The treeboxes on the East Terrace of the Administration Building are spectacularly coming into their own

Summer vacations must be in full swing because the roads are empty...so I got to the Arboretum before 6:30 (we start at 7:00). I took the time to look closely at the containers and the treeboxes around the Administration Building. They're wonderful as usual and different from last year.

As always the forms, textures, and combinations are beautiful and thought provoking. This year the plants are tilted a bit towards the xeric without resulting in any sort of conventional "dryscape".

Brad Evans, USNA horticulturist, designed the beds (and the containers which are equally wonderful and more numerous), grew the plants, directed the planting, and is in charge of their maintenance. I tried to photograph them when they first went in but they just weren't photogenic. Hot weather, the passage of time, water, and fertilizer have combined to bring them to perfection.