September Director’s Note

Our resident Barred Owl has been making frequent appearances, frequently heralded by the scritch-scritch of blue jays who are annoyed by its presence. One such arrival coincided with our after school youth program, completely upending the coursework. No problem though, it regaled them with antics and funny head swivels as they took turns making noises in different locations to get its attention. Efforts to lure it with a paper mouse were less than successful. The Garden continues to provide us with amusement, serenity, and strength.

The slanting of September sunlight provides ample photo opportunities and transforms the feeling in the Garden as we enter into another season. September is one of my favorite months in the Garden, arriving early in the morning to welcome the day. Occasionally being the last to leave as the evening sun floods the front walkway. I get to bear witness to the incremental changes, take note of each new bloom. September is heralded by Cyclamen hederifolium and Colchicum autumnale in shades of pinks and whites and joined by the cerise and orange fruits of the Euonymous latifolius.

We’ve added a couple new vines to the garden, with thanks to our friends at Heronswood Garden. Planted at the garden entry arbor is Holboellia angustifolia which will provide a beautiful evergreen mantle with late winter blossoms of creamy white that are softly fragrant. Located at the information kiosk is another evergreen vine, Kadsura propinqua that may not be hardy, but we’re going to give it a go anyway. For those not in the know, we call this condition, Zonal Denial.

In the last couple of weeks, we renovated an old rock garden near the main patio space. It felt like an archeological dig uncovering the mid-sized rocks that were buried there. If feels good to have it back to a place that we can highlight small garden gems. I may have buried my Hori Hori knife when reconstructing the rock garden.

To round out the month, we’ll celebrate with our annual fundraiser, Garden Party. There is still time to buy tickets to participate in the online auction and the virtual event on the 26th. This fundraiser is the most important one of the year. We hope you can join us!