Heptacodium miconioides      Â
 7 Son Flower of ZhejiangÂ
 
 You’ve probably never heard of this small tree, or perhaps what you’d call a large shrub. After one glance, you may want to hear more, because this time of year it is a standout in the landscape. Loaded with fragrant white flowers in late summer, then deep rose-colored calyxes in autumn, and finally an interesting exfoliating bark in winter, it is a fantastic replacement for more invasive but temptingly bright bushes like Burning Bush (Euyonymus alata).
Heptacodium miconioides was found by plant collector E. H. Wilson in 1907, on an expedition to Hupei, China.  Arnold Arboretum botanists recorded the find, however it was not brought into cultivation until after 1980. Pest resistant, fast growing, and salt tolerant it is quickly becoming a favorite landscape accent specimen, growing to about 20 feet tall; it prefers a sunny to part-sunny location and is hardy in USDA zones 5-9.
Â
For a review of Farm City please click HERE.
Hard to believe, but the same insect can take on many different forms during tis life cycle. Take butterflies, for instance. First, they’re just tiny eggs, which hatch into caterpillars, followed by a dormant period in a cocoon or chrysalis, finally emerging as a classic fluttering butterfly.Â
Don’t expect them to stick around here much longer, though. Monarch butterflies, which we are observing as they pass through Kentucky, migrate thousands of miles south this time of year to overwinter in Mexico. You can track their progress at the Journey North Web-site by clicking HERE.
The Henkel Denmark landscape company sent its employees and even some contactors to work on a volunteer mission today. Crews replanted, weeded, trimmed, and hauled greenery in an effort to beautify elementary school grounds before classes begin August 12th. Click HERE for more of the story. Click HERE for a Photo Gallery taken of the crew at Glendover Elementary. You can click on the photos for a better view. It was a welcome sight to have people I’ve known for 30 years doing hard but heartwarming physical labor to improve the lanscape at Glendover. Thanks, Henkel Denmark.
    . . . On second thought, make that Â
Gourdgeous       
Gourds are for more than just porch decor. With a bit of basic know-how, you can transform them into jewelry with an organic aura. Guest crafter Judy Denham will be teaching a hands-on class at The Arboretum at 500 Alumni Drive from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28. Use of the basic tools, like a wood burner and dyes, and findings enough to create earrings, a necklace and a pin are included in the $30 registration fee. To join this class, you must pre-register by calling 859.257.9339. More information can be found by clicking THE ARBORETUM. Two additional gourd transformation classes, Gourd Birdhouse, August 18 1-4 p.m., $25; and Coiled Pine Needle Gourd Vessel, September 29 1-4 p.m., $30, are on the schedule.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Look close. You should be able to see right through this week’s Whatzit. 
Leave your guess as a comment this week; the official answer will be posted Sunday.
Whatzit #7 is an antique cloche, which is a glass dome that acts like a mini-greenhouse. Cloche is French for ‘bell’, the shape of this cover. Cloches come in different shapes and sizes. Sometimes used to protect garden plants from early freezes, or to protect, decorate and control humidity for indoor plants. This particular cloche was found during the Canal House Cooking book signing by Saveur magazine’s founder Christopher Hirsheimer. She was in Lexington to speak at the Woodford Human Society’s Fundraise, but also served up some cookbook snacks one evening at Debbie Chamblin’s Belle Maison Antiques and Trillium. Click on the shop names for Web-site access.Â
Belle Maison Antiques
525 West Short Street
Lexington, KY 40507
t/f 859.252.9030
www.bellemaisonantiques.com
Trillium
525 West Short Street
Lexington, KY 40507
859.255.1010
www.trilliumstyle.com
Artemesia
         &Â
  Jasmine
Gardens are not only for sunny days.  They can cast an evening glow with reflected light as well.  One idea: Choose plants with light and shiny flowers and leaves, which show up well when it’s dark. The feathery leaves of silver Artemesia, reminiscent of the mood goddess Artemis, are a good choice along side a mass of white begonias.  Think about other senses in the dark, too. Some flowers, like night-blooming jasmine, open when it’s dark, to release an amazing, almost overpowering soporific fragrance.Â
Ahhh, the magic of midsummer nights!
Here’s the answer to this week’s Whatzit #3.Â
The two teak structures in the photo are actually outdoor shower supports. You supply the plumbing,
Great for pool or post-gardening rinsing-off, these and other fun teak and garden products, imported directly from Indonesia, can be found at Teak Closeouts, 573 Angliana Ave. Web-site: Click HERE.
There is a lot happening along Angliana Avenue, in the old tobacco warehouse district. Replacing the Loose Leaf Warehouse where the monthly antique dealers’ shows were held, are new apartment buildings, aimed at the student housing market; just this week, plans for another Angliana Ave. adaptive re-use project were revealed, which include a grocery, theatres, and apartments. For a link to the full story, click HERE.
           Hydrangeas  Â
 Every once in a while, you’ll catch a glimpse of what looks like a heap of big baseballs in a bush. On second glance, you’ll discover … AHA! … it’s really hydrangea. White blooming mopheads, classics that grandma planted around the foudation of her house, sometimes turn  blue or pink as the pH of the soil changes, create a striking display. New and popular cultivars include Oak Leaf hydrangeas, with a more conical-shaped flower head, and the delicate lace-fringed varieties, with larger flowers creating a halo around a tighter central cluster. To study the range of flowers available, you can find heaps of hydrangeas at Wilkerson Mill Farm,  www.hydrangea.com.  They include ’Hunker Down’, the photo of which was shot at former Georgia football coach Vince Dooley’s home. Dooley has taken up cultivating hydrangeas lately, and was in Lexington last fall, giving a lecture on just that topic. If you’re going to buy one, though, be sure that the cultivar you choose is hardy in USDA hardiness zone 6.
 7 Son Flower of ZhejiangÂ
 You’ve probably never heard of this small tree, or perhaps what you’d call a large shrub. After one glance, you may want to hear more, because this time of year it is a standout in the landscape. Loaded with fragrant white flowers in late summer, then deep rose-colored calyxes in autumn, and finally an interesting exfoliating bark in winter, it is a fantastic replacement for more invasive but temptingly bright bushes like Burning Bush (Euyonymus alata).
