No patch of Eden escapes catastrophe. Aullwood's came in 1945. Marie once told a reporter, "A flash flood hit the valley at 9 at night, in the dark. We could hear it. We couldn't see. We were awake at 4, and looking down on such a scene of wreckage! Tree trucks lay about, chunks of washed out stream wall. "

Over the years other smaller issues have transformed the gardens. Deep cold killing off some plants, squirrels and chipmunks dismantling other prize species. The garden continues to evolve, molding to the living environment it is a part of.

This area is in transition, an evolution in process as old plants die out and new replacement species are brought in for those that have disappeared.

Marie once said, "Nature abhors a vacuum. If nothing else, she puts a weed in that spot. It is wonderful to see how she fills everything in. To me, the amazing thing is the way these combinations of colors that she develops and the way things come of their own accord. Some of the loveliest things in the garden have been things that have been just happenstances."