Last August I planted a Chocolate White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (Ageratina altissima) in the border along the Stroll Garden.
I waited all year to see it bloom. Now that we are in mid October, fall is upon us, and the blooms are looking fantastic.
The plant is doing a good job of filling in the space just beneath the Crabapple tree, but also looks great with the changing colors of the nearby Spirea.
I was surprised at how late the blooms arrived. More surprising was that there were still bees around to take advantage of the flowing.
Overall, I am please with this plant. It really adds some fall interest to the garden.
After finishing the new fence-screen in the Dragon Spine, it was time to replant the bed.
Initially I moved existing plants around, especially two large Astilbe which I moved back towards the fence posts.
I am going to keep taller plants in the rear and lower plants in the front.
I've decided that I am going to fill the bed, especially in front of the Maple, with a variety of Hosta (Abiqua Drinking Gourd and some cuttings elsewhere from the garden), Heuchera ('Southern Comfort,' 'Timeless Night,' 'Caramel,' 'Sweet Tea'), and Brunnera ('Jack Frost,' SilverHeart').
As the forest behind the fence grows, the garden has increasingly become more shady, hence the need to move towards more shade tolerant plants.
I was able to acquire a significant amount of discounted plants from a nearby nursery that holds an annual "red wagon sale" (cram as much into a wagon for only $60).
I picked up two loads (including a new Dwarf Maple and four Astilbe to be used elsewhere).
I was unable to get the type of Hosta I would like, so I am leaving some spaces open so that in the spring I will be able to add a few more variety.
It may take a few years, but the plan is to just let them all grow and compete for space, at which point I will make some adjustments.
After adding a new layer of mulch (12 bags!), the bed is finally starting to look nice.
The existing shrubs and trees look great with the black bamboo and cedar screen as back drops.
Even the small lantern/rock area received a new Heuchera Hybrid ('Southern Comfort').
In time, I think it will continue to improve. In the meantime, the entire garden, as seen from the second floor, looks awesome!
The copper fence post caps arrived today and they were easily installed with some construction adhesive. I purchased them from an online, family owned sheet metal manufacturer. They were reasonably priced for real copper caps.
The lower posts have .5" caps, a bit smaller than what I've used in the past, with a slightly tighter fit.
The taller central posts have 2" caps that were not too tight and easily slid down the post.
Because of the extra 1.5" they look more dramatic than the caps on the smaller post.
At this time the copper is nice and shiny, but it wont last. These are real copper, so they will patina very quickly, more like a brownish color, similar to previous caps used elsewhere within the garden.
The flat tops work well with the Japanese esthetic I was trying to achieve. Overall, I am very pleased with the look of the caps, and the fence in general. The Dragon's Spine fence is now complete.
Now its time to start reworking the bed with a different arrangement of old and new plants.
I was able to complete the center screen on the New Dragon's Spine fence.
It required 26 1 x 2" strips of cedar laid horizontal. In between each is a .5" gap, which allowed me to fill in the full 4 x 8 opening in the fence panel.
Initially, I was going to build the frame and then mount it to the back side of the posts. However, after testing a couple pieces, I didn't like the look of the screen being almost 2" behind the posts. So, instead, I cut the slats shorter so that the would fit flush within the frame. It looks much nicer.
In the future I can remove the slats as a single piece because the individual slats are nailed to three cleats that are screwed into the posts. This should make it easy to maintain in the future if I should have to make any repairs or re-stain.
The fence looks great. The cedar is bright compared to the surrounding black posts, rails, and bamboo, but in time it will fade enough to still add differentiation.
Using a lighter color for the slats was also a good idea because it helps the Red Dwarf Maple visually "pop" in front of the slats.
All that remains is the installation of copper caps for the top of the posts. I ordered them online and once they arrive I can install them and then start thinking about the plants and mulch.
I added a second, then third coat of stain to the fence over the last 48 hrs. I wanted to make sure it had a nice black color, rather than light gray with cedar brown streaks. The third coat worked well, but also allowed the wood grain to be visible. In this case, I used semi-solid stain and doing so allowed me to get a full black. I wanted to avoid a fully solid stain because it looks more like paint.
Once the stain dried, I was able to install the black bamboo I purchased from HomeDepot. It comes in a 3 x 8' roll, and with a little help from my wife, we were able to insert it into each panel I constructed. The full 1" poles were wider than I anticipated, as was the weight of the entire role. However, I used two 2 x 4 as the supporting rails - one vertical, the other horizontal, to add more strength and stability.
The bamboo will probably fade over the next two years, like the bamboo I installed in the main Zen garden a back in 2018. However, I am hoping the black portions remain dark.
In the meantime, it looks fantastic. The variation in the bamboo color offers some differentiation from the black post and rails. I am very please with how this project is turning out.
I also took some time to trim the right side of the Dwarf Maple. This tree was planted in the center of the Dragon's Spine, but over time it has grown out towards the lawn and to the right side of the bed. The tree grows in the direction of available sunlight, hence the odd off-center appearance.
This trimming will help keep it center within the middle panel. Of course, over time, I will have to prune and shape it to keep it from straying too far.
The next step is to assemble the center screen, which will consist of horizontal slats of naturally stained cedar. The wood is all cut, but I have to stain each piece individually, assemble it into a single panel, then install it.
I finally decided to make some major adjustments to the Dragon's Spine area.
Originally, this meandering edge was not meant to be part of the Zen garden. It was just the property line along the back yard. We thought that the edge looked like a dragons's spine, with the tail end at the far end of the property behind the garden shed, and the dragon's head at the retaining wall-edge that overlooked the Zen garden. In those early days, a sump pump spilled water into the Zen garden (long since diverted elsewhere).
When I decided to build a Sukiya style gate, I placed it at the far end of the Dragon's Spine. As a result, a small portion of the meandering edge was cut off, reducing the amount of meandering. Over the next few years I used the bed as sort of a dumping ground for plants which had nowhere else to go.
Some of the long term plantings include a large and small boxwood, small pine tree/shrub, and or course the red dwarf maple at the center.
I had been hoping that some of these plants would grow into a hedge wall that would act like a fence. However, that hope was not realized. My desire for a hedge wall contributed to my unwillingness to extend the Japanese style fence that I built in the Zen garden, and subsequent Viewing and Stroll gardens down along the back of the Dragon's Spine.
However, I have now decided to try a variation on the fence idea. The woodlot behind the house is not pleasant to look at. So, a fence would go a long way to improve the view.
Searching around on the internet I happened to come across an image that sparked my interest.
In addition, I had taken a photo of a gate at Sho-fu-en in the Denver Botanic Garden that had elements that I thought might help with a new fence design.
Combining the two images into one design allowed me to come up with the following plan:
The post structure is similar to the existing fence style, except that it will be stained black. Instead of cedar panels, the left and right panels will consist of 1" diameter black bamboo screens. The center panel will be centered behind the Red Dwarf Maple and consist of naturally stained cedar slats laid horizontal with repeating gaps to create a screen. This should give it a "pop" from the rest of the fence, and the lighter cedar behind the dark red Maple will help the Maple stand out.
It will take a few days to get this project finished, especially before the arrival of winter. So far the first day saw me remove some planting and install the posts.
Over the next week, I should be able to complete a second staining and install the bamboo. The center slats will take some time to create and install. In the meantime, I'm happy with how its turning out.
