A Tidewater Gardener

Metompkin Island

2008-08-19T20:48:00.008-04:00

After climbing the Commonwealth's highest peak last month, we headed back to sea level, stopping along the way to pick up the female members of the family, and then on to Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore. My parents live there next to Metompkin Bay, and from their house you can see Metompkin Island and at times can hear the waves hitting the beachfront. Metompkin is just one of a string of barrier islands that protect the Eastern Shore from the Atlantic. This part of Virginia contains the longest expanse of coastal wilderness remaining on the east coast. Most of the islands, marshes and tidal flats are owned by the Nature Conservancy as part of their Virginia Coast Reserve. Other parts of this ecosystem are owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or are federally protected, including Wallops Island owned by NASA and used for launching rockets.

The public is allowed to visit most of these islands if the rules are followed, but you need a boat - only one, Assateague, is accessible by car. These restrictions are necessary to protect the habitat for a number of endangered birds, including the Piping Plover, marine mammals and sea turtles. Unless the weather prohibits it, most of our visits to the Eastern Shore include a trip to Metompkin. We visited the island several times while we were on vacation, and except for the birds (and the hungry flies), we usually had the island to ourselves.

The first morning I got the sunrise over unusually still water. Some of the other photos might benefit from clicking to enlarge for a better view.

In the photo below, my mom is the tiny figure way down the beach. She is gathering shells which she hot glues onto straw wreath forms. She only uses shells found here. If you are ever on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore, you can see her handiwork at the Barrier Island Center gift shop.
... and Metompkin is full of shells. In places they make music rolling in the surf, and for beachcombers it is difficult to decide what to keep and what to leave.

Any interruption from the wind can cause vegetation to attempt to take hold.Plant life is sparse, comprised mostly of grasses, Wax Myrtles, the occasional Red Cedar and fleshy little things that can take the salt and sand.
From Metompkin you can see the abandoned Coast Guard Station on Cedar Island.
I love it when it is hard to distinguish between water and sky.

This is a view back towards the mainland - a floating raft of Loblolly Pines, fertile farms and small towns.

The Last Rose of Summer

2008-08-17T17:02:00.004-04:00

Mary Parks Sprague

July 12, 1913 - August 11, 2008

She grew up on Mary St. in a town named Parksley, and she had a life well lived. Music, education, her church and her family were her life. She was a strong link to the past that came before me, and in her garden I learned many things. When she could no longer play the organ every Sunday, she would sit in the colored light coming from the girl in the red dress and listen to someone else's music.

Now that she is gone, it is only just that the cloud which increasingly shrouded her mind in the final years, is gone as well. I hope she has been reunited with her memories, her music, her dear Mason, and that she can finally talk to her God again, face to face with full clarity.

Abelia chinensis - Butterfly Magnet

2008-08-13T08:50:00.007-04:00

Each year now for the past ten, it seems like more new Abelia culitvars are put on the market. It is becoming increasingly hard for me to distinguish the difference between all of the choices. I have been impressed with one new offering, 'Kaleidoscope' (Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope'), since I first saw it, and I especially like how it looks in the winter. The original plant was developed at Panoramic Farm in North Carolina, but now every wholesale nursery is clamoring for it. One of my childhood plant memories is of old-fashioned Glossy Ablelia (Abelia x grandiflora) which as kids we called the Bumblebee Plant which is also what we called Hibiscus syriacus (the curse of common names). Both would be covered in black and yellow buzzers in summer, and it was great fun to push each other into the plants. Alas, the bees were always too busy with their work to let boy's pranks get in the way.

One of the parents of Glossy Abelia is Abelia chinensis or Chinese Abelia, and it gets very few bumble bees. It is always too covered with butterflies to leave any room for other insects. We started carrying Chinese Abelia about 10 years ago, and it is one of those plants that will sit in the nursery for months unnoticed by customers. However, when it starts blooming it sells well and usually to people who had not come in looking for it. Humans are not only drawn to it because they like butterflies, but it is also has an incredible scent. In fact it is probably the most fragrant Abelia. Unlike others, Chinese Abelia is not evergreen and its flowers bloom in clumps instead of singly. It has a gangly wild habit, forms a 5-6' tall and wide clump and is hardy in zones (6)7-9.

