburnum. Oh, and also one hydrangea. Then I planted nine new shrubs — including azaleas, gardenias, and upright boxwoods — watered everything well and then put a fresh layer of pine straw around all of it. I haven't quite recovered. But September starts our best planting/transplanting season, and already I have a new list of to-do items, scheduled for my next couple of off days. 

The fact is I am never satisfied and am always striving to make my garden meet the visions in my head. The weather, the plants, the critters, and the budget don't always cooperate, but that is the challenge that makes the game fun.

Speaking of critters, I have a new opponent, who sneaks around at night, digging in my garden beds, often uprooting small plants. I suspected but wasn't sure who the culprit was, until he left his muddy paw prints across my patio, coming straight from new holes dug next to recently planted verbena:

Lou, who knows his animal prints, informs me it is a raccoon. 

Another, more welcome critter, is a dragonfly. We don't have a pond, so I was thrilled to see a newly emerged dragonfly, resting on a log while he was still drying.

We have a had a lot of rain the last couple of months, so maybe there is water in the creek bed at the bottom of the valley behind our house. Usually it is dry, but sometimes it does get some water in it. I think that is where the dragonflies are coming from.

Plentiful rain has also brought lots of mushrooms, including a dark, warty one I have never seen before:

If I hurry, I may get back outside to enjoy some more of this beautiful day and to plan my next move in this game called gardening. I hope you are having some nice weather, too!