Brace Yourself

When I started building the new fence along the back of the Dragon's Spine, I made a major mistake. The main cedar frame in the center required two posts that were 5' high. 

Rather than purchase posts greater that 8', I opted to save money and attempt to build the frame with 8' posts, 3' below ground and 5' above. In theory, 3' below ground should be fine. However, I never had posts that rose to 5' or above that were not attached to cement sonotubes with a bracket.

The problem is that over the last two years the posts have shifted upwards a couple of inches due to frost heave. 

As a result, the two posts, and the central panel are leaning back. I have to stop the lean before the outer panels of the overall fence begin to shift.

I had two choices from which to pick a solution:

1) dismantle the fence and add cement sonotubes and brackets to the two central posts

2) add 4 x 4 post braces behind the fence

Dismantling the fence to add sonotubes would be a major undertaking. Adding support braces would be less difficult. Also, if the sonotubes don't work, I would be stuck with two 3' deep cement footings that would be difficult to remove in the future. Installing cedar posts with post protectors and metal brackets would be easy to install, and easier to maintain or replace in the future.

Therefore, I added two support posts.

Similar to the work I completed recently on the Woodland Gate, I dug post holes, added two 8' posts with two rails each, and connected them with steel brackets. Each post also has a post protector to slow down rot at the ground level.

Instead of bolts to connect the posts, I am opting for steel brackets. 

Doing so will allow me to avoid drilling through the main posts and having to hide the bolt holes that would be visible from the front. If over time the brackets don't hold, I can always add future bolts as a final solution.

Although slightly visible from the garden side of the fence, the posts remain mostly unseen unless one goes behind the fence.

I stained the support posts black to match the rest of the fence structure. I then added copper caps yo finish off the project. 

The fence is now less likely to continue to lean back. 

Hopefully this will slow done or solve the problem. Only time will tell.

Bonsai Re-Ballanced

The renovation on the Middle Gate placed some emphasis on the need to rethink the hallway and Bonsai Gallery.

The two large Spirea that had been in this location for many years were in need of some care.

2024

Both had lost their globe like shape, a characteristic that is common to Spirea within their first few of years. However, I have learned that over time they tend to be come a bit thinned out with very little growth at the core. Unfortunately, the one on the left was in really bad shape after I trimmed it out. Once bucketed, I gave it to a neighbor.

The one on the right has much more potential. It thinned out considerably since last year, but with more sun and some time to develop new growth from the core, it might rejuvenate itself in a couple years. 

I then began to remove all of the peastone from the plant bed with the intention of adding mulch at the end of this project. 

This will prove more beneficial for all of the shrubs and help with water/soil management. I will eventually wash clean all the peastone removed and spread it throughout the hallway at a later date.

The Golden Globe Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Gold Globe') in the middle was planted in this location in 2017. It has actually done well and finally has a nice globe shape. However, when it was planted, there were already two spirea here, so it was planted between them, but not necessarily in the middle of the hallway.

Moving it slightly to the right placed it in the center of the new bed. 

I then planted two new Compact Korean Azalea (Azalea yedoense var. poukhanese 'Compata') on either side to complete the plantings along the bed. 

These two shrubs should grow to 3' tall and wide, perfect for the narrow hall bed. The colors of the leaves are also darker than the Arborvitae, adding some differentiation to the plantings. They will also produce a lilac-purple flower mid spring.

I also relocated the two center bonsai stands to equally distribute all four along the bed. Together with the shrubs there now exists a more balanced placement of these features.

The conner by the garage door and a space near the gate entrance needed something to hide the open view of the foundation, so I planted Astilbe 'Vision in Pink" (Astilbe chinensis) at each end. The pinkish flowers of these Astilbe will add some color differentiation to the bed.

The final touch was adding a lay-flat border guard to keep peastone out of the bed. 

With the mulch added, the new bonsai gallery looks wonderful. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort. 

Signage Reborn

While working on the Middle Gate restoration, I decided to give the garden sign a slight makeover. The sign was created in 2016. 

Each winter it is brought into the garage to protect it from weathering. This year the frame was in need of re-staining.

The sign itself, which was acquired in Taiwan, has held up well. Some of the varnish is starting to dull, but for now a simple cleaning was all that was needed. 

In a year or two I may attempt a refinishing, but right now the prospect of sanding and refinishing would be a major undertaking. I am also afraid of damaging the wonderful craftsmanship of the carved characters, so waiting until I have a better plan is probably the best approach for now.

