I happened to approach the gardens from a different direction today, and I was surprised at the fall beauty of many of the plants. If you arrive at the back of Hogg Park from the road that runs in front of the CarrolL Green Civic Center, watch for the chainlink fence that separates this property from the Arboretum grounds.

Have you ever seen a crepe myrtle with leaves that border on being black? We have planted a number of these beautiful summer and fall bloomers. The common name is Black Diamond Crepe Myrtle. You will see the deep red blooms along the fence line and one white specimen in the middle of the garden. These young trees will continue their bloom on into the early fall. They need little maintenance, only the water the weather provides, and these specimen trees will continue to grow with little help from our “ground crew.” Thank you, Jim Berry, for donating these to the gardens.

There are many other spectacular plants in this Water-Wise Garden. The desert willow is a southwest native showing pink, white or lavender blossoms that resemble tiny orchids. Another standout is the Brazilian Rock Rose. This is a first cousin to our native pink rock rose, demanding very little water and covered with small pink flowers during the hottest time of the summer. Two other stand-out specimen plants for those wishing to conserve water would be autumn sage, a low-growing shrub with fantastic bright red blooms (close to the road) and globe amaranth, an annual that returns by reseeding itself. Both of these plants may be spotted in the Water-Wise Garden.

This particular garden was planned and implemented by Wood County Master Gardener Interns from the class of 2013 and 2014. It takes a great deal of work to begin with a piece of land that is covered with weeds and Bermuda grass. I would be remiss if I did not admit that the Bermuda grass continues to invade, along with some nut-sedge. A thick layer of newspaper and cardboard, along with some fantastic mulch spreading on the part of the Quitman Boy Scout Troop #36 has helped keep invasive growth where it belongs.

We hope to see you at our annual Yard Sale on Sept. 23. Proceeds from this sale as well as the Fall Plant Sale on Oct. 8 will help our volunteers keep the arboretum “financially afloat” through the winter months. Come on out and see us! Details may be found at quitmanarboratum.com or on Facebook at Quitman Arboretum.