Tag: Spicebush
Spicebush and Forsythia
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and Forsythia, two shrubs that burst into yellow flowers in early spring. They seem to exemplify two different styles in the garden.
A Bit More Fall Color and a Spam Alert
There’s some decent fall color in our garden right now, though it’s an area I’ve identified for future improvement. This long, mild autumn has given us more time to enjoy the seasonal hues, though for some plants it may have delayed the arrival of fall color.
Forsythia and Spicebush Update
There are two shrubs in the garden that provide us with cheerful yellow flowers in early spring. First, there’s a single old Forsythia of unknown variety. Second, there are several Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) that I planted at least five years ago.
Is Yellow Just Too Common?
Why is it that Sissinghurst has a White Garden but not a Yellow Garden? Perhaps yellow is just a bit too insistently cheerful, like those morning people who sing and bustle about while you try to burrow into your newspaper. Also, I read somewhere that yellow is the most common color for wildflowers, and its …
A Slow Fall
Autumn this year has not been very autumnal. From childhood I associate fall with a raw chill and leafy puddles. This year, however, has been unusually dry and warm, conditions associated with more modest seasonal color. There is still some color to be seen, though.
Our Forlorn Forsythia and the Subtle Spicebush
We used to have a whole hedge of Forsythia along the east side of the house. All had to be dug up a few years ago when we waterproofed the basement. I was not devastated to see them go, as their departure meant it was time for: Border Makeover! Which means the purchase of all …
More Fall Color in the Garden
As we near the end of October, fall seems to be ambling rather than marching on. We have yet to see a frost, and the warm weather means colors have shifted only slowly. Seedheads of Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) are no longer green, but seem to shimmer like hundreds of tiny goldfish. They look …
Swallowtail Butterfly ID: Help Needed
This morning Judy was taking pictures in the garden and she saw a female swallowtail butterfly nectaring on the pansies. No, I haven’t yet replaced the pansies. It’s hard to tell the difference between a female eastern tiger swallowtail and a female spicebush swallowtail. Can anyone help with this? The eastern tiger swallowtails are far …
Spring Out of Sync
Following our long, cold winter, we seem to be having a cold spring as well. Temperatures lately are mostly in the 40s and 50s (F), well below normal. This means delayed blooming and leafing out, particularly for woody plants. In 2013 we had another cool spring, but many shrubs seem to be running about two …
November Snow
Well, that was fast. If I remember correctly, in the last several posts I’ve written about our mild autumn, how the seasons seem to be lingering, etc. But that was then, and this is now. I had today off due to the holiday. It had been raining gently pretty much all day, which is a …
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