The garden reminds us that despite the mums and pumpkins that have suddenly appeared at nurseries want you to believe, summer is still here. Snapdragons cut back mid-summer are putting up new blooms, like ‘Black Prince’ pictured. Often thought of as old-fashioned annuals, we’ve found snapdragons to be incredibly rewarding: beautiful, resilient, diverse. They have even overwintered here, challenging their status as mere annuals. Heptacodium miconioides, the Seven-Son tree, is putting on its...

Lily lovers of Willowwood, listen up: now is the time to visit. All the lilies are in bloom at once, from the reliable ‘Black Beauty’ in the cottage to the classically beautiful, sweetly-scented ‘Casa Blanca’ in Pan’s Garden. However, the cream of the crop is the Cardiocrinum cordatum, also in Pan’s Garden. Native to Japan and Sakhalin, this incredible lily is a sight to behold in flower. Not only for its beauty, but height – the one pictured is at least 6 feet tall. It is also is a fickle...

As we enter the dog days of summer and seek out shade and cool hollows, the plants seemingly heat up. Gone are the pastels of spring; enter the brightly-colored flowers of summer. Starting in the meadows, drifts of butterflyweed – Asclepias tuberosa - are buzzing with activity. Orange flowers are relatively rare in nature and this shade seems particularly special, lifting the spirits at first gaze. One cannot praise this indestructible plant too much: aside from providing food for a diverse...