The structure of the garden is more evident in the winter than any other season. At Dawn Gardens the grasses don’t get cut back until February so they are very visible. Some details in the garden are more visible such as bark, winter foliage color, fruit and branching structure. Strawberry Tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’) bark Paperbark…

Guavas are plants that have edible fruit and are also beautiful landscape plants. Chilean Guava (Ugni molinae) These small fruits are delicious and taste like strawberries. 3-6′ slow growing shrub. Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattelianum ‘Red Strawberry’) These fruits taste good too but have lots of seeds. Lemon Guava (Psidium cattelianum lucidum) Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana)…

Many plants have beautiful berries usually in the fall. Here are some examples at Dawn Gardens: Variegated Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’) is a deciduous vine. I am not sure of the sequence of the color of the berries but I think it is: Light green, yellow, light blue, purple, pink. Deciduous Holly (Ilex ‘Berry…

Fall color has been 2 weeks later than normal this year. The weather has been beautiful so it has been easy to take great photos in the garden. The tall yellow trees are Fastigate Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’) Ponds and fall color FALL COLOR SHRUBS: Orange Rocket Barberry (Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea ‘Orange Rocket’) Good accent…

Heuchera is the generic name for hundreds of varieties of Coral Bells. They generally bloom in the spring to early summer and have pink to white flowers. The many different colors of the foliage is the main reason they are used in the shady garden. Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’ Heuchera ‘Rose Granita’ Heuchera…

California has the largest number of endemic plants than any other state – plants that are native here and nowhere else. It has the tallest tree in the world, the oldest tree in the world and the most massive tree in the world. TREES: California Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) The tallest tree in the world…

Since my trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland was canceled this year because of COVID I decided to visit Oregon and see my brother, his family and gardens and nurseries in the Portland area. Seven Feathers rest area along Highway 5 south of Roseburg, Oregon. Conifer Kingdom Nursery in Silverton, Oregon specializes in dwarf conifers…

A place to rest and enjoy the garden. Here are some examples of benches at Dawn Gardens: 4′ teak bench on flagstone pavers in honor of my Mother who got me interested in gardening back in the 1950’s. Bench to view the upper pond and waterfall. Rocking bench to view the upper garden. Patio table…

Viburnums are a varied genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs with beautiful flowers and blue or red fruit. DECIDUOUS VIBURNUMS Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Mariesii’) Viburnum ‘Summer Snowflake’ Viburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Molly Schroeder’ European Cranberry Bush (Viburnum opulus) Common Snowball (Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’) Viburnum opulus ‘Aureum’ Spring and Fall Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) Viburnum lentago…

Commonly called the Sticky Monkey Flower, Mimulus is a common native plant that has been hybridized to produce plants with many different flower colors. Mimulus aurantiacus is a tough plant blooming in the late spring that can survive poor souls and no water all summer in its native habitat. Here are some of the hybrids…