Bloom Day - Hot Colors for the Hottest Month

2008-08-11T21:07:00.013-04:00

I guess anywhere in the northern hemishpere, August is going to be the hottest month. For this month's Bloom Day I thought I would feature hot colors, which are my favorite. I usually try to plant a good number of annuals to carry me through our long summers, and they have to be able to take the heat. For foliage color, I always plant Margarite Sweet Potato Vine, Sun Coleus and Purple Setcresia (which has been perennial for me lately). For flower color I usually plant a few of the same things every year, but I always try something new with varying degrees of success.

Impatiens are a given for shade, but I am getting tired of their relentless need for water, and these are just under the porch roof and get very little rain.

One annual that has made my plant-every-year list is Profusion Zinnia. Once they kick in, they bloom non stop, without deadheading, until they are pulled out in the late fall. This one is Profusion Orange and ...

... below is Profusion Fire.
I can not say enough nice things about Lantana. I wrote a small article for the company E-newsletter on the plant and read more than anyone would care to know about the topic. Even though it is highly invasive in some parts of the world, that is not a problem in areas that have a winter. The first one I bought was reliable Miss Huff, which is very hardy for us, but give her plenty of room.
New Gold is sold as an annual and last year I had three, and this one came back.
I am not sure which one this is.
Here is a whiskey barrel I planted at work with Confetti Lantana, Purple Angelonia, Chili Willi Peppers, Angelina Sedum, Creeping Jenny and a thornless Opuntia.
This is Tiki Torch Coneflower and it is the first Coneflower I have bought in years. When all of the new varieties were coming out, I tried several and all of them died. The species comes up voluntarily for me every year and they take a lot of abuse and still thrive. I told myself that I would not plant another named variety, but when I saw this color I forgot all about that. My apologies to Benjamin in The Deep Middle for showing yet another Coneflower cultivar. If you follow the link you can read what he had to say about the topic back in March. Here is a Dahlia that has come back for me twice.
Hypericum does not normally rebloom for me, but this one is putting out again.
I also rely on houseplants and tropicals to fill in the late summer gap. This is just a Crown of Thorns, but it is the only red flower that my camera could capture without excessive saturation. What is it with red flowers and digital cameras?
Not so much hot as warm is the Pat Austin rose. This was a warranty return from customers who bring back way too many plants. I told them there was nothing wrong with it and if they had given it more water it would have been happier. I took it home just to prove them wrong. I hope they read my blog.
Thanks once again to Carol at May Dream Gardens for organizing a fine mid-month party. Pay her a visit and see what other gardeners are growing.

The Virginia Creeper Trail

2008-08-06T18:44:00.008-04:00

Part of our recent time in the mountains was spent on The Virginia Creeper Trail, which was originally used by native Americans. Then pioneers, including Daniel Boone, used it to go west and it was eventually developed into a railway in the early 1900s. The last train ran on it in the 1970s and later it was converted into a multi-use recreational trail for hikers, joggers, bicyclists and horseback riding. It runs from Abingdon through Damascus, Virginia and on to the top at Whitetop Mt. We drove into Damascus which is a small town surrounded by mountains and forests. It is one of the few towns that the Appalachian Trail goes through, and it has a more eco-tourist vibe than other towns in the region. There are lots of B&Bs, reasonable little restaurants, outfitter stores and bike rental shops. We used Adventure Damascus, and for about $24 per person we got bikes, helmets, water bottles and shuttle service.