In the meantime, the frame and sign look much improved.

Revisiting the Middle Path

The Middle Gate between the house and garage had been installed in the spring of 2012.

Since that time it required little to no maintenance. By 2025 it was in need of re-staining, but during the preparation I discovered that the bottom rails supporting the bamboo screen had rotted. Additionally, the lower rail on the right support also rotted and needed replacing.

The bamboo screens had also become unsightly. They had been installed in 2018 and I left them in place after the rest of the garden fence screens had been replaced with cedar boards in 2022. Bamboo always looks good the first year or two after installation, but quickly fades and becomes unsightly over time. It was now time to switch it out for cedar boards.

These changes resulted in a major restoration of the gate that took almost five days to complete. First all the small cedar embellishments had to be removed, sanded, and re-stained. This did not include the cedar boards on the doors. They stayed in place.

The bottom support rail, and bottom supports for the screens had to be cut and stained, and installed. For this repair, I used steel brackets to hold the bottom rails. 

This should reduce the likelihood of rot.

Then the entire gate frame had to be re-stained green.

After replacing the cedar embellishments, I had to cut and stain new screen boards. 

I also added two flowerettes to the top opening to hide the exposed bolts holes.

The door boards were re-stained, but due to their age and weathering, they have retained a dark patina. Otherwise, they are in good shape.

Although the restoration took much longer than anticipated, it looks much better and I should be able to get another 10+ years of use from the gate.

Longevity Embraced

The Woodland Gate had been constructed back in 2017. Over time its held up well with minimal repairs. The bamboo on the doors was replaced in 2024, but otherwise no major maintenance.

Last winter I noticed a significant problem. The two main posts that support the roof are attached to metal brackets that are cemented into sonotubes. Originally, I added additional support with braces on both the front and sides. Doing so prevented side-to-side, and back-and-forth movement. However, there seems to have been some back and forth movement still occurring, probably from the snow rake removal process each winter. As a result, some of the cement on the right side sonontube appeared to be showing sings of stress. 

In an attempt to prevent further movement, and extend the life of the gate before collapse or planned removal, I decided to add two additional braces in the rear of the gate

Technically off property, these additions were necessary to extend the life of the gate

I kept the height somewhat higher on these braces. It does make for a bit of a jumble when one sees all of the braces attached, but it will ensure that the gate can remain for a few more years.

I also added post protectors to prevent rot at the base, and then spray painted them green to match the stain that would be used on the posts.

The older exposed stain was showing signs of distress, so I took this opportunity to re-stain the main support structure of the gate. 

I decided to skip the process of creating faux tenons for the new support braces. Instead, I attached small flowerettes to conceal the bolts that were used to attach the posts. I stained them natural cedar to allow them to stand out and be more visible.

Finally, I added two new copper caps to the new support posts.

Overall, the gate looks like new. 

Now only time will tell if these adjustments will help save the gate from further decline or collapse

Lantern Landscape

Wanting to add a bit more interest to the new bed located along the garden shed, I added a couple of new features.

First, I moved the Indonesian Showa style Yukimi Lantern. This lantern had been placed near the bamboo end of the Dragon Spine several year ago. 

I never decided on its final location or had considered how to purposefully incorporate it into the garden. With the addition of the Tsukubia to the Dragon's Spine last year, the lantern no longer seemed correctly placed. With the reworking of the shed and bed, I now had the ideal location.

The lantern needs its own home, uncluttered by other hardscape features. It also fits in well with the slightly slanted topography within the bed.

Eventually I may need to make some adjustments as the nearby shrubs grow, but in the meantime I should get a few years out of this placement.

I also decided to make an adjustment to the mini-bamboo fence I created for this bed. Originally I used black rope as the "rails" of the bamboo posts. 

However, very quickly the rope began to be damaged by critters who would chew through it. 

Instead, I used very thin bamboo poles as a replacement. 

They seem to be working fine. I still preferred the rope, but for now these will have to do.

Shrub Week

There are approximately 70 shrubs within Songni Yuan. As a result, it takes at least four days of meandering around the garden and trimming each shrub. This has become known as "shrub week."

There are too reasons I do this. One, to keep a nice clean shape that enhances the beauty of the garden, and to ensure that shrub growth does not exceed long term expectations for the garden design.

To illustrate, I am showing a video in which I will be trimming the two 'Europa Gold' arborvitae (thuja occidentalis) that are on each side of the Woodland Gate. 

