February week 1

Wow, it actually seems like winter with two snowstorms in a row! Will we get a threepeat? First up in this week's plant retrospective are two trees (with similar latin names) I discovered on the Virginia Big Tree Database while researching plants to add to my new see how it grows map:

check out the thorns on this monster! It's a water locust near downtown Williamsburg (Gleditsia aquatica).

And this is the national champion water elm (Planera aquatica). It doesn't look all that notable, but no one's found a bigger one yet. It's on the campus of William & Mary near College Corner.

Elsewhere on the campus were these snow-covered windmill palms,

and this graceful elm,
I also snapped some pictures at the Lewis
Ginter Botanical Garden's Winter Sympoisum. The variegated plants really stood out, like this boxwood,

a Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora 'Oculus Draconis')

and a Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana 'Zebrina').

Also eye-catching were this witchhazel,

this viburnum,

and these topiaries.

After the first day of the symposium I made a quick stop by Maymont where I grabbed some seeds off a parrotia (I'll never get around to planting them).

I also came a cross this Dr. Seuss-like tree, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe a chaemacyparis? Can anyone identify it by the foliage? Update: Peggy Singlemann, Director of Horticulture at Maymont identified the tree as Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). Thanks!

You can see the rest of my February week 1 photos here.