Early the next summer the Conifers are really taking off! In the background two more beds have been tilled and planted and a load of mulch is ready for spreading.
Beyond the load of mulch is the gate where visitors enter. As the trees and shrubs in the Arboretum mature, visitors will have an opportunity to see the plants we have available and visualize their potential use for their own landscapes.
Another year and three more beds have been added to the Arboretum.
Looking in the opposite direction toward the house and gardens, you can see how fast the Conifers are growing! One more bed has been tilled and prepared but the planting isn't completed until the fall of 2008.
After a summer of severe drought, some of the original planting has suffered and needed to be replaced. Everything has been mulched and we're praying we don't experience another summer's drought!
Note: We did experience another year of drought in 2008, probably worse than 2007 :( Fortunately we were able to set up sprinklers and hoses in an attempt to prevent any further damage to the plantings. With the cooler temperatures in October, Rick continued planting and finished three more new beds. We should have photos of the new plantings to share with you in 2009!
One more project for 2008 and then we can look forward to more changes in 2009!
On the east slope of the house we have a large Willow (Salix x erythroflexuosa 'Scarlet Curls'). It has a beautiful twisted trunk but the lower branches were obscuring the beauty of its form and also providing too much shade for the plantings beneath it. In December, 2007 a friend of ours made the treacherous climb up the trunk and removed the lower branches.
The next month a fresh blanket of snow highlights the beautiful form of this tree.
The following spring the Weeping Cherry (Prunus subhirtella var. pendula) on the opposite side of the driveway is already benefiting from the removal of lower branches of the Willow!
The slope beneath the Willow was originally planted with numerous Astilbes, all of which had suffered from the deep shade. Several Conifers, including the Japanese Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard') seen at the top of the photo had suffered as well.
Now that the Willow has been pruned it's time to tackle this "problem" area!
The purple foliage of a Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea 'Crimson Velvet') had grown over the small pond which is at the top of the slope. It was obscuring the view to the gardens below and was removed in June. We also removed a golden Japanese Falsecypress from the right side of the pond to open up the view even more.
After the photo was taken, a brightly variegated Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia 'Golden Shadows') with a horizontal branching habit was planted on the slope beyond the pond to replace the beautiful European Elder (Sambucus nigra 'Madonna') which had died the year before. Hostas and other shade plants will be planted along the edges of the pond in 2009.
The end of June and the planting is almost complete under the Willow! The Astilbes were replaced and Hostas and other shade plants were planted at the base of the trunk. We also had to severely prune the 'Boulevard' Chamaecyparis as a number of the branches had suffered from the deep shade created by the canopy of the Willow.
A large assortment of Hellebores and brightly colored Heucheras were planted on the left side of the slope after this photo was taken.
Other shade plants at the base of the Willow are also benefiting from the pruning and seem quite happy by the end of September!
From the top, clockwise: Chinese Wild Ginger (Asarum splendens), Fragrant Lady's Tresses in bloom (Spiranthes cernua var. odorata) with the golden foliage of Corydalis 'Berry Exciting'. In the background you can barely see the red berries of Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) which normally doesn't do well in our heat and humidity. We're testing the plant in this area because it's the "coolest" spot we have in the gardens and it seems to have adjusted well! We'll be adding more photos of the gardens as our work continues in 2009 and hope you'll return to see our progress!
Thank you for visiting Our Landscape Gallery!
Rick and Debbie