Nov 24, 2009

Way overdue for an update. It was a great gardening summer. Created a new garden all the way across the back of the house and deck. Added some great woody's.....Prague, Siebold and Juddi Viburnum, European Variegated Dogwood, Caryopteris 'Sunshine Blue', a nice Oakleaf Hydrangea, Crepe Myrtle, Cut-Leaf and Decumbent Spirea, Pink Double Knockout Rose, Weeping Larch, Contorted Filbert and a Fine Line Buckthorn. Adding some height is a very slender Dawyck Purple Beech.....deep dark color. Also have a nice Scizophragma 'Moonlight' started on the north side of the Lattice Screen off the deck....Sagae and Montana Aureomarginata Hostas tucked in the shady corner. Some of the Leila 'Stella's' that we dug up at the entrance this past spring are against the brick of the house (west exposure). Mixed in some other nice perennials.....Salvia Argentia is quite interesting. Some boulders for hardscape interest with Black Mondo grass and Blue Fescue.

Have a new Hosta garden east of the pavilion. Seemed to be running out of places to plant hostas elsewhere ! Love the effect of the grouping here. Includes 'Abiqa Drinking Gourd, Parhelion, Ice Age Trail, Korean Frost, Pandora's Box, Alligator Shoes and many more.

Also finished the brick walk to the rear door of the workshop and planted the empty palette behind the workshop.  Many new perennials and woody's. 

Publish Post

Meanwhile, in the Woodland Garden, we now have a bog garden, with many thanks to my son David. (As pictures indicate, lots of hard work to dig bog, line, install plumbing, and re-fill with a mixture of the removed sandy soil, compost and sphagnum peat).  Features Umbrella Plant (thanks to Ted K...Janet D and the LAS Plant Sale); Louisiana Iris and Japanese Iris (Ensata), Chelone, Primula Candelabra, Meadowsweet, Spiderwort and more. Also, did major clearing of scrub and added large boulders throughout to outline paths. Added dozens of great woody ornamentals, hostas, and four nice Red Buds. Many rhododendrons, amalanchiers, chokeberry and chokecherry, dogwood and an olympic fire mountain laurel. Also several different spirea varieties, ninebark, potentilla, viburnum (including Mohican, Juddi, and Onondaga), Euonymus Carnosus, Flowering Quince (Red and Toyo Nishiki pink), Sweetspire. Many other plantings as well. Given quantities, I've clearly developed a knack for finding sales and clearances !

The main entrance to the woodland garden now features an arbor I built from 'rebar' and it has about five grape vines grabbing hold on each side and making their way up. By next summer, the vines should meet in the middle across the top and begin to form a tunnel of vines.

Those are the highlights from a very busy summer in the soil. Only have a few pics of the new work and adding a few other photos from the yard.