By June of 2005 more trees have been planted in this area, including several varieties of Crabapple (Malus spp.), Katsuratree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), Red Maple (Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset'), Dragon's Claw Willow (Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa'), two "pink" flowering cultivars of Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus x carnea: 'O'Neill's Red' and 'Fort McNair'), Forsythia (x intermedia 'Golden Times'), a variegated form of Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera 'Aureomarginatum'), a unique weeping Winged Elm (Ulmus alata 'Lace Parasol') and a compact form of Bush Clover (Lespedeza bicolor 'Little Buddy').
Most summers we take a relaxing vacation break in Michigan. A visit to our favorite nursery one year tempted us with a few more selections for planting in this area and we made the effort to squeeze them into the van for the trip home! Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk'), a variegated Wayfaringtree Viburnum (Viburnum lantana 'Variegatum'), and one we could not find locally - what we consider the best Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus 'Montmorency').
Spring 2006...the 'Golden Times' Forsythia actually blooms earlier in the year but the bright gold foliage continues to provide a brilliant contrast when the flowers of the Red Horsechestnuts appear in May (Aesculus pavia 'O'Neill's Red and 'Fort McNair').
The rosey-pink blooms of this Red Horsechestnut are a favorite at this time of the year. Unfortunately the foliage suffers from the summer heat and humidity and looks pretty sad by August :(
We also planted a border of Old Fashioned Weigela (Weigela florida) along the driveway. This cultivar ('Rubidor') is one of our favorites with brilliant gold foliage and dark red flowers.
Others planted in this border include: 'Wine & Roses' with burgundy foliage and pink flowers; 'French Lace' with gold and green variegated foliage and deep pink flowers; 'Rumba' with rich green foliage and pink flowers; and 'Variegata' with green and white variegated foliage and light pink flowers.
In the adjoining bed, the 'Purple Robe' Locust is a prolific bloomer, beginning sometime in early May and usually holding its flowers until June!
A closer look at the dark rose-pink flowers.
We're still looking at the view from the deck but now we'll move up the driveway from the Propagation Beds to the "West Garden" and another older scanned photo.
The trees have grown since the initial planting in 1994 and we're ready to plant more!
We're not enthusiastic about many Roses, but this beautiful Rose ('Constance Spry') was planted along the edge of the woodland after seeing it on one of the television garden shows. One of the first "English" Roses bred by David Austin, it's proven to be a vigorous grower and blooms profusely in late spring/early summer. The long canes make it suitable to be trained as a climber but we've chosen to keep it pruned to form a large shrub.
We planted a lovely 'Yoshino' Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) in the spring of 2001 which quickly tripled in size (seen here in 2005) and continues to grow and form a canopy at the end of this bed. Blooming around the same time as the 'Golden Times' Forsythia, these two really add some color to this area even on an overcast day. If windy weather arrives when the Cherry is blooming, we're treated to a 'blizzard' of Cherry blossoms!
When the sun shines, the brilliant blooms of the Forsythia proclaim that spring is definitely here!
Just above the bed where the 'Yoshino' Cherry was planted, we gathered an assortment of Hostas to plant for future propagation. Seen here in May of 2005, they have continued to prosper with an exposure of early morning sun and shade by afternoon.
The Japanese Maple in the foreground resides in a bed which finally received a 'makeover' in the summer of 2008.
