August Few Bloom Day

Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

 

Today is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog. Here in the northwest corner of Virginia, my Zone 6b garden continues to suffer from the drought that has affected the entire Shenandoah Valley this year. Other parts of the state have received some relief lately with summer storms, but the storms have brought only a little in the way of water for my garden. This August we are still short of even one inch of rain with half the month already past!

 

Another Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Lobelia 'Starship Rose'

 

The worst part is that with very little to browse in the forests, the wild creatures have been extremely voracious--both deer and rabbits have been making deeper inroads into my garden than ever before, leaving me few flowers to enjoy.

A newly planted Cardinal flower and the Lobelia 'Starship Rose' above had to be fenced off to protect them. After their tops got munched I could see that I'd have no flowers otherwise. The first photo is  of one tiny cardinal flower that mysteriously popped up in the front yard--I have no recollection of having planted it there, but perhaps it came with some bee balm that I'd transplanted from somewhere else.

 

My front yard.

The hardy begonias in the front yard have been decimated, I wonder if they'll have any flowers this year? The other plants along my front walk aren't exactly putting on a dazzling display, but there are a few exotic flowers among them, like my Cuban rain tree (Brunfelsia nitida) and the double Tuberoses in bud. I planted the Tuberoses last year, but they didn't bloom, and I'm waiting for the buds to open so I can inhale their lovely scent.

 

Cuban rain tree (Brunfelsia nitida) with a blossom.

Double Tuberose buds.

Salvias and tropical plants along the front walk.

Other parts of the garden are looking pretty sad. I usually have spectacular display of blue Lobelias this month, but this year most of the buds have been eaten by deer, and only a few have escaped.

 

Blue Lobelia (Lobelia syphillitica)

Blazing meadow star (Liatris ligulistylis)

 

Only one spike of the Blazing Meadow Stars came up this spring, but it got eaten down, and only a few flowers have re-sprouted. The newly-planted Liatris 'Kobold' was eaten back too; that hasn't re-sprouted at all. The Stella de Oro daylily buds were eaten, as were all my other daylilies. Only now is one flower spike of Stella starting to rebloom.

 

Stella de Oro daylily.

The potted plants on my porch and back deck are about the only ones the critters can't get to, and even they aren't exactly dazzling--just getting by, perhaps..

Hanging basket on porch.

Plants on the front porch.

Zinnias, orchids and begonias on the back deck.

 

A yellow 'Benary's Giant' Zinnia I planted from seed has started to bloom--one of the few that made it, most got eaten, probably by rabbits.

Zinnia 'Benary's Giant'

My Abelia 'Panoramic Color Radiance' has put forth one tiny flower spike, let's hope it will have a few more, but the plant's variegated foliage is so beautiful on its own, it may not need to flower.

 

Abelia 'Panoramic Color Radiance'

 

The new bed with the Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) grown from seed hasn't filled in yet, but there are a few plants in bloom. The ensemble with white salvia, mountain mint, a sedge and oat grass will look better as it fills in with time, and hopefully become a pollinator magnet.

White Salvia with sedge, slender-leaved mountain mint, oat grass and Anise Hyssop.

Tomato harvest.

 

This year the only thing that has flourished are my deck-grown tomatoes: Roma, cherry and yellow pear. Please pray for rain for our parched gardens in Virginia!

Late Summer Flowers

Salvia 'Black and Blue'

 

It's hard to believe it's already August! On Monday the current hot and dry spell broke with a storm that brought a decent amount of rain--what a difference it made! With this drought, the deer and rabbits have so little to eat that they've devoured most of my flowers this summer. Repellents and sprays don't seem to be doing much to dissuade them this year, and they've attacked plants that had been overlooked before.

So, I've been doing all I can to keep my plants out of their reach. The most sought out of potted plants have moved up onto the porch or the back deck. But of the other perennials in my yard, impossible to move, very few have escaped. 

