In mid-March, a peony bed can look empty until it suddenly does not. The soil is still dark and cold. Last year’s stems have been cut away. Mulch lies flat, and the rest of the border is only beginning to loosen. Then, from the crown, a cluster of red points breaks the surface. They do not look like the flowers…
A spring shade bed can look as if it has learned to blush and cool at the same time. Lungwort opens with little pink bells, then the older flowers nearby settle into violet and blue. The spotted leaves are pretty enough on their own, but the flowers make the plant look like a small calendar. One cluster can hold yesterday,…
Read more about Why some flowers change color after pollination
By late September, the garden begins to keep two calendars at once. Tomatoes may still be ripening. Dahlias may still be loud. But above them, a serviceberry starts to ember at the edges, a dogwood darkens toward wine, and a maple holds green, yellow, and red on the same branch as if it has not yet decided what season it…
