Rebirth and Renewal

It has been a long year with the Covid pandemic interrupting our daily lives. Spring brought hope and over the last few weeks I was able to help the garden spring into action and start anew. I too changed as the pandemic's impact lessened and remain hopeful that we can all grow and change from the experience, much like the plants in the garden. A sense of renewal now defines the arrival of summer as we all move forward into the future.

To celebrate the arrival of summer, I have decided to post a slideshow-video of all of the best images of Spring, 2021. The garden has already recharged my batteries and I look forward to a summer in which I can care for the garden, while the garden cares for me. 

Perhaps this slideshow will help others find a similar feeling of joy and be inspired for the long awaited chance at renewal.

Playground Rules

This year there has been an abundance of Chipmunks in the garden. They seem to have taken over every part of the garden and use it as their playground. 

They have become very used to seeing me in the garden and just ignore me, often running around my feet as the chase each other in a playful way (doesn't seem territorial).

They often perch themselves on top of lanterns, Buddha, and the Dwarf Maple.

After play time, they then make themselves comfortable and take a break.

Thank goodness I provided them with adequate seating to meet their needs.

Double Trouble

I was hoping to be much further along with the fence project, but I keep running into obstacles. 

First I was unable to get the same color stain for the new fence posts and rails. Olympic no longer makes the original "Alligator Green" in a semi transparent stain. So I opted for a solid evergreen stain, it just took a couple of weeks to find a solution (plus get the rain to stop). It actually matches well, but it is not 100% identical, it has a flat finish. Honestly, I may be the only person who will ever notice.

I was able to stain all the posts and rails after school this afternoon. I started at 3:30 and finished by 6:45, about 30 min. per section. It was a bit tough in some places becuase I didn't want to damage plants. 

It looks pretty good. 

Now I just have to get Lowes to deliver the rest of the wood I ordered. It was supposed to come tomorrow, but they screwed up the order and I had to cancel it. Now I have to find another way to get what I need for the cleats and fence roof. I no longer own a pickup truck, and wood is getting hard to find and more expensive in this post Covid world. This fence project is already over budget. I just hope I can get it done before mid July.

On a positive note, I have the copper caps for the lower posts. Due to code restrictions, I can't have the roof sections on the first three panels. I am restricted to four feet height.

No problem, it will differentiate the two parts of the garden. The caps are the same custom made caps I have used elsewhere in the garden. 

I'm not ready to permanently attach the caps, but once I do I am certain they will look great.

Post Apocalypse

I finally decided to make some changes to the plantings I placed near the front post of the gazebo back in 2019.

The Soft Touch Japanese Holly (Ilex crenate 'Soft Touch') I planted is doing great. It seems to like the sandy soil and is growing slowly, but looks wonderful in this location. The plan was to take one's eye away from the post footing.

After an initial attempt with some daylilies, I switched to two Arborvitae Fire Chief (Thuja occidentalis 'Congabe').

The Arborvitae Fire Chiefs did not do well. After the first winter they took a beating. I then left them in place after trimming out the dead material in the hopes they might recover. However, after another winter, and more damage, it became obvious that they had to be moved.

One of the Arborvitae was still in good enough shape to potentially recover its full shape (in time). So, I planted it within the Zen garden in a void that appeared in the garden after this last winter. 

The color is a bit similar to the moss in the area, but the plant fits in this area well and still has some room for growth. 

I am hopeful that in time it will heal and become a permanent shrub for this spot. I also hope to reshape it into a globe form.

The other Arborvitae suffered considerable damage. Its shape is now oddly elongated. After trimming out the dead material, I was able to salvage enough of it to give it another try. I decided to locate it in the new stroll garden bed to get started. 

It will take some time to see how it does in this sunny location, just beneath the new Crabapple tree. It's a dwarf shrub, so it shouldn't grow too big, provided it makes the transition. Only time will tell.

"The Litynski”

I bought this Icebreaker Korean Fir (Abies koreana 'Ice Breaker') last week, a very unusual dwarf evergreen.

It has two-toned needles that curve up and around their stems to expose a bright white, waxy underside of the needle.

I had never seen a plant like it and it immediately caught my attention (as did it’s steep price). I liked that it is a slow grower and will keep a found shape until it becomes a mature cone shape. However, that will take at least 10 or more years, and I will probably be long dead and composted into the garden by the time it reaches that point.

