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Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha

Favorite Garden Photos of the past year

January


February

Thin ice (2/3/17) (Vancouver, WA)

March


Dutch Iris

April




May

lupines



June


July

Yarrow, lilies, agastache, Rose 'Marie Pavie'

August

strawflower-mohave-orange

September



October

sourwood-oxydendron


November

amsonia-geranium-rozanne-2


December


strawberry-plants-frost

Happy New Year!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. You are such a good photographer Phillip. These beautiful scenes give me courage to face the rest of this winter. I know there will be blooms in the future. Happy New Year to you too.

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  2. What a treat for the eyes, such gorgeous photos! August and January my favorites--the texture on the petals in August and the graceful drape of the snow-covered tree in January--perfect.

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  3. This is a wonderful post idea, I hope you keep doing it in the future. I love November's yellow-purple vignette. Such a vibrant display as the garden slows down is quite an achievement and a sign of a gardener's talent. I also love the wavy motion of Carex comans (if only it didn't reseed so prolifically).

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  4. Garden blogs that I used to follow that sadly no longer are there used to do an end of the year post with highlights from each month. Love your photos. They are certainly beautiful

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  5. Just coming out of the deepest freeze here in decades, my eye is drawn to anything that radiates warmth, so I lingered over August for some time. After that warmup, even the small hot flashes among the frosted strawberry foliage of December were effective; that one's my favorite, in fact.

    But they're all excellent. July is just smashing; isn't 'Marie Pavie' a great rose? And you've accompanied her brilliantly. Thanks for the beauty!

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  6. These are gorgeous! Especially love Jan and March. This may inspire me to do favorites next year instead of my usual "Best of the Rest" from leftover photos.

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  7. Great plant groupings and great photos. The January image was so striking I had to see what else you picked.

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