08/29/2026
Hello and welcome back to the . Iām Laura Thompson and every Friday Iāll be sharing observations and happenings from around the garden as this yearās Letitia Glenn Biddle Horticultural Fellow.
While summerās official end is still a month away, Andalusiaās staff and visitors were treated to a few days of fall-like weather earlier this week. The short break from the heat and humidity gave the garden team an extra boost of energy as we work to finish our to-do lists in preparation for the change of season ahead.
One task with a firm deadline is installing guards on young and smaller diameter trees, as September marks the start of deer rub season here in the Northeast. Bucks, trying to remove the velvet from their antlers, begin rubbing against the trunks of trees. This rubbing can strip away the bark, exposing and damaging the cambium layer beneath, which transports water and nutrients throughout the tree. Too much damage and the tree can die. While the property perimeter is closed in with fencing, deer are still able to access the site from along the water. After a few days of work, the guards are now installed and will remain in place through early spring as bucks will continue to rub trees during winterāboth to mark territory and later to help shed their antlers.
Back in gardens, the Green Walkās borders are full of pink and white, as Phlox paniculata reaches peak bloom. Nearby, one of my favorite perennials and a signal that autumn is not far off, Eurybia divaricata, White Wood Aster, has just begun. Its central disk flowers change from yellow to red after pollination, indicating to insects that no nectar remains. Another late summer flowering plant in the Asteraceae family is Chrysopsis mariana, Maryland Golden-Aster. Thanks to horticulturist Jackson Barnette for pointing it out, because at only about one foot tall, itās easy to overlook.
