Sukashigaki Restoration

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 using 4 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.

Bamboo Bummer

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.

Winter Additions

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.

The chain I purchased was an 8.5 ft. copper plated lotus cupped chain that I found on Amazon for approximately $40. Each cup is only 4 x 2.5 inches, much smaller that the cups on the rain chain I installed last year on the back porch. 

 

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.

In addition, I purchased a small lantern I found on Etsy to hang on the opposite end of the shed from the rain chain. 

I chose the small sized lantern at $95.00. It was the perfect size for the location along the shed overhang. It even came with a battery-powered tea candle within. 

This lantern is wood, and very delicate, so I plan to keep it out only spring through fall. It does have some water proof/UV protection, but hanging outside as I plan to do will probably require an additional coat of clear varnish to help it weather the elements. 

It looks great, appropriately sized for the location, and relatively affordable when compared with authentic metal lanterns from Japan that can cost 4 or 5 times more.

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.

Thanksgiving Snow

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.

Enjoy:

The Leaf Don't Fall Far From the Tree

I've never posted about fall cleanup before. Usually I would emphasize the beauty of fall colors. However, As the garden has matured I have discovered some simple steps for fall garden cleanup. Very simply, don't rake!

If I wait long enough, and beat the first snow fall, I have discovered that the leaves, which fall in abundance throughout the neighborhood, eventually blow into a few zones. Once they bunch up, cleanup is much easier.

In the Zen garden, most of the leaves will end up in the rock bed. 

I also use a blower to push them from the walkway into the bed. Once there, I lift them onto a large tarp and carry them out in a couple of large loads. However, to really clean it, I need a vacuum, hence I use a blower that is also a vacuum. I use  a TRIVAC 12-Amp Electric 3-IN-1 Blower / Mulcher / Yard Vacuum. 

This allows me to extract most of the leaf material from the rock bed, which can't be raked. The blower/vac also mulches, which is useful for disposal or use as garden composting. Without this vac, completing the cleanup of the Zen garden bed would be very difficult and time consuming.

It should be noted that I still have to crawl through the bed on my hands and knees and pull any remaining stubborn remnants which get stuck in the rocks. I usually have to repeat this step in the spring as well. I actually don't mind this step - I find it relaxing, like a moment of zen-like meditation.

Another accumulation zone is the rock/gravel filled mini-zen garden. Again the blower/vac helps a great deal.

The Dragon's Spine bed also becomes an accumulation zone.

The middle gate is typically shut during this time of year. As a result, minimal amount of leaves blow into the walkway between the house and garage. 

When they do, they end up along the edges of the building.

The Viewing and Stroll Gardens are a different story. Here is where an enormous amount of leaf material accumulates. The Stroll Garden gate area is especially prone to leaf accumulation. Its like a vortex where seemingly every leaf in he neighborhood ultimately resides. 

It helps to wait until late in the season and then move the majority of the leaves onto a large tarp for transport to the back woods. A final cleanup finishes up with the blower/vac and then hand collection, especially within the bamboo. Again, this has to be repeated in the spring.

Although leaf collection is not a inspiring garden process, it is part of the maintenance of the garden. Before one considers building a garden, especially a large one, a person must consider all of the effort that goes into keeping it looking nice. The garden always looks great in the spring and summer, but remember, that beauty is the result of good planning, time management, and hard work. 

Last Minute Landscape

Well into fall, I already completed garden cleanup and cutting back. Nevertheless, I still had a large number of bucketed plants that I need to get into the ground before winter sets in.

This season was a bit unusual with warm weather right through October. As a result, many plants refused to pass-on, even after a couple of cold spells and frosts. Regardless, I cut back and proceeded to look for locations for the remaining bucketed plants. Some will over-winter in the vegetable garden bed for retrieval in the spring. Others I wanted in the ground.

Conveniently, I needed to re-landscape the area adjacent to and around the newly face-lifted garden shed. Time was my only concern since fall was coming to a close.

First, I started with the front of the shed. I oped to replant a Threadleaf Coriopsis I had under the window earlier in the summer. On either side I planted Deutschland False Spirea (Astilbe x arendsii 'Deutschland') to help balance off the view.

I then added a small leftover Coral Bell (Heuchera 'Amethyst Myst') to fill in the awkward curving corner along the brick entry way.

I also had to install a drainage bucket at the corner of the shed to accommodate the rain chain I am installing on the shed.

I then planted a Bronze Wave Coral Bell (Heuchera villosa 'Bronze Wave') just behind the drainage bucket. I may need to make some adjustments to this corner after the rain chain is installed.

To fill in the side along the shed I opted to transplant a small Green Velvet Boxwood (Buxus 'Green Velvet') from the Dragon's Spine. Its a slow grower, originally planted in 2017 and still small, so it will be many years before it becomes too large for this small bed. I centered it with the right-side panel of the shed.

After digging and planting these plants, I had a significant amount of dirt in the wheelbarrow. I was not sure how to deal with the very narrow bed along the curve of the grass and the pea stone walkway. I considered hardscape element like a large narrow stone, but was unable to locate any stone that I felt would fit in the narrow gap and also look nice as well.

Instead, I opted to use the extra dirt to raise a small berm along this narrow corner and extend it in a sloping manner towards the drainage bucket and the newly installed boxwood. I then took a small boxwood that had been growing in a bucket and installed it near the top of the berm edge, close to the other boxwood. Again, these are slow growing, so no fear they will interfere with each other for a few years.

The berm remains covered with mulch, but the mulch will not do well in this location. My plan is to wait until the spring and remove some of the mulch and plant something like a Red Rock Stonecrop Sedum along that corner/edge. It should help keep the little berm intact and add some color interest to this narrow corner.

Near the edge of the slope, and the larger boxwood, I planted a bucketed Coral Bell (Heuchera villosa 'Carmel) I had left over from the summer.

I also had a small cutting of a Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Beni-kaze) that had been sitting in a bucket. So, I opted to place it near the small boxwood. It will do better in the ground than in a bucket. In time, if it thrives, I will have to move it.

Finally, I had a very small Azalea (unknown) that had sat in a bucket all summer that I decided to place near the the rain chain drainage bucket and larger boxwood.

My only concern is that all of these plants look small. If they survive this late transplant and the winter, it will take time for them to mature and fill in this bed. Also, if they thrive I might have to reconsider the placement over a longer period of time as the continue to grow.

I still need some sort of small shrub just below the faux round window (maramado) centered on this back side panel. A grass plant already exists in the far corner next to the gate, but it has already been cut back for the winter.

In the meantime, the bed looks better, but with winter just around the corner, I will have to wait until spring to see how it all turns out.

The Colors of Autumn Descend

Anther year is passing, and autumn once again brings great color to Songni Yuan. This year is a bit different than past years due to the fact that many plants have declined to pass along. Perhaps a result of climate change, but usually I have cut back most plants by now. Nevertheless, even during seasonable decline, the beauty of the garden continues to fill my heart with joy.