daylily | Forest Garden

Families Flock Together For Father’s Day

Canada Geese gathered on the bank of the James River today.

Families are flocking together here in Williamsburg to celebrate one of the most enjoyable holiday weekends all year.

At the beginning of summer, with all of the commencements, graduations, and “moving up” ceremonies complete, there is a communal sigh of relief to have made it to summer vacation time once again.

A few weeks break in the break-neck schedule most families keep is a welcome respite.

Wildflowers at the end of DoG St. in Colonial Williamsburg this afternoon.

Finally, a little unstructured time to enjoy the pleasures of summer: cookouts, fishing, afternoons of swimming and catching the sun on a peaceful beach somewhere.

And our beloved Colonial Parkway was nearly bumper to bumper with visitors today enjoying this cool, sunny June Saturday together.

Happy Father’s Day to all of you who offer strength and guidance to the young folks in your life.

Near the Colonial Capitol

There is no substitute for a wise and loving Dad in one’s life, no matter how old or young we find ourselves.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend with someone you love!

Daylilies in bloom for Father’s Day weekend in Virginia.

Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014

Where’s Waldo? At Forest Lane Botanicals

Assorted Sarracenia species available at Forest Lane Botanicals. Can you find the dragonfly in the photo?

Do you remember the Where’s Waldo books?

My daughter and I enjoyed them when she was just learning to read.

We would page through the drawings, competing with one another to find “Waldo” before the other one could.

A friend came with my partner and me to visit at Forest Lane Botanicals today.

We enjoyed the company of a beautiful blue dragonfly as we admired Alan and Wendy’s Pitcher Plant collection.

Have you found the dragonfly in the photos yet ? (The dragonfly appears in the first, second and fourth photos. It may be in the third one, and I just haven’t noticed it …)

We could also hear the frogs, but never spotted them today, sadly. We found a few tadpoles darting around the partially submerged pots, and heard a tell-tale “splash” as we drew near.

Tadpoles

Mostly we enjoyed Alan’s guidance to the garden, and the sheer pleasure of wandering around discovering one beautiful plant after another.

We especially enjoyed the many varieties of Hosta and fern in the garden. We can grow the ferns, but our attempts at Hosta are usually “grazed short” by our visiting deer.

We are always inspired with new ideas as we explore what Alan and Wendy Wubbels have done with their shade garden.

We left with pots of new treasures to grow and share.

I with a Saxifraga stolonifera, Strawberry Begonia or Strawberry Geranium- (both common names are used) and my friend with a pot of beautiful Selaginella, or Spikemoss.

Selaginella

Both will grow in the cool shade in beds beneath mature trees in our gardens.

Readers in Eastern Virginia who have not yet visited Forest Lane Botanicals nursery will be delighted once you find them.

Athyrium, a Japanese Painted Fern. I believe this is an unusual cultivar known as "Ocean's Fury" and introduced in 2007. This is a hardy deciduous fern.

Athyrium, a Japanese Painted Fern. This is an unusual cultivar known as “Applecourt Crested” according to Wendy Wubbels. This is a hardy deciduous fern.

A gardening friend told me about Alan and Wendy’s nursery last summer, but it took us nearly a year to make our first visit.