For the most part, the changes made to the area surrounding Buddha from last year survived the winter. However, I have noticed a trend with this corner - plantings along the east wall of the fence get much less sunlight than the planting on the north side of the fence.
I had opted to anchor both sides of Buddha with a mirroring plant.
Summer 2024
This has led to a dilemma. The plants along the east side grow slower and smaller creating a lack of balance. I have seen this in the past but thought it might not drastically impact the Moccachino Astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii 'Moccachino') planted there last year. I was wrong. So, I decided to switch out both astilbe with a new pair.
I was unable to get the same Moccachino Astilbe and had to replace them with two Nemo Astilbe Astilbe (arensdii 'Nemo') which will produce a slight peachy-pink flower instead of the white that I liked from the Moccachino Astilbe.
I know that the problem will still exist into next year, but this will allow me to keep the corner looking balanced while I spend the summer contemplating a more long term solution.
I also opted to remove and relocate the Hillside Black Beauty Bugbane (Cimicfuga ramosa 'Hillside Black Beauty') in the corner directly behind Buddha. Even though a shade loving plant, it was simply not getting enough sunlight, stunting its growth and preventing any blooming.
In its place I planted a Variegated Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum').
I will have to see how it does over the summer. If this too does not do well, then I may need to rethink the entire corner. In the meantime, it looks as good as last year.
The last time I substantially changed the inside corner near the West Gate was 2019. Once again, it was time for some changes.
The main focal point of this bed, the Boulevard Cypress Oriental Pompon (Chamaecyparis pisifera "Cyano-virdis'), has continued to thin out at the bottom, but grows at the top.
I am amazed that it has lasted this long, but it certainly has changed a great deal since I first acquired it in 2014.
The surrounding plants have not feared so well. The Birch Leaf Spirea (Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor Gold') that was planted in 2019 became very thinned out and grew to tall. It just didn't look like a shrub anymore.
I suspect that it was not getting enough light in that shady corner. I removed it and transplanted it into a more sunny location along the stroll garden where it can reach over an existing spirea.
I replaced it with a Heaven Scent Jacob's ladder (Polemonium 'Heaven Scent').
I suspect light might be a long term issue for this plant as well, but I am willing to give it a try and see how it does. It has a dark green foliage and produces small purple flowers.
The Sun King Japanese Spikenard (Aralia cordata 'SunKing') that was recently planted is doing fine and loves this shady location. However, theAstilbe 'Bridal Veil" False Spireathat was in the back since 2015 was eaten by a critter over the winter, while the Hosta (unknown) in the front was also decimated by a rabbit. Both were replaced with a similar astilbe and hosta.
I also added a Brilliance Autumn Fern (Dryopteris crythrosora 'Billiance') to add some more color differentiation within the bed.
This fern should do well in this location given the shady nature of the back of the bed.
Back on March 20, I started the renovation of the sukashigaki, or "see through fence," which separates the courtyard from the backyard and Dragon's Spine area. Today I finally finished the repairs.
I started in March because we had two days of warm weather which allowed me to dig new post holes and stain. However, very quickly, the weather turned cold and throughout April the weather was never good enough for me to continue. Last week I finally took the time to dismantle the small rails and posts of the panels. Originally, I thought I could just re-stain them, but they were in rough condition, so by taking them apart I could sand them down and the re-stain.
It took at least three days of sanding, and then two days of staining before I could reassemble them and reinstall each panel.
I'm glad I took the time to do so. They look almost like new, even though the pieces are all ten years old.
I also took the time to spray paint the brown post protectors at the bottom of each new post.
The green spray paint matches well with the green stain and helps hide the protectors.
With the original copper caps reinstalled, the sukashigaki is complete.
With luck, the fence won't need another renovation for another ten years.
Initially, I purchased a wooden lantern, but quickly realized that it would not survive an extended outdoor exposure to weather.
I looked all over the internet for a possible faux lantern made of cast iron, but discovered only antique type lanterns that were overpriced. Real lanterns from Japan were extremely expensive at $300-$400. However, I recently discovered a small cast iron wind chime that looks like a lantern at Sill Sitting Meditation Supply for $89.
