Retirement Gifts

With my retirement from teaching fast approaching, a few friends gave me a gift card to a local nursery, and I made full use of the gift card to purchase some new plants for the garden.

With all the fence wok going on, I haven't done much with the garden plants. Especially after the weeks long inundation we suffered from a Spongy Moth invasion (formally known as "Gypsy" Moths). Now that the caterpillars have transitioned to becoming moths, the leaf debris and excrement they left behind is starting to disappear. It will be a couple more weeks before it gets better. The excrement alone did a lot of damage to my Moss areas, and the leaf debris is everywhere. Very unsightly. Without a doubt the worst invasion of caterpillars I have ever seen.

My trampling all over the garden while building the new fence also hasn't helped.

Here are the the plants I purchased:

Now I can start thinking about the new plants, where I will place them, and how to bring the garden back into balance with more beauty.

Pumpkin Spice Foamy Bells (Heusherella x 'Pumpkin Spice')

I love the color of these Foamy Bells, but I honestly have had very little luck with Cora Bells and Foamy Bells over the years. They never seem to last more than one of two seasons. Nevertheless, I thought I would give one another try. This time I will amend the soil and pay more attention to fertilization. I am also hoping the slugs stay away. They don't alway like the prickly nature of the leaves and stems. Hopefully that will be a good deterrent. In the meantime, I will enjoy the color vaiation in the garden for one season (and perhaps many more).

Bonfire (Euphorboia epithymoides 'Bonfire')

I liked this small plant and intend to place it in a pot. It will only grow to about 12" x 18." If it does well I can always transplant it into a bed. I am worried that it may prove too yummy for slugs. Hence, the attempt to keep it potted and protected from slugs.

Autumn Moon Maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon')

Although this is a small Maple now, it has the potential to grow to 15' H x 12' W. My plan is to keep it in a container for a couple years and try container planting. It is a slow grower, so it will be a while before it ever gets close to its full size. I will do my best to prune it back and keep it small. It has some great colors if I can keep it in a more sunny area, but I like the fall-like coloring that will show during the summer. Getting the soil mix right will be a challenge, but I am willing to learn more about container planting Maples.

Coral Bark Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku/coral bark')\

This Maple will be planted in the ground in front of the front-facing corner post of the gazebo. It is very similar to the the First Flame Maple "Iseli Introduction" (Acer x pseudosieboldianum) I bought a couple weeks back for the viewing garden (but have yet to plant due to the caterpillar invasion). 

It may take a few days before I get around to planting and potting, but once retirement is official, I will have all the time I need to care for the garden.