I spent a great deal of time creating a Turtle Island in the Viewing Garden in 2024 by using a Japanese Black Pine.
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| 2024 |
Unfortunately, the winter of 2024-2025 took its toll throughout the garden, and with it, the Black Pine. Only a small fraction of its base survived. Attempts to save it were a failure.
The weather played a major role - a dry winter with little snow, warm 80 degree weather mid-March with no precipitation, and a cold and dry April contributed to its demise (as well as many other shrubs on the property).
Not wanting to give in, I decided to try one more time, at great expense, to give a Pinus t. Thuderhead a try.
It is very similar to the Pine that was there in 2024, so the look will be similar.
The rocks are still there for the head and tail, while I once again used Silber Mound Artemesia for the four feet.
I then surrounded the rest of the plantings with Seuperbells Yellow Chiffon and Bacopa (Sutera cordata). I am aiming for a muted color palette.
Overall, it looks the same. This next year I will need to devise a way to water the tree if we end up with another dry winter. This may be a result of global climate change, which has been negatively impacting the plantings in the garden for the last couple of years.
Anyone who takes gardening seriously knows the facts - humans have changed the climate, plants are being impacted. For now its my Zen garden and my wife's vegetable garden. In the future lets hope, for all our sakes, its not the agricultural production of food.