Although small, it is appropriately sized for the location under the shed eve.
Additionally, the prospect of lighting an actual lantern at the shed was not likely to happen, hence the suitability of a faux lantern.
What I like about this wind chine is its appearance, the cast iron material, and the actual chime. The black color also compliments the nearby vegetable garden fence.
The product is imported from Japan, hence it has a degree of authenticity. I love it and it was well worth the price. All I need now is a warm summer day with a bit of wind.
After searching around on the web, I finally located a rain chain adapter that fit the needs of the newly installed rain chain on the garden shed.
Made/sold by Stanwood Rain Chain via Amazon, the adapter is made of copper and should match the faux patina of the chain I purchased earlier this year. Most importantly, its large 4 1/5" top diameter funnels down to a 1 1/8" opening at the bottom.
As a result, it limits the amount of splashing that was occurring near the top of the chain, and directs most of the water down along the chain and remaining cups.
I very happy with this solution. It looks good and works as promised.
I haven't done much in the garden since late March, its just been too cold or rainy (I was also traveling for some of that time). With spring here a bit late, I dedicated a lot of my time to helping my wife get her vegetable garden up and running.
With the garden shed attached to her garden, I decided to take some time to get the new rain chain properly installed. To start, I had to realign the drainage pit and bucket at the base of the chain. After the gutter instal back in the fall I realized that the bucket was off-center.
First I determined the landing-point of the chain and dug a new pit for drainage. The pit was dug to approximately 3'. I then filled two feet of it with drainage rock. Then I place the bucket into the whole on top of the drainage rock. I then filled the bucket about 30% with additional drainage rock. The soil in our area is very sandy, so the empty space in the bucket and the drainage rock below will suffice for drainage, especially given that the roof of the shed is not that large and will not displace large amounts of water.
Next, some additional soil around the bucket was removed to make room for the stone edging and smaller 3/8 gravel that would be used as a based to contain the crushed granite that would be installed afterwards.
I also laid down a double layer of weed fabric around the bucket.
A metal screen was attached to the top of the bucket to limit any debris getting into the bucket. The screen has to be strong enough to hold the weight of the crushed granite that will rest on top. I also screwed it into place to help ensure it remains in place.
I tried several combinations of edging stone before I settled on a design. However, I did make a change to the design later in the process after I tested the water flow (see below).
The crushed granite was then added to cover the bucket and surrounding drainage pit.
Before testing, I did wash most of the granite stone dust away. Doing so helped reveal the color of the stone.
Using a garden hose I spayed water onto the roof and watched what happened.
Unfortunately, it did not go as planned. Most of the water exited the down spout and spayed outward due to strong winds (edited out of the video clip above). Eventually the flow slowed a bit and it worked somewhat better.
The downspout is simply to wide and allows too much water to exit at once, especially if there is going to be a strong rain. A light rain might prove better. Additionally, the small flower cups are too small to handle a large amount of rain. They are also spaced too far apart. As a result, much of the water splashes out-and-about and does not flow evenly down through the cups. The larger rain chain on the back porch, with its large cups,handles rain much better.
I may have to change the downspout to a narrower diameter, or add a collection cup between the downspout and the first flower cup. It will take some experimentation to solve this problem.
I really like the look of this rain chain and its small flower cups, but I also have to find a way to make sure it works properly as well.
I also adjusted the look of the crushed gravel by modifying the edge by taking an elongated stone and placing it within the crushed granite on its own.
I think it looks more natural. I will continue to tweak this look over the next few weeks as some of the nearby planting emerge. The chain, stones, and plants need to compliment each other. I also have to paint the shed corner foundation brick - in its current state it looks awful.
Its a work in progress, but it is getting closer to completion.
The sukashigaki, or "see through fence," which separates the courtyard from the backyard and Dragon's Spine area was in serious need of repair. Last year I noticed how bad most of the posts had rotten and knew I would have to replace them soon.