The shuttle took us to the top of the trail at Whitetop Mt. near the NC border. From here Damascus is 2000' lower and 17 miles away, but you can take as much time as you need to get down the trail. Since it is nearly all downhill, people who might wonder if they are physically up to it, need not worry (except for a possible sore butt). There are lots of places to stop along the way, including a couple of hamlets where you can get food and drink. The trail crosses through pastures, Christmas tree farms and into national forest land following Laurel Creek. Where possible the old railroad trestles are used and these offer great views, in fact there is not a bad vista anywhere along the trail. During the whole trip your lungs are full of cool clean air and you are accompanied by the smell of White Pine, Fir and Hemlock. This was our second trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Mt. Rogers - Grayson Highlands State Park

2008-08-03T19:29:00.007-04:00

If I were to leave my house, travel north going up the coast for 7-8 hours, I would arrive just outside of New York City. Going in the opposite direction, I would end up in Charleston, South Carolina. Going east for that long could not be an option, as it would only take me about 30 minutes until I reach the ocean. However, going due west from my house following the Virginia/North Carolina border, I would still be in Virginia but culturally and geographically further from my home than I ever would be in Manhattan or the Low Country. It was in the westerly direction that I headed and ended up in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. This was my fourth visit to Mt. Rogers, and when I go I stay at Grayson Highlands State Park.
This garden was at the Visitor's center. There were a few items I did not recognize, like the blue plant in the second picture.

Behind the Visitor's Center you can pick up several trails, including the one leading to the Twin Pinnacles. Along the way is one of my favorite individual trees. This is a Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), and if there are such things as sacred trees, this must be one. It seemingly grows directly out of the top of the boulder in a clearing with no other trees close by. Further along the trail ferns cover large patches of the forest floor. The golden structures are Dodder, a very parasitic plant.
Lichens are part algae, part fungus.
I found this plant to growing in several places, usually in rock crevices or in mostly gravel. I think it is Saxifraga michauxii.
My dad would bring home Running Cedar (Lycopodium digitatum?) for mom to use at Christmas. That was before it was listed as endangered.
This is the view from the top of the trail, and you can see into North Carolina and Tennessee.
Other wildflowers abound throughout the park.

Does anyone know what this one is, maybe some kind of Vetch?

The next day we hiked to the top of Mt. Rogers, which happens to be the highest peak in Virginia at 5729'. In order to get to the top you have to go on the Appalachian Trail and through a landscape unlike any other in the state. During the last ice age there was a vestige of a glacier here, and there are many plant species that would be more comfortable in Canada, than in Virginia. Red Spruce, Fraser Fir, Hemlock and thick groves of Rhododendrons grow in this windswept, forlorn landscape. When I am here, I feel like I am in another world.

There are several groups of wild ponies in the area, and although you are told not to approach them, some of them are very approachable.

After a long hike, a dip in waterfall pool sounds great, until you actually put a body part in the water which was incredibly cold.

I apologize for the heavy picture load, and I will post more later.

Playing Tag

2008-07-28T17:53:00.006-04:00

I was tagged with a meme by Christopher C. at Outside Clyde. I am not even sure of the definition of "meme" but I am pretty certain that it is an honor, and that is the way I am taking it, and I thank him. There are rules that go with this as follows:

#1 Link to the person who tagged you. I think I got this one already.

#2 Post the rules on my blog. I am working on that as we speak.

#3 Write six random things about yourself. I'll get to that.

#4 Tag six people at the end of the post. Small problem here. I will not be a complete party pooper in that I will partially participate, but I will not pass this one to anyone else as a matter of personal preference. I have walked out of Amway meetings and I have never responded to chain letters either, and I am sure children in a Romanian orphanage are less well fed and clothed as a result.

#5 Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. See above.

#6 Let the tagger know when their entry is up. Consider it done.

Now for the reveal.

1. Horticulture is my second career. I spent the first dozen years of my adult life working in hotel/resort management. It was all very interesting, never a dull moment, but totally stressful what with the 24/7 business schedule. During that part of my career I witnessed one suicide attempt, help prevent another, was asked on more than one occasion to find a prostitute, caused an employee to have several seizures, and called the Department of Defense to report a suspected mine. It was not all thorns, there were a many roses too.

