Maple Maintenance

It was time time to trim back the Dwarf Japanese Maple in the Zen garden. It was starting to fill in and spread out more than I like.

This year I have decided to cut it back significantly, removing some of the larger and longer limbs. I am hoping that I can do so without shocking the tree and killing it. Like the Cyprus I trimmed yesterday, I am going to try and open it up and treat it more like a large Bonsai. I don't want it to be a filled in with a large canopy. Note: it took a half hour to complete the trimming, but the video below is only 2 min.

In the end, the tree looks more managed and I am hoping will continue to thrive.

 

The Sting of Beauty

The garden is looking great. Plants are still blooming and looking nice, including this Astilbe and Cora Bell below.

 

I also noticed that the Bumble Bees love the flowers on the 'Bottle Rocket' Ligularia. Look close and you will see one on the flowers.

Pom Pom Reborn

I trimmed back the Boulevard Cypress Oriental Pompon (Chamaecyparis pisifera "Cyano-virdis') today. First purchased in 2014 and placed at the far end of the stroll garden, it has lived near the back gate almost five years.

It has done well here, just enough sunlight and water. He was looking healthy and full. However, I like it when it looks scrawny and thinned out, more like a big Bonsai.

 

Once trimmed, it now looks more interesting. I don't want him to be a full shrub, so this will have to continue as a yearly trimming.

Peak Season

This week marks the transition from the early peak of lilies to the blooming of hosta. It was a great day to just hang out in the garden.

Mid July is always the best. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Fireworks on the 4th

To celebrate the 4th of July I decided against fireworks, but instead chose to add an explosion of Lumen Gold Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides Lumen Gold) to the red pots at the edge of the garden. 

Depending on how these plants do, I will either leave them potted or I may decide to plant them in the ground elsewhere on the property. Meanwhile, they will add a bit more interest to the pots than they have had in the recent past.

Holding the Line

After a rainless early June, we ended the moth with plenty of rain during the last week. As a result, the plants are now happy and the lilies blooming on mass. The back edge of the Dragon's Spine never looked better!