The last two days had temperatures in the 60s so I decided the time was right to get an early start on this major restoration. After cutting back the bamboo a few days earlier, it seemed like the best time to get started. The absence of the thick bamboo, and the opportunity to avoid stepping on new shoots, was ideal.
I first built this fence in 2015, almost ten years ago. At that time, I was not using4 in. x 4 in. x 30 in. In-Ground HDPE Fence Post Decay Protectors.
This time I added a protector to each post. Doing so will help slow down the rot that can occur.
With untreated cedar, there is usually three ingredients needed for rot: air, soil, and water. This occurs right above, at, and below the surface.
By having the protector protrude from the surface, the rot can be slowed down. I've been using these with the more recent fence rebuilds and so far they seem to be working - only time will tell.
Once the old posts were removed, it was time to dig new post holes. Admittedly, I am getting too old for this kind of work, but going slow helped. New drainage gravel at the base was added and the new posts inserted and aligned without too much difficulty.
Because it was warm, I had the opportunity to stain the posts. I was also able to extract the original copper caps from the old posts and reuse them to protect the tops of the new posts.
The tan/brown color doesn't match my green stain, so they do stand out. When I have used these elsewhere in the garden I have been able to hide them with plantings. Doing so along this fence line will be difficult, so when it warms up I will try spray-painting them a matching green color.
The natural cedar screen insets were originally designed so that I could remove them as a singe piece. The next phase of this restoration will be to sand those pieces, re-stain them, and reinsert them between the posts. Although I can start the sanding now, I will have to wait until we get warm weather again before I can complete the re-staining.
It's mid March and the weather is starting to warm up a bit. As a result, I was able to get into the garden early to start some cleanup and maintenance. Unfortunately, the Clumping Bamboo (Fargesia rufa) in the garden took a heavy hit this winter. The deep freeze throughout the winter left most of the existing bamboo leaves wilted and dead. This often happens during cold winters, but last year was an exception. Almost all of the bamboo survived and thrived. Not so this year.
Wanting to remove the dead stocks before new shoots emerged, I cut back all of the bamboo within the garden, starting with the area along the sukashigaki or "see through fence."
These two beds look devastated and I am hoping they recover as soon as possible.
I cut the shoots down to the ground. Doing so will make it easier to rake and clean out in the future. Remember to wear good knee pads when doing this work. The small bamboo spikes that are left behind are sharp, pointy, and painful to kneel upon.
I also had to remove the bamboo in other locations as well: middle gate, behind the garage, and along the stroll garden.
It would have taken all day, but I used a powerful hedge trimmer and reduced the time in half. However, I still had to trim down some of the spikes with hand clippers when done.
It will take some time for new shoots to emerge and fill in the larger areas. We won't see thick heavy growth until late August if we are lucky. On the positive side, with the bamboo gone along the "see through fence" I can now begin the process of removing and replacing the rotten fence posts that need replacing.
I don't usually do much in the garden during the winter months, but this year is a bit different.
As part of the garden shed redo project, I wanted to install a gutter and rain chain. Unfortunately, I had to wait several months before the gutter install contractor could schedule my project into his docket. The gutter was a narrow gauge cream colored gutter with a leaf guard. Honestly, the shed doesn't need a gutter, but without one, I could not hang a rain chain.
Given the size of the shed, I felt a smaller cup size would look more proportional. I also really like the petal shape.
I won't keep the chain hung in the winter, only spring through fall. Taking it down may help it last longer by limiting its exposure to extreme cold, snow, and ice. In the spring, I will still need to adjust the drainage bucket and underlying gravel. I will then landscape the surface around the terminus with stones and crushed granite to make it appear more natural.
The outside renovations for the shed are now complete. In the spring I will begin the interior renovations. Sorry, no teahouse, just a simple tool shed for the garden.
Today is Thanksgiving Day and Mother-Nature has seen fit to bless us with a large accumulation of snow.
As a result, Songni Yuan has taken on the appearance of a winter wonderland. All though it continued to snow after these images were taken, these pictures reflect the early powdering of snow that enhances the garden before the larger accumulation buries all of the details.