2. Like Christopher C. I have had many brushes with celebrities, most but not all of them were a result of my first career. Here are some of my memorable encounters:
- Helping Tina Turner find a late night meal
- Riding an elevator with Neil Diamond
- Chatting it up with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
- Addressing Richard Pryor by an alias
- Driving a frightened Dr. Rene Richard's car
- Having my plane delayed because of Ronald Reagan
- Getting stuck in traffic because of Jimmy Carter
- Waiting in a green room with Sting
- Enjoying a long conversation with Tina Weymouth
- Helping Stills and Nash find a tardy Crosby
- Folding a pleasing looking point on toilet paper rolls that Jimmy Swaggert would soon use

3. I enjoy movies and television shows dealing with stories of addiction and recovery or relapse. If a celebrity is involved it is even better. I watch A&E's Addiction, VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, and a lot of the wonderful trash on E and MTV.

4. My parents had the exact same name picked for me whether I was going to be a boy or a girl. Although I am proud of all three of my names, I've not always been comfortable with this bit of androgyny. I guess it could be worse - not one, but three of my ancestors were named Zorababel and considering that both sides of my family are related to each other, the name thing should be the least of my worries.

5. At one point in my life I wanted to be a speech pathologist, and thought I wanted to enter the program at Mary Washington College and was accepted. At the time they had only recently allowed males students, but it is now a completely co-ed and a full university. I choose not to go, because I thought Old Dominion University would be more fun, plus it was close to the beach. I ended up with a degree in Sociology with a heavy dose of Anthropology thrown in. Maybe I should reconsider, I here they now have a garden restoration program.

6. I collect religious memorabilia, broken bits of heads and faces from statues, books by southern photographers, large plastic reptiles, fezzes and shriner bling, hounds, and any interesting flotsam that washes up on the beach.

Suspicion Confirmed

2008-07-23T21:40:00.005-04:00

We have a number of display beds at work, and in one of them we have tried to give it a tropical look. Earlier in the month, I noticed this unusual plant blooming, but no one could give me a definitive name. We suspected it may be some variety of Haemanthus. While browsing through this month's bloom day postings, I noticed that Jeff at The Transitional Gardener had a plant that looked just like it, confirming our suspicion. Haemanthus is native to southern Africa, but this particular one is hardy for us in 7b. The foliage is worthy in itself, looking as it should belong somewhere more exotic than Suffolk. We were given this plant by a bulb vendor who was always our temporary neighbor when we had a booth at the Virginia Flower and Garden Show -back when the show actually featured flowers and gardens. We planted the bulb years ago, but I have never noticed the flowers until this year.

By the way, if you happen to visit Jeff's site, make sure you read his latest post, which among other things, concerns naked ladies and butterbeans. It is a good story about plants and our associations with them and should appeal to any gardener, but especially so to Southern ones.

All Around Great Guy --- Now an Award Winning Photographer

2008-07-18T07:14:00.005-04:00

I submitted the above photograph to the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association (VNLA)Newsletter. This is the same organizations that operates the the state Certified Horticulturist program as well as promoting and championing state wide green industry issues. They have a photo contest for each issue of the newsletter and I won $50 with my picture of Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy' which I used in previous post from February. I haven't quit my day job, but I am anxiously waiting by the phone for a call from Garden Design or Fine Gardening.

July Bloom Day, City Wide

2008-07-14T20:31:00.009-04:00

For this month's Bloom Day post, I only have 2 shots from my own yard, the rest are from around town. I realize that this may be contrary to the normal posting guidelines, but in July this whole region (particularly Norfolk) becomes a garden with the blooming of the Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica and hybrids). The scale of the display and the colors become so distracting that I find it hard to focus on my own small patch of Earth.

