My japonicas and one of my pencil hollies seem to be trying to give up the ghost. I'm thinking that they needed more water than they have been getting. We have had very little rain since August 4th. Since I am on a hill and the water drains quickly I am going to put in soaker hoses, hopefully this fall. I've been considering adding a timer but have not yet decided for sure about this. I have not grown japonicas before and if they are this temperamental I'm not sure I will grow them again.
Here on the hill not alot of things are in bloom. The sages and catmint are very robust in aroma and size. Coreopsis have continued to bloom and are still flowering beautifully. I gathered my hydrangea blooms yesterday and made bouquets for the sunporch and on each side of the colonnade. They are one of my best flowers and I like the fact that I can collect them to make arrangements that will last all season. In the spring I will add 4 or 5 more plants along the French Drain.
Here on the hill not alot of things are in bloom. The sages and catmint are very robust in aroma and size. Coreopsis have continued to bloom and are still flowering beautifully. I gathered my hydrangea blooms yesterday and made bouquets for the sunporch and on each side of the colonnade. They are one of my best flowers and I like the fact that I can collect them to make arrangements that will last all season. In the spring I will add 4 or 5 more plants along the French Drain.
Coreopsis
A the edge of the woods near the end of my drive, in one of the few areas that we have managed to somewhat reclaim from mother nature's take over with unwanted growth, I noticed a shrub that is simply loaded with red berries. I was on my way to work so it was not a good day to go climbing thru weeds and brush but that is just what I did. I'm not sure if this is a winterberry but it may be. Whatever it is the berries are stunning. At the base of the same small bank I discovered beautiful yellow flowers that are some type of wildflower. I am posting pictures of both the flower and the shrub. If anyone can identify either please do so.
Sage & Catmint and some others
Winterberry? Maybe? No? Yes?
Unknown flower
2 comments:
Hell Syble;
Your winterberry is really a honeysuckle but I don't know the real name. I actually purchased a couple dozen winterberry shrubs this spring from a company named Lawyers in Montana. Winterberry is a holly of sorts and they grow to ten feet tall here. It does best in swampy areas and on the fringe where it's damp to wet. Trouble is you need male and female shrubs to make berries and I haven't a clue what I have. Time will tell. There's also a dull orange colored berry that's kind of nice but I don't remember the name.
George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
George, thank you for the information. The former owners of my place also had a nursery and I've found some unexpected plants among the tangle and underbrush. This one was of interest to me but I tend to shy away from any honeysuckle especially those not native to the area. Though water is plentiful on my hill the winterberry might not be a good choice since it likes swampy area.
Syble
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