Halloween Surprise

The Japanese maple in the Zen garden usually drops all it leaves and color by now, but this year the leaves seem to be about a week later. 

That weather has been remarkably warm for this time of year and perhaps that is why.

Regardless, the color looks fantastic.

Walk The Line

I wanted to share some of the progress that has occurred in the new viewing and stroll gardens. The fence has certainly improved the appearance, but the plants in this are area doing very well. 

Adding fresh mulch helped with moisture retainment, and the large amounts of rainfall we experienced this summer also helped. Normally the soil here is very poor and sandy. Regardless, some of the plants have finally taken to the soil.

The Scotch Pine Pom Pom
(Pinus sylvestris) looks great.

The Blue Star Juniper is looking healthy after several
years of doing very poorly.

The Mikawa yatsubusa Japanese Maple,
a bit thinned, but holding up well
to its transplant. 

The Panicum Virgatum 'Ruby Ribbons' has grown substantially
since it was first transplanted to this location. It looks
wonderful with the fence in the background.

The hardscape and lantern also accentuate
the 'Ruby Ribbons.'

The Super Blue Liriope (Liriope mascara 'Super Blue')
is thriving along the edges.

The Japanese Forest Grass 'Aureola' (Hakonechloa
macra 'Aureola') along the new fence has filled in nicely.

A stray Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
anchors a "mountain" with the fence as backdrop.

Overall, theses ares of the garden are looking the best they ever have.

Finding Peace

As the summer winds down, I have been reflecting on the need to find peace in these troubled times in which we live. As usual, having the time to work and relax in the garden has helped to make the meandering journey somewhat easier to navigate.

I once again turn to the words of Lao Tsu and Taoism to help me find my own path. The ancient text of the Hua Hu Ching, although more likely 4th century reflections, contain a wisdom that inspires regardless of the origins and attribution. May the verse below offer some insight:

Thirty Seven

A superior person cares for the well-being of all

    things.

She does this by accepting responsibility for the energy 

    she manifests, both actively and in the subtle realm.

Looking at a tree, she sees not an isolated event, but 

    root, leaves, trunk, water, soil and sun: each event 

    related to the others, and "tree" arising out of their 

    relatedness.

Looking at herself or another, she sees the same thing.

Trees and animals, humans and insects, flowers and

    birds:

These are the active images of the subtle energies that flow 

    from the stars throughout the universe. Meeting 

    and combining with each other and the elements of 

    the earth, they give rise to all living things.

The superior person understands this, and understands 

    that her own energies play a part in it.

Understanding these things, she respects the earth as 

    her mother, the heavens as her father, and all living 

    things as her brothers and sisters.

Caring for them, she knows that she cares for herself.

Giving to them, she knows that she gives to herself.

At peace with them, she is always at peace with herself.

By Lao Tsu

Translated by Brian Walker

As a teacher, I have always believed that we are all connected and that caring and giving are wonderful ways to find peace for all. Although a brief offering, I hope that you find the following video a momentary distraction from the isolated events in our ever complicated lives. Perhaps it will help you relax and consider the beauty in the world that surrounds us everyday. Looking past the troubles we face, we might behold the "tree" and find a moment of peace. 

Enjoy.

Enter the Light

I decided to add a couple more lights to the garden in the form of gate lanterns. Initially, I used an older lantern I already had that required a candle. However, out of laziness, I decided that I wanted some sort of solar powered lantern that didn't require my constant attention.

After searching the web for a long time I eventually settled on the following lanterns. The lights are simple LED string lights with a solar cap. 

They are not meant for full weather exposure, but I decided to drill some hole in the base to allow rain water to flow through rather than collect.

These were relatively inexpensive, have a nice pattern, and cast just enough light to be inviting and interesting.

Moon With Shadows Plays

Moon with shadows plays

In the middle of nowhere 

What road shall I take? 

- Peter S. Quinn

Over the last week I have been trying to capture how the garden looks at night when all the solar lamps come on. 

I'm not good with night photography, but here is the best I was able to capture.

I need to work on finding new spotlights that have the same color tone as the pathway lights. The current spotlights I have were cheap discounts that have a harsh bright white light.

I have considered low voltage, but installing it in the garden would be difficult and potentially expensive. I also like the sustainability of the solar lights I am currently using. They only drawback is that in the day the spotlights and their solar chargers are very visible in the garden. The pathway lights, however, look good both day and night because the solar chargers are built into the top and barely visible.

Regardless, the garden is still a beautiful place to sit and relax in the evening.

Litynski 2.0

Back in June, 2021 I bought an Icebreaker Korean Fir (Abies koreana 'Ice Breaker') and attempted to plant what I hoped would be an unusual and interesting addition to the garden.

I even invited a friend to help plant the Fir and named it in her honor.

Unfortunately, the Fir did not do well. It seemed like it was taking hold for the first month, but then it slowly started to decline in health.

I thought it might have been slugs, but they were only creating minimal damage. I also speculated that it might have something to do with the never ending rain we had throughout July. It could also have been that it wasn't suited for this zone and climate. I will never really know.

Fortunately the nursery I purchased it from honored their warranty on plants and refunded my full costs. I was then left with the decision to find a replacement for "The Litynski."

