Fall is just a few days away, and there is a decidedly autumnal feel to the air. I discovered a couple of late bloomers at the Arboretum today: The small white flowers of Clerodendrum trichotomum (Harlequin Glorybower) are lovely against the large shrub’s bright green leaves. In the same area, under a large Quercus rubra (Red Oak), a large stand of Cimicifuga ramosa cv. Atropurpurea (Bugbane or Black Cohosh) is in full bloom, its white spikes of tiny fragrant flowers attracting bees and even a hummingbird, which I was not quick enough to photograph! Last, but not least, the immature cones on the huge Cedrus atlantica cv. Glabra (Blue Atlas Cedar) growing next to the Mansion are just beginning to take shape; when mature they will be barrel shaped and sit upright on the branches.
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
