Clematis

Clematis climbing up the back deck.

Swamp Cypress

It was rainy this morning, and I found that it is the ideal weather for a long shot of a swamp cypress. These prehistoric trees have short, soft needle-like leaves that stick out horizontally most of the time. However, on days like today, they collect a fair amount of water which bows down the branches. There are several of these trees in the garden, and they are certainly some of my favorites. It takes very little imagination to see a brontosaurus browsing off of them!

Hardy Hibiscus

Yes, there are hibiscus that can thrive through the "extreme" Iowan seasons. This hibiscus is planted on the southwest corner of the house and gets a lot of afternoon sun.

Rocks, Stargazers and Black-eyed Susans

This is a view of the plot in the northwest corner of the garden. The stargazer lilies and black-eyed susans are in brilliant bloom!

Where?

Here in eastern Iowa, we have a garden that the legendary Lady Catherine de Bourgh would likely term a "prettyish kind of a little wilderness." Here will (hopefully) be posted daily pictures of our own prettyish wilderness and shots of the surrounding area. Many people incorrectly assume that the geography of Iowa can be summed up in two words: "flat" and "corn." As I hope to show here, that is far from the truth of the matter.