Crape Myrtles were first introduced in this country in the late 1700's by French botanist Andre Michaux in Charleston SC. It took another Frenchman, Fred Huette to encourage Norfolk to plant them. Huette was the Supervisor of Norfolk Parks and Recreation in the 1930's and he realized that this area's mild winters and long warm summers were the perfect climate for the trees. The city embraced them, and beginning in the middle of the last century, it became the street tree of choice. In older neighborhoods, including mine, it sometimes feels like you are driving through fragrant tunnels of pink, red, white and purple. My wife and I go out of our way to ride down streets that are heavy with them and show each other our favorites.

It is a very democratic tree in that you see them used at public housing projects to the grandest of estates and everything in between. It has also become one of the landscaper's favorite, and it is actually difficult not to see one, whether you are in a commercial or residential area. They are common --- but some things are common for a reason. What else are you going to plant that takes the heat, the humidity, the occasional droughts and floods, and blooms for two months in the harshest part of the summer? If this isn't enough, their bark can be stunning, fall foliage is always colorful and persistent, and the branching structure on older specimens is sculptural. I realize that this is not the only part of the world where they grow, nor are they everybody's favorite tree, but to me they mean summer and they mean home.

If you would like to see what is distracting other gardners, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Rain Barrel Workshop

2008-07-12T12:27:00.002-04:00

If anyone had told me 10 years ago, that I would be attending a rain barrel workshop, I would have said what and why for. Although we recently enjoyed 6 days in a row of rain, I know that it will not last. I have not gotten my water bill for June yet, but I am dreading it. We are obviously charged for water used, but they calculate your sewage charges based on water usage. I wish there was some way to distinguish which amount of water went to the garden and which went down the toilet. I know many parts of the country have been dealing with water issues since... forever, but it has only recently entered our civic consciousness.

I want to thank my neighbor Lisa for hosting and Mike of Mike's Rain Barrel's for bringing all the supplies. It was good morning.

Bringing a little person with narrow shoulders and dexterous hands was a genius move on my part.

Sink, Swim, and Clyde

2008-07-09T20:08:00.004-04:00

Despite a large appetite, Loretta has absolutely no body fat and that combined with a total inability to swim - makes her sink like a stone. At least she has enough sense to stay where her feet touch bottom. What I don't understand, is her habit of totally immersing her head under the water and thrashing it from side to side, carrying on for 20 minutes or more. She is the oddest dog I have ever owned.
On the other hand, beautiful Patsy has always swum like an otter, and will gracefully paddle for the sheer joy of it any chance she gets. It is a good thing she enjoys the water, because increasingly her back legs fail her on dry land.
Here she is in repose by the hydrangeas with a certain look on her 13 year old face.
Cousin Clyde is always grateful when the girls visit, he gets few visitors - especially female ones.

Accomac Weekend - Pt. 2 - Corn Free-For-All

2008-07-08T20:50:00.008-04:00

My parents place is a few miles from Accomac and their property is surrounded by farm fields, tidal marshes and a freshwater pond. They have a fair amount of room, like to garden and I enjoy giving them trees that I don't have the room for. Here are few of what they had blooming this weekend.

The pond was originally built to irrigate the nearby crops when rain wasn't plentiful.
Nearby is Parker's Creek, Metomkin Bay and the Atlantic. It is often quiet enough that you can hear waves breaking on the barrier island beaches.

These daylilies front the fence of one of the older houses nearby.
On the day we were to leave, there was a major corn incident. One of the trucks hauling sweet corn from my cousin's field tipped over as it was turning a corner. For some reason it could not or would not be put back on the truck and so it was there for the taking, and we took. Heading back to Norfolk, we had to pass by a traffic jam caused by people getting free corn - I am sure very little of it went to waste.

I am about sick of corn.