Fortunately Salvias are not to the critters' taste and the hummingbirds love them. I saw one hummer early this morning feasting on the 'Black and Blue' and the magenta Salvia along my front walk.

 

Stella d'Oro daylilies.

I hardly saw any daylilies during their first flush of bloom in June--the deer devoured all of the buds--but now, one late bud of the Stella d'Oro lilies seems to have escaped their notice. A few others, like the pink-flowered Queen Anne's Lace (Ammi majus 'Dara') that I'd planted last year, have apparently also escaped their notice. I have plenty of the white-flowered wild variety in this part of the garden, but this is the first pink-flowered one I've seen.

 

Ammi majus in pink.

Queen Anne's Lace and deep pink phlox.

There isn't much in the way of flowers at a time when my garden should have at least a few, but here's a some.

 

Ageratum.

It's been too dry for the Ageratum, but some plants are blooming in the more sheltered beds. The Anise Hyssop I grew from seed has finally grown enough to present some blooms, although this morning I saw that rabbits had eaten some of my recently planted specimens.

 

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

The deer or rabbits also nipped most of the buds of my blue Lobelias, which usually bloom profusely at this time of the year. I'm hoping some will regrow enough to make a decent display, particularly if we get some more rain.

 

Blue Lobelias starting to bloom.

The Abelia 'Panoramic Color Radiance' has hung on only because of my watering, and is offering a few blooms now. Some of the leaf stems seem to be reverting to the ordinary leaf color rather than the variegated, but that can happen sometimes with these new hybrids or cultivars.

 

Abelia 'Panoramic Color Radiance'

The mint family does seem to be immune to browsing and the slender-leaved mountain mint is no exception. But the rabbits have been munching on the bee balm next to it, which they haven't done before.

 

Mountain mint (Pycnantheum tenuifolium)

With so little bloom what shall I photograph for the August Bloom Day coming up?

A Visit to the National Botanic Garden

 

"Duck" fountain?

Last week I finally had a chance to visit the new National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA. I read about this new botanic garden from my Cooperative Living magazine, published by the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative which serves our area. The magazine did a three-page article with wonderful photos about the garden and its owners. Peter Knop and his Polish-born wife Beata have spent over thirty years creating this garden on the large farm he inherited from his family in Loudon County.

Built entirely from recycled construction materials, the gardens feature a large lake with many small islands which have one particular variety of bamboo growing in each. The bamboo is grown to feed the pandas at the National Zoo. The owners admit to being nuts about bamboo.

 

One of the many islands on the lake and the boathouse.

Bridge to another island on the lake.

View of the Lakeside pavilion and stone steps.

 

The main attractions of the garden are Beata's sculptures and the sculptural stone and earth constructions like Hobbittown, the Stone Barn, several other pavilions, and the still-under-construction Castle, which will not be completed for some years.

 

Entrance drive into the garden.

Looking the other way from the entrance.

Stonework by the main entry.

 

Being geographically near me in northern Virginia, I had purchased a ticket to visit--at this time the garden is only open to the public for a few days each month. My ticket was for June, but on the designated day they emailed me to say that the garden would be closed, due to severe thunderstorms expected that afternoon. They offered to reissue my ticket for another day.

I couldn't make it on the other open days in June, but I was able to get an alternate date in July. And so it was, on the hottest day to date, I took a bag lunch and my plein air painting kit to explore the gardens. Fortunately most of the garden is nicely shaded by woods.

 

The parking area.

From the parking area I walked down toward the picnic area near the big lake. I was hungry, so I sat down to eat my sandwich and take in the scene. I carried along a tote bag with my painting equipment.

 

The picnic area from the Lake Pavilion.

After lunch I was ready to explore the garden, but not burdened with my painting gear. There were only a few people there besides myself, quiet and contemplative--it was probably safe to leave my bag at the pavilion by the lake shore, where I would likely paint later on.

