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An Unknown Seedling In My Garden.
This visitor has made itself at home in my garden for the past two years. It has been sprawling about, making itself comfortable among my azaleas. It looks like a China rose of some kind. This is the first year it has bloomed. Should I let it stay?
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Was it snowing in Nacogdoches this Easter morning ?
No, No, No ! It wasn’t snowing but it sure looked like it. This was the view from the upstairs window in our study. Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus) is a true beauty! …looks like a tree full of snow. There is a native version (Chionanthus virginicus) we call “Grancy Greybeard“. The two are cousins, horticultural…
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“Coco” Chanel and a British lover…
Being warned by several weather apps on my phone that an arctic blast from the frozen north was barreling down on my unsuspecting garden, I faithfully got out this week and started covering the cold-sensitive plants. In preparing my garden I found a beautiful bloom hiding itself deep in the luscious green foliage of a…
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A Christmas Rose
We Southerners often have the blessing of roses blooming in our gardens during the Christmas season. When we see them blooming on balmy winter days, they seem to be begging us to bring them inside and put them in a vase. The rose ‘Duchesse de Brabant’ is a perfect example of such a rose. Many…
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See the Movie. Read the Book. Grow the Rose!
There’s a new biopic in the theaters right now. It’s a film about the famous French General and Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. I don’t see how it’s possible to cover that man’s life in a single film, but my wife and I plan to see it one day. My first interest in Napoleon had to do…
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Camellias- A little non-monogamous village
I have a friend who’s been growing camellias in his yard for decades. There in his backyard is a nice stand of mature camellias. Several of them make seed; and, as a result, there are baby camellias growing underneath them. (By the way, some camellias are sterile and some are not.) My friend, Bill Patton,…
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BoomerBrowsing/RegretCrawling
I call it BoomerBrowsing, something old codgers do at two in the morning when they can’t sleep. I wonder what happened to John Smith who always wanted to fight when I was in the third grade? Back then I tried to stay away from him; but, strangely enough, now I wonder if he is in…
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Gardening, Christmas in the American South
I have the tiniest garden at my home here in Nacogdoches, so space is highly valued. Each plant must earn its keep. As a consequence when I was choosing a camellia, I determined to find an exquisite, Christmas blooming Camellia japonica for my little garden. Unfortunately, that little bit of criteria did not narrow…