Ultimately, I decided on something safe. I transplanted a small Green Velvet Boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet') that had been located in the Dragon's Spine. 

Front, Right Was Moved

Back in 2017 I was hoping this plant, along with a companion, would merge into a larger adjacent Boxwood. It never turned out the way I expected, so I decided moving it was an easy and cheap way of finding a solution to my current problem.

The Boxwood isn't as interesting as the Fir, but it is reliable and will do well in this location. I also like that its a slow grower, so it won't overwhelm this location in my lifetime.

Most importantly, I believe the Boxwood should be named. As a result, I am calling it the "Litynski 2.0." Overtime it will add interest to the garden, especially in the winter since it is an evergreen.

Barberry Bonsai

While reworking all of the shrubs in the bed in front of the house, I decided to convert a Barberry Shrub to a Bonsai.

House front, 2018.
Barberry is the shrub between two Spirea, just below and between
the rocking chairs.

The shrub was planted more than 15 years ago. The light in this area was minimal, so over the years the shrub continued to grow very slowly. As it did so, its branched reacher further and further out from the core of the trunk in an attempt to grab some of the light that saturated the area just in front of the shrub along the walkway.

Barberry, far right of picture after trimming.

This summer I began to remove most of the overgrown shrubs. The plan was to replace them with grasses (sun) and bamboo (shady). Doing so would be better for dealing with large snow loads coming off the house each winter, especially after getting three feet of snow in one day last year.

Cyprus before removal.

Cyprus after removal.

Barberry after initial trimming. It had reached out
beyond the walkway timber.

At that point, I realized that I could easily turn it into a Bonsai. Its trunk was fantastically interesting.

I had an old unused Bonsai pot and recently acquired a set of Bonsai equipment and soil, so I thought I would use this shrub as my first attempt at creating a Bonsai.

After a couple of hours in which I trimmed the shrub back even further, I then dug it up, trimmed out the large unnecessary roots, and proceeded to wire the Barberry into the pot. Keep in mind, I watched several "Bonsai-How-to" videos online before I undertook this experiment.

Bonsai Front

Bonsai Back

When finished, the Barberry looked sort-of like a "real" Bonsai. 

I'm hoping it survives the transplant. If it does I have a great looking plant for the garden. If it doesn't, I retired a shrub that needed to go.

Such a Fair Maiden

I had the opportunity to visit Stone Crop Gardens this summer, the former estate of  Anne and Frank Cabot (who founded The Garden Conservancy). Stone Crop has a wonderful series of gardens. While strolling through the woodland gardens, I came across a significant amount of Maidenhair Ferns. These ferns are native to eastern North America, and can be found throughout New York. I loved the thin black stems and the leaf structure. 

Maidenhair Ferns at Stone Crop

Seeing them in such abundance at Stone Crop was a wonderful experience.

So, I decided to ad a couple Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum) to the garden to see what might happen. The soil, water, and shade requirements are perfect for my garden - rich, moist and shady.

I placed one in a gap near Buddha, and the other along the fence line where another plant has been recently eaten by rabbits.

They look fine now, but I will need to see how the manage over the winter and if in time thy grow or spread too quickly, I may need to reconsider the locations. In the meantime, I think they look beautiful.

Beware the Shrubs

Over the last couple of days, I have been working to trim all the shrubs in the garden and on the property. I usually start this process at the start of July, but other projects and weather have delayed my start. Once I began, I started to realize that each year this task gets more difficult and time consuming. The shrubs continue to grow, and I have continued to buy and add more shrubs. Hence, the increasing workload.

Currently, there are a total of 70 shrubs, large and small, scattered throughout the garden and property. That does not include any of the other plantings. So, as you can imagine, its becoming a a full time job. Thank goodness as a public school teacher I have the time in the summer to tend to the work. 

Below are some examples of the work that I have finished over the last coupe of days following two eight hour work days.

Japanese Yew

Rheingold Arborvitea (Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’)

Snowmound Spiraea (Spiraea nipponica 'Snowmound') - above rock;
Mini Sunglo Spirea (Spiraea x bumalda 'Mini Sunglo') - right of rock;
Rheingold Arborvitea (Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’) - right
of Dwarf White Pine tree

Green Velvet Boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet')

'Europa Gold' arborvitae (thuja occidentalis)

'Europa Gold' arborvitae (thuja occidentalis);

The Japanese Boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. Japonica)

Green Velvet Boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet')

Be careful with the Spirea. Make sure you trim them at the appropriate time so as not to impact blooms. I usually prune them in early spring before they flower, but only slightly. After the flowers have died off, I prune once more in mid-summer to keep them from becoming stringy and keep their shape. Also, every couple of years I cut out the dead wood inside, which can be time consuming process. Doing so will improve the plant growth next year, but he benefit of waiting is that the dead material also helps to maintain its shape.

Spirea japonica

Spirea japonica

Spiraea japonica 'Alpina' (Japanese Spirea - aka 'Nana')

Rheingold Arborvitea (Thuja occidentalis ‘Rheingold’) - center;

Spirea japonica - left/right

Spirea japonica

Mr. Bolwing Ball Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam')

Keep in mind, the 21 shrubs above are less than half of what I have to deal with in the garden and on the property. Before you start your own garden adventure, remember, these plants will need maintenance and care, both of which requires a lot of time to manage.