Gardens c/o Elliott

02/07/2024

I've always loved the vibrant autumn red they produce in Autumn and the gnarly stems, but I still advocate not planting these do to the fact that they are simply uncontrollable and end up everywhere. Facts are that there are alternative shrubs and trees that do the job just as well.

INVASIVE PLANT: Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
Burning bush is an extremely popular shrub, used in residential and commercial landscapes for its brilliant fall foliage. Unfortunately, it spreads through prolific seeding to reach native forest communities where it spreads by root suckers to dominate the understory. Despite its invasive designation by local governments along the East Coast, it is still widely available at nurseries.

Return at 4:00 p.m. to discover three NATIVE ALTERNATIVES.

Learn more about the problems posed by this invasive plant from a fact sheet and a short video prepared by Extension Master Gardeners:
https://mgnv.org/invasive-plants/burning-bush-video/
For details on control methods from Blue Ridge PRISM:
https://blueridgeprism.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Burning-Bush-Fact-Sheet-Blue-Ridge-PRISM.pdf

04/20/2022

Camassia quamash are a native bulb. They are edible and were used as a food and cash crop by California native tribes long ago. Blooming now. They're a good option if your trying to make a strict native garden and have few to no spring bulb substitutes for daffodils or tulips or if you just want another option. Like the previous mentioned flowers Quamash does better the more sun it has. These pictures here have unfortunately seen their location get darker over the years so they really don't do Quamash justice.

04/06/2022

I have a saying "nothing stupendous is young." That definitely applies to these Cedar of Lebanon out in Arlington. I saw them in my periferal vision and they stopped me in my tracks. Plant a large tree for the next generation. You may not get to see it in it's grandeur but your actions will reach into the next century and bring appreciation from those who don't yet exist, even if subconsciously.

03/29/2022

The cherry trees get all the attention at this time of year, deservedly. However let's give a moment to the Red leaf plum that leafs out and flowers simultaneously. It looks like red velvet with strawberry icing.

03/29/2022

Yep! Another Camellia. They are just one of those plants i can't get enough of.

03/22/2022

Plant more Daffodils. Are your neighbors' Daffodils distracting you on your preamble, making you stumble or forget your train of thought? Fight fire with fire, create a flower arms race and plant more than your neighbors. Then we'll see who gets the last laugh.

03/21/2022

Quince is usually red in color, therefore i couldnt pass it up when about 3 years ago I saw this double flowering pink quince sitting lonely and abandoned outside of the nursery door. I looked at it and thought "wow! A pink quince, that's so unusual." I must have blacked out because I came to walking to my truck with this and a receipt in my hands. I had no idea where I was going to plant it. Since my garden is full and really isn't large enough for such a thing I snuck it into one of my clients' yard so I could enjoy it year on year. She took a few years to get going, and I've avoided pruning her because I'd like her to get some size before I do any pruning, however this year is her best year yet. And I imagine that every subsequent year will just get better and better.

03/06/2022

Prepare for a darling, tough ground cover. Chinese Ginger is an evergreen, spreading ground cover. It can be planted in partial shade to shade. The more shade the better which makes these very good choices for darker areas. I particularly value them for their beautiful foliage and usefulness in shady locations. The leaves are variegated and beautiful. It starts out slow when planted but exponentially increases every year. The flowers are fun. They lay low to the ground like a bowl. They look like a mini version of those carrion flowers that are said to smell like rotten meat to attract it's pollinators, flies. Interestingly, gnats and small low flying ground flies pollinate this ginger. The flowers don't smell rotten as far as we can perceive but maybe there's something that the flies can.

03/06/2022

Another of my favorite early bloomers. Whitch Hazel has aromatic, yellow flowers (obviously). They start blooming from the last week in February for about 3 weeks in the area. Like many cultivated plants there are numerous forms and colors for these guys. They range from 8-15' high and about 10' wide depending on the variety. You may think of them as Forest border plants or thin Forest understory plants so if they only got four or five hours of sun a day they can still perform well, but the more light and space the better. they look.

02/18/2022

Grandma's crocus are starting to bloom. That's not the name of these crocuses they are actually my grandma's crocuses. They like to open on bright warm days during this time when Spring battles Winter and the temperature swings wildly back and forth.

02/14/2022

The great and powerful tomato cares not where you toss it, it will accept your challenge and grow there. Even if "there" is underfoot, in a trash heap, under a grate, in the middle of the dirty city. (Tomatoes variety- tough as nails, location- Histórico Central, Mexico City) 😂.