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October 31, 2007
I’ve settled in at the Hunter Savage Colonial Garden on this Halloween morning. I found a nice spot next to some garlic so I won’t be bothered by any vampires tonight. I know they prefer blood, but I like my sap to stay where it is so this is just a precaution. Besides, I didn’t want to go to the Statuary Vista today – there is some wolfsbane over there. I know it keeps wolves away, but witches are supposed to like it and I don’t want them around tonight. Because of its reputation, I think that plant likes to use another name – monkshood. It’s a pretty plant, but that’s not enough to hide all those rumors about it
I came over here really to get away from the arboretum. The garden staff has been working really hard to set up all the lights for the “Garden of Lights” display and those folks can be a little heavy footed as they walk around. They are so focused on getting the lights set up and paying attention to the trees, they seldom look down. I can’t tell you how many times I got stepped on the other day and the final straw came when someone was setting up a guy wire to hold up one of the frames for the lights and they almost put a stake through me! Vampires aren’t the only creatures who die if you put a stake through their heart.
I watched when they mowed the meadow by the arboretum and that really scared me too. I heard there were several reasons for it. One, they were going to put up some lights over there, so that was fine. Two, I heard they wanted to plant some more wildflower seed to make the meadow better for next year. I’m all for that – I like to meet new friends. But the third reason sent shivers down my stem – they want to get rid of the “weeds” in the meadow. I know they really want to focus on getting rid of any mugwort that has shown up and that’s a good thing. I hear witches like the plant –  reason enough for me not too. But mugwort can be a real bully in the garden. It comes and takes over like it owns the place, it’s really obnoxious and it’s not all that pretty. Honestly, I never understand why I am a “weed” when you compare me to something as horrible as that. No matter – when the gardeners say they want to get rid of weeds I take it as a clue to find some other place to visit.
So here I am in the Colonial Garden. These are my kind of plants – my family goes back with them hundreds of years so we have learned to get along for the most part. Many of these plants remember when my folks were not considered “weeds” so I am a little more accepted here. If only those gardeners would think that way.
I hope everyone has a great night Trick or Treating. I am going to enjoy a quiet evening hanging out with the garlic.
- Dandy
October 25, 2007
It’s finally raining! I’ve been so thirsty lately. I had to leave the perennial garden the other day because the gardeners have gotten busy in the Circle garden planting annuals and bulbs for this winter and next spring. To watch them rip up annuals so ruthlessly scared me so I decided to head where I couldn’t see them – the arboretum. Unfortunately, they don’t irrigate over here as much (no well water) so it had gotten kind of dry. I just love the rain on my face and hope it keeps up.
 I’m hanging out with the viburnums across from the butterfly garden. There are a lot of different ones and they all have their fruit showing. It’s interesting to see all the different shades of red. Of course there’s always one that has to be different – one of the linden viburnums named Michael Dodge has yellow berries instead of red. He’s right at the front of the planting bed, just showing off – thinks he’s something special I guess.
The funny thing is that he really doesn’t have berries. He has drupe. Plant scientists like to have very particular terms for plant parts. I think sometimes they can be really persnickety about it, but it really makes sense if you are trying to precisely describe what a plant looks like. It just all seems like Latin to me. Anyway – a berry is a fleshy, pulpy fruit with lots of seeds in it – think cranberry, blueberry and tomato. Yes! A tomato can be considered a berry – kinda funny isn’t it. Plants like viburnums make drupe, which is a fleshy fruit with only one seed inside. Other plants that make drupe include dogwoods, hawthorns and hollies. Most of the time I call them berries, just like everyone else. At this time of year, however, when everyone starts to get excited about all the  plants with showy berries, I like to bring the showoffs down a peg and remind them they are really just drupe-y old plants. That quiets them for a minute or two, but not for long.
I won’t admit to them, but I do like all the berries (or drupe, if you will). The Washington hawthorn on the other side of the arboretum looks fantastic right now, covered in red. The viburnums are showy and all the winterberry scattered around the area are just waiting for their leaves to drop so everyone will gawk at them. They’re fun and they encourage the birds to visit, so I like sitting around with them for a while.
So come on out to the Garden to see us. Just don’t tell anyone where I am.
- Dandy
October 18, 2007
 I’ve been hanging out in the Sarah Lee Baker Perennial Garden lately, hiding under the edge of some Muhly grass. It makes it harder for the gardeners to see me and the soft pink haze of the grass makes the world all rosy.
I have a lot of cousins here in the perennial garden. I am a member of the Asteraceae family – sometimes we use the names Aster, Sunflower or Composite family, depending on who you talk to. It’s a big family and you probably know some of the members – Aster, Sunflower, Goldenrod, Marigold, Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Chrysanthemum and Lettuce. Aster, Chrysanthemum, Goldenrod and Swamp Sunflower all put on their best outfits at this time of year and I really enjoy watching them dress up. They like to compete with the Grass family and the Salvias as to who looks the best as fall comes, so the perennial garden is really cool place to see all the showing off.
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My view of Aster from under the Muhly grass (in the foreground)
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Don’t tell all the others, but one of my favorite cousins is Tartarian Aster. At about 5 feet tall, she’s a real showstopper right now with beautiful light purple flowers and gorgeous yellow eyes. I have a perfect view of her from where I’m hiding right now and the sight of her just makes my day. She is usually quite shy most of the year, staying close to the ground until the fall when she shoots up those tall stalks of flowers. I wish I could do that – then people might not think I’m so bad.
By the way, you might ask how you can tell who’s in our family. All of us have flower heads that look like a single flower at a distance but really are a bunch of small flowers (or florets). So when you look at a single daisy, you are really looking at a whole bunch of flowers. Some like the sunflower and daisy have both ray florets (the long petals on the outside that kids like to pull off – OUCH!) and disk florets that often form the “eye” of the flower. I don’t have any disk florets and Sunflower looks down on me (literally) because I don’t have them, but I think it makes me pretty special.
Anyway, come out the Garden today and see me and all my cousins. But if you see me, just don’t tell any of the gardeners where I’m hiding - they're so darn concientious they'll want to pull me before I'm ready to leave. It’s a beautiful day and I hope to see you here soon.
- Dandy
October 11, 2007
 Hello. My name is Danforth Lion. Most people just call me Dandy. I live here in Norfolk Botanical Garden because it is such a great place for someone like me. It is the perfect environment for me to grow, there are lots of fantastic plants for me to hang out with and I get to see a lot of interesting people. Unfortunately there are some people who don’t like me much – namely the gardeners who work here. They are always trying to get rid of me, but I just move around. You never know where I will pop up.
I am starting this blog so you can get to know me a little better, but mostly so I can tell you about all the neat things I see happening here at the Garden. It is amazing how much stuff goes on around here. Plus I can share all the gossip about the other plants that live here.
A little about me. I am a fairly short fellow – I stand around 4 inches tall. I have lots of green leaves and I really like to get my feet dirty – I dig my toes as deep into the ground as I can. Like many Americans, my ancestors came from Europe. They came over with early colonists – in fact they came as an invited guest. I think it was because they were pretty good in the kitchen – you know, making salads and wine for example. In the 20th century, when everyone started getting excited about having pretty grass lawns people started calling us names like “weed” and kicking us out. It kind of hurts. At least some people still like us – mostly kids. I think they really like the older folks with the white fluffy hair. Anyway, we are a . . .
Uh-oh! Here comes someone from the grounds staff so I gotta go. Talk to you later.
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6700
Azalea Garden Road
Norfolk,
Virginia 23518
(757)
441-5830
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