Gardening

The property is blessed with several large trees: a poplar over 80 feet tall, two pines that top 60 feet, a locust, a chestnut, and a "Georgia coffee tree." There are also a dozen dogwoods, four oaks grown from the Wye Oak's acorns, two river birches, Japanese stuartia, contorta willow, cedar, and several mulberry trees in the dog pen for shade. Many of the trees have beds around them, with tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, day lilies, and iris in them.

The back walk is bordered by a rose of Sharon hedge and shaded by a Jane magnolia, and the side yard is home to an ancient maple and a Bradford pear. One of the slopes from the front yard to the street is planted in several types of crocuses (croci?). The asparagus bed is in production, despite the best efforts of rabbits, squirrels, and voles.

Around the foundation of the house there are a variety of azaleas, junipers, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas, as well as day lilies, tulips, daffodils, and snow drops. Barbara has planted a rock-walled terrace with a wide variety of flowering herbs, ferns, and other perennials which attract a lot of butterflies and bees. The birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and an occasional toad enjoy the pool and waterfall on the terrace.

There is a 6-by-100 foot bed along a property line fence, stocked with fragrant roses, hardy hibiscus, chrysanthemums, peonies, iris, and fragrant Asiatic lilies. The dog pen fence is festooned with trumpet vine for the hummingbirds, the driveway is bordered with forcythia and lilac, and the garage adorned with a butterfly bush - that really draws quite a variety of flutterbys.

A sampling of Barbara's iris follows:

Armistice Bob's Girl

Cinema Jessie's Song

Joe's Joy Taco Supreme

Triple Crown Edith Wolford

Last revised 10/2/00