Garden Update

Lots and lots of limes for the Mister. I can hardly wait. Of course, now that I've brought the tree inside, I must be far more vigilant about watering. Citrus can be cranky like that.

But, even better, I discovered a hidden gem in my garden. See below:

Last October, when Charles and I visited Biltmore House and gardens, we admired (ok, I admired and I think Charles agreed) a plant with gorgeous purple berries. At Biltmore, they were huge shrubs, kind of messy but just right in that huge space.

Back to our house. We have a small fish pond, and surrounding it are various plants. Some live there because they were planted by the previous owners. Some live there because they're the plant equivalent of squatters - they arrive, they make a nice little spot for themselves and they refuse to be torn out. This plant was like that. I thought it was a weed, so I kept cutting it back and trying to yank it up.

Now, I'm glad I failed. And I'm glad that during the summer, while we sweated in sultry DC, my father-in-law stuck to the list of Things to Do and didn't try to yank out the weeds around the pond. Because, of course, it's not a weed! It's an American Beauty Berry, and I'm delighted to have it.