Accomac (without a "k) Weekend - Part 1

2008-07-08T20:02:00.007-04:00

We spent the 4th at my parents house, which is just outside of Accomac (without a "k) on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore. Accomac (pop. 500+) is the county seat for Accomack (with a "k") county, which was formed in 1634 as one of Virginia's original eight shires. If it were not for the courthouse, the jail, and all of the associated county offices - there wouldn't be much going on. There are splendid old homes and churches in town, and the air is thick with the smell of boxwood.

Every year they have a non-motorized 4th of July parade, which is very casual. Basically the county band plays and everyone walks, pedals, or rides behind them - dogs too - ending up on the courthouse green for popsicles, more music and a reading from the Declaration of Independence. After the festivities, people head to the Baptist Church for pulled pork barbecue, fixins and homemade baked goods - very delicious!

This is a very old and a very large Sycamore (Plantanus occidentalis), it dwarfs the house behind it.
At first glance this looks like one plant, but it is an Althea (Hibiscus syriacus) and a Black Locust (Robina pseudoacacia).

The Old Cape Henry Light

2008-06-30T20:28:00.007-04:00

After the camping trip (from the previous post) was over, my son and I went to the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse which is located on Fort Story. When I was in college, Fort Story was one of our preferred places to go to the beach. This is where the Chesapeake meets the Atlantic, the waves were usually good, and the crowds were never there. You could just wave a hand to get through the gate and onto the base. A few world events later, and it is now a little more difficult to get on base. We had to submit ourselves to everything short of a full body cavity search to get on. They needed I.D., auto registration, all compartments, hood and doors open, and a mirror search of the undercarriage. The guards went through all of our camping gear, cooler and bags, and the whole time one of the guards kept his hands on his gun as if we were about to bolt. The lighthouse was the first public works project that the newly formed United States chose to fund. George Washington took an avid interest in the construction of the light and it was completed in 1791. It was built on the top of a tall hill, probably the remnants of an old sand dune.

From the top you get a good view of the Chesapeake, the Atlantic and Fort Story. There were many dolphins in the water feeding, playing and doing whatever it is dolphins do. You also get a good view of the "new" lighthouse.

This is the underside of the dome.
I wondered why they kept these bags of Quickcrete door near the stairs. Was it for emergencies?
The base of the tower is made of soft Aquia sandstone, and originally it was below the soil line at the top of the hill the tower rests on. With wind erosion the base is now exposed 7' below its original level.
The "new" lighthouse began operation in 1881, and is still in use today. The old light was purchased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) and is one of their 32 owned or maintained properties.

The fence outside of the lighthouse grounds is adorned with black ribbons, and on them is a hand written list of all of the soldiers who have been killed in the current Iraq war. The memorial is very organic and citizen driven, and stands in marked contrast to the officialness and sterility of the base. The ribbons were already fading and tattered, and I feel that many people's awareness of this ill-conceived war is in the same condition as the ribbons.

First Landing State Park

2008-06-29T19:53:00.012-04:00

Yesterday was my son's Cub Scout Troop's first overnight family camping trip. It was held at First Landing State Park where I like to occasionally hike, but I have not camped there since the late 70's when I was with a church youth group. Back then it was known as Seashore State Park, and I must be getting old because I can't help but call it that.

The park is located in Virginia Beach at Cape Henry, where the Atlantic and the Chesapeake get introduced to each other. It is called First Landing to commemorate that fact that the people who founded Jamestown stopped here first after their crossing, before heading inland. It is easy to figure why they kept going when you see the ecology of the place. Our camp site was just beyond the dune system in a scrubby maritime forest. Its forest is made up of wind blown Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana), gnarled Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) and Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera).

The only flowers currently in bloom were Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

It was a short walk to a wide, unspoiled beach, one of the few left in the city. Most of the area around First Landing has had the Oaks taken down, the dunes flattened and condos raised.

The T-shaped structure in the water is a trap whose design has been used for centuries to capture fish as they migrate up and down the shore.

