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November 30
 My crazy idea really was crazy - it didn't work! This morning as a gardener was leaving the compound, she spotted me and some other "weeds" and started pulling. Thankfully, she got called to the greenhouse before she got to me and I was able to get away before she came back.
Right now I am hiding under the cap of a sawtooth oak acorn. I won't tell you where I am because I am sure somebody will tell the gardeners. I am going to move again later today and will write more on another day.
Please, please, please don't tell the gardeners where I am.
November 29
Today I’m sitting in an open area between the gardener’s compound and the greenhouse. I had this crazy idea the other day that if I hang out near the compound, the gardeners would be so busy going out to take care of the rest of the Garden, they wouldn’t notice me. So here I am. We’ll see if it works.
 Actually this is a pretty nice place. I’m in an open field with plenty of sun – something I always like. With me are a few trees spread out in the field. The showiest are some Ginkgos. One tree is about 40 feet tall, but the rest are very young. This is an interesting tree. It is one of the oldest tree species growing on earth, having been around for 150 million years. It is native to China, but fossil records show it used to grow in North America before becoming extinct here. It was brought here (re-introduced?) in 1784 by a French botanist named Andre Michaux. I wonder if this creates a real conundrum for native plant purists – should they consider this a native plant or not?
Regardless of its history, this is a cool tree. It is slow growing but can get very tall and the branches have a nice shape to them. The leaves are unlike any other leaf I’ve seen – they look like fans. In the fall they turn a nice yellow color. It’s a great “self cleaning” tree. The leaves tend to drop all at once so that means the gardeners scratch my face only once when they rake. Maple and oaks like to sprinkle their leaves on the ground over several weeks  or longer, so gardeners are always raking – or worse, blowing. With the ginkgo the gardeners come, they clean up once, are gone and leave me in peace.
The tree is dioecious – which is a big fancy botanist word meaning that there are separate male and female plants. Most people like the male trees because the females will produce a messy and stinky fruit that drops on the ground. Not a good tree to have next to your front walk. However, I understand that the Chinese and Japanese eat the fruit so perhaps it tastes good.
People like to use extracts from the tree for medicine. I think they have used it to improve memory, treat depression, headaches and some other things I can’t remember. Apparently whatever is in its roots doesn’t leach out into the soil and help me. Oh well, I’ll just sit and enjoy the sun.
November 22
Today is Thanksgiving and the Garden is closed today so it gives me a chance to stretch out my leaves and relax a bit. No gardener looking for me today. Tonight will be busy with the start of the Garden of Lights. Millions of lights will shine bright tonight and lots of cars will drive through with people enjoying the show. Nobody will care whether I’m here or not. I am so thankful.
 I do have lots of other things to be thankful for:
- The autumn color – so many trees are so brightly colored right now and the witchazels have been ablaze this week.
- Rainy days – we’ve had some lately and it’s helping compensate for a hot dry summer
- Sunny days – I always like a dose of sunshine
- Cloudy days – colors in the garden seem brighter on days like that
- Shade trees
- Sunny flower beds
- Wildlife in the garden – I’ve seen so many interesting birds from a kingfisher to an eagle. I meet interesting mammals like raccoons, foxes and rabbits. Snakes, turtles and other cool creatures often pass by. And I can never forget the most important animal to many of my flower friends – insects. Without bees, butterflies and other bugs we wouldn’t grow so well.
- People who make this garden successful – As much as they hassle me the gardeners are the best at making this place look so good. It’s hard dirty work and they do it so well. Other staff also make this place great – the staff who greet and help visitors put people in a good mood to see the garden, folks in the education department help everyone understand us, the maintenance and facility staff make things sparkle and hum and administrative staff keep it all going smoothly. Hundreds of volunteers lend a hand every day to make the garden look better. And of course – the visitors who come are the very reason this garden exists. If nobody is interested in seeing the garden then there is no reason to have it here.
- But most of all I am thankful for all my plant family and friends. From the old oak by cobblestone bridge to the newest seedling in the greenhouse, there are a lot of wonderful plants here in the Garden. Every one has some interesting feature or characteristic. There are so many that live here that it seems as if I meet someone new everyday. On the other hand, I am constantly running into old friends. I just love living in the best garden in Virginia. For that I am thankful.
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone.