 

Bridge leading to the Stone Barn

I started out towards the other pavilions: the large gazebo and the Stone Barn were reached by crossing a small wooden bridge painted red, reminiscent of Monet's Japanese bridge at Giverny. A number of sculptures, some of them steles, adorned the paths along the way.

 

Path toward the Stone Barn.

Stone Stele.

 

At another covered pavilion a set of steps led to Hobbittown, a whimsical stone construction rising up a hill. Everywhere one looked there were fascinating details: sculptural rocks, round boulders and balls, light posts, fountains, planters. The plants themselves seemed to be the least of it, although clearly chosen with care and an eye for form and color. I happen to be a big fan of Hakonechloa grass--apparently the owners are too!

Another large pavilion.

The steps to Hobbittown.

 

I managed to climb through parts of Hobbittown, though it was quite risky for someone my age. I'm sure it's intended more for children and young people to climb through.

 

Hobbittown.

A doorway in Hobbittown.

My next stop was at the hottest spot--the arid or cactus garden. There wasn't much in bloom there, except for a lovely specimen of Texas Yucca (not a yucca at all--it's Hesperaloe parviflora). I have the same Mexican grass (Nasella tenuissima) in my garden but I wish I had space for some of that gorgeous Yucca rostrata!

The path to the cactus garden.

The cactus garden.

Texas Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora).

 

From here I thought the path would lead to the area they call Kyoto, but I was mistaken-- a fancy gate enclosed an area off limits to the public. I walked back in the merciless sun to take in more sculptures in the shadier part of the garden. The first one resembled some giant insect, so I called it the Big Bug.

 

The Big Bug sculpture.

I generally don't care much for modern-day abstract sculpture of this scale, finding most of them much too obtrusive and clashing with the nature it's supposed to enhance, but these were very clever and seemed to fit in nicely with the surroundings. All are made from recycled and discarded materials. None of the sculptures had labels that I could see, though I'm sure they have titles, so I gave them my own nicknames.

 

Atlas Shrugged?

Bird-shaped sculpture.

Two metallic sculptures.

Exhausted, I walked back to the lake pavilion to cool off and start painting. My gear was undisturbed where I'd left it, but my watercolor of the view of the lake didn't turn out to be very satisfying after all--a bit washed out and pedestrian. I'm afraid I haven't painted much plein air this year and am a bit rusty.

 

View of the National Botanic Garden Lake, watercolor, 11"h x 14"w.

The actual view.

After getting the painting this far, I left it and wandering about, ran into the owners--taking a break from their labors, they were talking to some other visitors, so I stopped to listen and eventually joined the conversation. They asked me if I'd visited Kyoto, and I said no, I'd been stopped by the closed gate. It turned out I'd been in the wrong area--the place they call Kyoto was along a completely different path! 

 

The Castle exterior.

A peek inside the castle under construction.

 

Once they gave me the directions, walking past the Castle, I  was able to find it. Good thing I found out, or I would have left  the garden without seeing this lovely and unique creation, inspired by Japanese gardens.

 

The entrance to the Kyoto garden.

Stonework in Kyoto garden.

 

The waterfall was quite a complex construction, I've never seen anything like it! There were so many unusual elements: the curving waterway, the steps, the ever-shifting perspectives were fascinating.

 

The Kyoto waterfall.

Stonework at the waterfall.

Water reflections with bamboo.

Another sculpture here seemed to echo the stonework of the waterfall, and the Japanese teahouse completed the tableaux.

 

Sculpture in Kyoto garden.

Another view of the sculpture.

Japanese Teahouse in Kyoto garden.

The garden closed at five, and by now I had just enough time to get my gear from the lakeside pavilion and get back to my car before driving out into the rush hour traffic to get home. I craved the lovely Victorian garden cart by the lakeside pavilion for my own garden--wonder where they found it?

Bald cypress with knees.

Victorian garden cart.

I'd love to come back for a peek another time, perhaps when it's cooler. There's still a lot of the garden I didn't get a chance to see. And being a work in progress, I'm sure there will be some new things to admire, and maybe more plants too!