It likes a sun-shade mix, so it's being placed on the sunny side of the Zen Garden. Hopefully the light it receives in the morning and late afternoon will suffice. It will only grow 2-4 inches a year and reach a height of 3' H x 3’ W, but that will take many years.

To make room for the Fir, I moved the Coral Bells (Heuchera Hybrid 'Fire Alarm') I recently planted. It didn't look quite right where I planted it, so I moved it close to the Yukimi Lantern at the other end of the garden. Originally I had a Hosta next to the lantern, but the damage from rabbits this year was substantial, so it was time for something new in this location.

Once transplanted, the Coral Bells looked more upright and added some new color to this area of the garden. So far, I am happy with the change.

In the meantime, the Icebreaker Korean Fir looks fantastic in the spot where the Coral Bells had once been and will add some new interest to the garden.

The tree was so special, I decided it needed a name. I decided to name it after a friend and colleague from work. Needless to say, it was a difficult school year, and having someone who could make those difficulties easier to manage helped immensely. An invite was sent and accepted to help plant the tree and with my friend's approval, I named the tree in her honor. We now call it “The Litynski.” 

Being a garden nerd, I figured naming the tree after my friend was a good way to show my appreciation and gratitude. I also thought it would be therapeutic for both of us to welcome a new spring and summer season by bringing a bit more beauty into our lives.

Planting it together was a wonderful experience. When we finished, “The Litynski” looked fantastic.

The late afternoon light really accentuated the appearance and brought out the bright color of the needles.

It is without a doubt one of the most interesting plants in the garden.

I am so glad I made the purchase, and that I had the opportunity to welcome a friend into my garden world and show my thanks.

The garden, and I, will never be the same again.

Little Touches

I added some new additions and little touches with new plants this week.  

First, I started with a Bleeding Hearts (Heliopsis hellianthoides var. scabra "Bleeding Hearts') just to the right of Guanyin. 

I like the color of this plant, a dark green almost brown leaf, but the plant should bloom some nice yellow flowers. The size seemed right at 3-4' in hight and 12-18" wide, perfect for the gap near the Gaunyin statue. I am hoping this plant will help fill in that gap and hide the foundation from view. The plant colors also match the color of the statue and some of the existing plants. 

I also bought two small Tiarella 'Fingerpaint' Foamflower plants. 

I placed these in the narrow long bed at the east end of the garden. I have struggled to find plants for this area for many years. 

 

Given that these like shade, I am hopeful they will do well. Critters don't seem to like eating the ones I have elsewhere. However, this is a slug area within the garden and I will have to see how well they hold up to a slug assault. I really like the color scheme, the dark brown within the green looks fantastic.

I added an inexpensive annual Purple Fountain Grass to fill in a space where a previous perennial grass was looking sparse. 

I liked the color and it fills in the space nicely. I did something similar last year and it really added some interest to the garden. Unfortunately, as an annual I will need to replace it next year.

I decided to rework the bed  along the right side of the Dwarf Korean Fir (Abies koreana 'Cis') I planted back in 2015. I used to plant some small Daylily here, but they became too big over time. I have left it empty ever since, but now that the Fir has become large, the bed seemed to be in need of reshaping with some new stones. Doing so allowed my to make a new space for a different plant. I am trying an Orchid Frost Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum 'Orchid Frost'). 

It likes partial shade and will spread, but I should be able to keep it under control and within its new bed. It has a nice little pink flower, but I have to watch that slugs don't devour it - they like flowing plants like these.

I do like that it is a low lying groundcover, hence its placement near the top of the bed.

I also wanted to fill the two red pots I bought last year. I decided on a Catching Fire Foamy Bells (Heucherella x "Catching Fire") for the large pot. 

The light green color and the inner brown/red veins on the leaves will go well with the bright red of the pot. For the smaller pot I bought a simple Dahlia ('Dahlietta' Candy). 

I like the dark green leaves, and the flower colors of bright yellow and red should look good with this bright red pot. 

Both pots look great. I will keep them both near the gazebo post.

Finally, I purchased two large Hameln Fountain Grasses (Pennisetum alopecuriodes 'Hemeln') for each of the large red pots along the zen garden wall. 

 

I planted a similar, but smaller type of fountain grass in these pots last year, and I really liked the look. They should suffer minimal slug damage and at the end of the season I can transplant them to permanent locations within the new stroll garden area. They need full sun, so I will have to keep an eye on them, but if I eventually move them to the stroll garden, they will get plenty of sun.