November 15
I came over to Mirror Lake yesterday because I really needed a little peace and quiet. For the last few days, the gardeners have been incredibly busy throughout the central part of the garden, trying to get the lights up for their “Garden of Lights.” I think it opens on Thanksgiving night, but I heard that they are having a member preview this weekend so this week is the final push to get the light display ready. People were going this way and that on golf carts, pickup trucks and even a big lift – carrying electrical cords, light bulbs and other things I don’t recognize – it has been crazy. With  all the hub-bub you’d think a plant could rest easy because all the gardeners were occupied. But of course, they are sneaky and still have a few on weed patrol and caring for the garden. I just can’t get a break.
Over here by Mirror Lake, I’m sitting next to a bald cypress on the causeway. It’s a tall tree, but since it’s still young (only 65 years old) it can get taller. It is just now starting to get “bald,” when its green needles are turning a brilliant burnt orange. In some places the needles are completely deciduous while in others the needles turn brown but may cling to the branches through the winter. A bit odd for a conifer. Another strange trait it has are all the “knees” that grow around it. This happens when the area around the base of the tree is often flooded. People have long wondered what the “knees” are for, but still can’t figure it out for sure. Of course, “old baldy” told me the other day, but since it’s a secret I can’t tell you. Too bad, so sad.
As we sit here, we are looking across the lake and enjoying the view. Trees are finally starting to turn color so it finally feels like fall. Everyone gets all excited about trees like the maples and they do have beautiful oranges and reds, but I’ve noticed that this year the crape myrtles have been especially pretty. On a bright day, the lake earns its name and reflects all the colors of the trees for twice the beauty. Add the white plumage of an egret in the scene and you have a really great picture.
I think I’ll enjoy the quiet over here for a few more days. See you around.
November 8
Hello everyone. I left the Hunter Savage Colonial Garden after Halloween and came down the road to the WOW Children’s Garden. At first I thought I would spend some time on Discovery Peak. I figured that since that place is all about how plants moved around the world, nobody would mind if I was there. I mean, I was brought to North America because people thought I was a good plant to have – at one time anyways.
As I sat there on Discovery Peak, I noticed that the garden teachers would come out to one of the  Passport Gardens – Werowocomoco Woods – every day to talk to anyone out there. So I went down to find out what was going on. It turns out that November is Native American month and every day at a scheduled time the teachers are presenting a program to anyone visiting the garden. They have been telling stories about different Native Americans and the plants they used. So I’ve settled in next to Rebecca the otter, who is always playing hide-n-seek in this garden. Right now we’re hiding under a wax myrtle, but if you tell anyone, we’ll move.
I’ve heard some good stories about my plant friends while I’ve been hiding here. Some I already knew, but others were new to me. One of my favorites is about yaupon holly. It is a holly that is native to the coastal plain of the southeastern US. Apparently some native groups such as the Powhatans used it to make a tea. It turns out that this is the only holly in North America that has caffeine in the leaves, so it makes a good morning drink. Some tribes would also use it to make the “Black Drink,” a tea that was used in cleansing ceremonies. Because of the caffeine, the tea has emetic qualities (that’s a fancy phrase that means it makes you puke). During the ceremony, the Indians would drink a large quantity of the tea at once and then throw up in order to purge their bodies of impurities. I guess anyone would throw up if they drank a quart of coffee or Coke all at once too. Anyway – scientists decided to give  yaupon the scientific name of Ilex vomitoria because of that history. Never mind that most people drank it like people drink coffee or tea today and never threw up. I think it is so unfair that people like this holly so much even though it was used to make people vomit and I’m considered a weed and I’ve done nothing to anyone.
In spite of that, I still like yaupon. It is really a small tree or a big shrub and can vary quite a bit in shape. It is a beautiful evergreen and has pretty berries in the fall. There are no spikes on the leaves like some hollies. In fact a lot of people may mistake it for a boxwood plant, but a close look at the leaves shows that it has jagged edges while boxwood has smooth leaves. It is a tough plant and can live a lot of different places, even right near the beach. People like to shear it and cut it back all the time and it never complains. What a cool plant.
I plan to stay here for a few more days to listen to more stories. If you come you can look for me and Rebecca, but if you find us and you tell anybody where we are, we’re gone.
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6700
Azalea Garden Road
Norfolk,
Virginia 23518
(757)
441-5830
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