These two shrubs can grow to as much as 4-6' over time and I do not want them to grow too large, too fast. By trimming a couple of inches each year I can slow down their growth.

Before

After

They will eventually fill the area along the gate, but if they grow too large and start to block the entrance to the gate, or impact other nearby plantings, I may have to remove them. Hence, the need to slow the growth.

This is an issue with some of the other shrubs within the garden. However, good maintenance and growth management will ensure that a shrub can last many years in the garden without becoming a problem.

Neglect No More

The west side of the house has often been neglected as part of the landscaping. Many years ago there were simply large Spirea along the wall until the generator and air conditioning units were installed.

About two years ago I added a clipping from a large Forest Grass that resides in the Zen garden. It has since grown much larger and looks good.

Before

I also acquired an inexpensive Dwarf Maple Acer and planted it along the wall. It was meant as a temporary planting until I could decide what to do with the tree. Essentially, I needed to get it into the ground before winter arrived, and this was the only open location for it to winter-over. Afterwards, I simply forgot about it and moved on to other projects.

With the redesign of the utility-machine area this summer, It became apparent that I had to put some effort into improving the plantings in this area.

I had several Hosta in the "nursery" that had been damaged by rabbits. Wanting to save some money, I decided to plants these. 

The Asitlbe 'Delft Lace' at the left of the Maple was the only new plant I added. I liked the star like pattern, and mixed color of the blooms, as well as the dark leaves. It should add some interest to this corner.

I recognize that the existing Forest Grass, Dwarf Maple, and large Boxwood will continue to grow and possibly obscure these new plantings. However, the new additions might not need to be removed/relocated for a couple of years. In the meantime, they will do better in the ground in these locations than in buckets behind the shed.

I also decided to plant the Coral Bark Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango kaku/coral bark') I had to remove from the gazebo area early this spring. It too was in a bucket and needed a more permanent home.

I thought that it might help break up the sharp edge of the corner fence post. This tree has had some issues. The main trunk in the center died off over the winter and I have been trying to train the remaining limbs. There is a new spouting branch near the center, but it may take years to grow. In the meantime, the tree looks a bit odd, but it might succeed if given time. 

After

A Japanese Painted Fern and some Marigolds near the base of the tree help to act as a ground cover beneath the tree.

There is still some work to do in this location, but it is showing signs of improvement.

Machine Screen

Prior to the development of the Zen Garden in 2007-2009, we had a small generator installed along the far side of the house. At the time, I installed a two sided lattice fence to screen the generator from the roadside view. Later, around 2013, we added a mini-split air conditioning system. Both of these utilities were in the same area of the south-west corner of the house. 

When adding the air conditioning unit, I decided to enclose both sides of the utilities with a screening fence - each two sided, with an opening between the two. 

Later, I added a brick pathway using some left over brick following the vegetable garden enlargement project (Sept., 2023).

If you look closely, you can tell that the posts on the left were leaning, indicating that they were rotten and in need of replacement.

After discussing the issue with my wife, we decided to replace the entire structure. Instead of the traditional "neighborhood" look of the the cream post - green lattice fence, we opted to build an all new structure similar in appearance to the fence in the Viewing Garden - stained green posts and natural stained cedar panels.

2021 Viewing Garden

This decision was not taken lightly. Making these changes would extend the influence of the Asian inspired garden all the way around the house. The only remaining places untouched by that esthetic would now be the vegetable garden and the area adjacent to its front gate - what we call "mulch Island" (because of its size and the large Willow and Burning Bush).

So, once the decision was made, I ripped down the old fencing.

We were happy that most of the materials, including several posts and rails that were still in good condition, were taken by a neighbor to be recycled into a new project for their home.

I then dug new postholes, installed and stained new posts with post protectors, attached metal brackets to hold the rails, inserted the rails, and stained the remaining components. In all it took approximately five days of labor (two of which were during a 96 degree+ heatwave).

I also spay-painted the plastic post protectors green to help them blend in.

The fencing does a good job of complimenting the other Asian style fencing throughout the gardens and now anchors the distant Zen Garden with the far side of the house and lawn. 

It also works well with the newly face-lifted garden shed and Woodland Gate diagonally opposite the utility corner.

Given the added feature and updated materials, including the post protectors, I am confident that these structures will last 10+ years. I'm glad this major project is complete and I can now get back to tending my plants.