Gardening at Holly Grove

January 2020 Wednesday 1 January Starting this first day of the new year chilly and cloudy. Still trying to work outside as tomorrow is expected to be a lot of rain. Planted another camellia, wide hole, mulch with pine straw, fertilize with the Houston fertilizer.   This one is from Larry Bates last spring. The flower buds I think froze with the early hard freeze we had in November. I put it in place of one that died (Rev. John Bennett from Magnolia Gardens, 2018). Redid the chicken wire. Bob’s Tinsie (1962), originated by Nuccio’s Nurseries of California, brilliant red, anemone form on a moderate sized bush. I planted a second camellia today, Rosea Plena (<1829, from France). This I placed to the left of the allée behind the azaleas replacing a dead Adeyaka from Camellia Forrest. The new camellia is from Savannah last spring by mail. It has lost its buds also; again I think due to the bad freeze in November. I am continuing to trim on ...

Engelbert Kaempfer, b. 1651, was the first European to describe the ginko after a visit to Japan 1691-92. His collection is in the Sloane Herbarium. [1] Tuesday November 14, 2017 I start my gardening year at Holly Grove with the Ginko. We have had a couple weeks of cooler weather and every night on the gallery having drinks I notice a few more yellow leaves on the Ginko. And why not? Next week is Thanksgiving, which is the time of year of the peak Ginko color. I have planted a new one in the open space to the east of the big Ginko and Live Oak. I bought it this past spring at Camellia Forrest in North Carolina. Stuckey had planted one in the rear yard but it just up and died a couple years after we arrived. Reason? I am planting some more for posterity. I bought 2 Live Oaks from Clegg’s in Baton Rouge yesterday to add to the allée, @ $28. They are about 4’ tall. I think I need a couple more for the allée. Stuckey added 2 on the allée and 1 near the pa...