If you click on this picture you can see a small boat in the foreground that was tending to the traps. The large ships in the background are colliers, and there were 10 of them anchored outside of the harbor waiting to enter. One of our dubious distinctions here is being the largest exporter of coal in the world, and you have always been able to judge the state of the world's energy situation by how many ships are waiting to be loaded. Further in from the coast are the hiking trails. This area was once the shoreline and is unusually hilly for this area. The landscape undulates following the contours of the former dunes that have built up over the past 5000 years. Forests now cover the area and in the swales between the hilltops, water has collected and swamps have formed. There are over 600 plant species in this ecosystem and for many this is their northern most point.

First Landing is the only place in Virginia where Spanish Moss grows, and this is probably why I like to hike there, as it reminds me of the Lowcountry. Spanish Moss is a bromeliad and an epiphyte needing only high moisture and heat to grow. The printed trail guide tells me it was used by native Americans as a diaper and latter on it was used as furniture stuffing.

The trails wind through the forest and goes over elevated boardwalks in the swamp. The main trail is an old country road that takes you directly to the north end of the resort strip. It is often crowded with bikers, walkers and runners. In the swamps the primary tree is the Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), and regular readers know I have a thing for the tree. Be thankful I didn't show you all of my Cypress pictures.

This is a fallen Sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua) whose trunk runs along the ground for over 50'. At the end of the original trunk, in an act of defiance, is a side branch turned main trunk.
Not all trees have such a will to survive.
This Loblolly was about 5' in diameter at the base.
At the other end of the park there is a very popular boat and kayak launch that gives people access to Broadbay, and there is a safe place for swimming, fishing and crabbing as well.

Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree)

2008-06-27T19:34:00.006-04:00

This tree is blooming now all across the area, and is probably about 1-2 weeks earlier than normal. I am fond of this plant because it is very hardy for us; blooms when few other trees are blooming - and it is lilac-blue. I know of no other tree that blooms this color in this climate. There are pale pink and white cultivars available, but why would you want them when you can have blue? Vitex can take a lot of heat and sun, can withstand coastal conditions and whistles through any drought. However, it does not like to have prolonged wet feet. It is hardy from the warmer parts of zone 6 into zone 9, and in the colder parts of its limits, it can be treated as a cut back shrub, similar to a Buddleia. In the mid range it behaves like a multi-stemmed shrub, and here it makes an attractive small tree reaching about 15' tall. If you spend the time to do a little lower limb pruning, its attractive blocky bark is revealed. The blooms last about a month attracting lots of bees and the occasional hummingbird. If you have the inclination and a sturdy ladder, deadheading makes them bloom again in early fall. The leaves are reminiscent in appearance to marijuana, and both the foliage and the seeds have a strong medicinal smell. There is no appreciable fall color.

Vitex is native to southwestern Europe and western Asia, where it has a long storied history. It was mistakenly believed to be an ANAphrodisiac quelling the sexual desires of people who ingested it or slept on beds of it. It was thought to keep the thoughts of temple maidens pure while they tended to their duties, and kept the hands of monks out from under their robes and the robes of others (hence the name Chaste Tree). Coincidentally, it does have an effect on the body's hormones and has been proven to ease PMS and promote lactation. If you do a little on-line research, you will discover scads of information on Vitex's medical/herbal uses. Author Stephen Foster has an interesting article here about Vitex's medicinal history.

This shot below may seem a little hazy, and that was because it was an extremely smoky day with the fires from the swamp still churning away. Even though at this point, the fires are 90% contained, they are mainly peat fires and produce a particularly acrid smoke.

The bees can be so thick on Vitex, that you get the illusion that the whole tree is subtly moving.

I like to see Vitex planted in groups and limbed up, looking like a grove of small gnarly trees. This makes a great place to plant shade tolerant perennials. If you ever visit Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, look next to the Big Bad Wolf and you will see this done very nicely.

One last thing; try to avoid planting Vitex rontundifolia or Beach Vitex. It has become something that needs to be eradicated in the coastal dune ecosystem. It is just as pretty and just as tough, but it is choking out natives that do a much better job of dune stablization.