Garden Photos

The Secret Garden Project (scroll down to see the previous blog entry) is basically done for this season. Which isn't to say that a great deal more couldn't be done, but just that money and time are dwindling and other things need accomplishing before the big party in September.

One more big project needs to be completed. That is the unsightly berm along the edge of the garden near the hot tub. Earlier in the spring we were able to remove 6 very tall Cottonwood trees which have rained various plagues upon us for years, the final one being the cost of removing them. First comes the falling branches through the winter during some of our nor'easters. Then comes the sticky, yellowish seed pods that ruined our carpet when pods were inadvertantly dragged in on the bottoms of shoes and have stuck themselves all over the hot tub cover, the furniture, etc. Insidious! Then comes the flying fluff that blows all over in drifts, up your nose causing allergic reactions. Thank God they are gone! Enter new problem. Our neighbors whose garden is at a lower elevation than ours now enjoys seeing us look down on their entire back garden leaving them with absolutely no privacy. More about the solution later.

Next we poured buckets (well not buckets, but a lot) of Round Up over the berm to kill off the English Ivy and the blackberries that had covered the ground and climbed well up into the trees. That done the berm now looks like a World War I bunker, just an ugly pile of dirt. Sadly, under that pile of dirt lurks another surprise. When this housing development was created the builders decided it would be a good idea to bury the construction debris rather than haul it away leaving us with the eventual problem of disposing of it should we decide at some future date to actually landscape the berm. To date I have dug up portions of a child's wading pool, chicken wire, rocks of assorted sizes (no real surprise there), nails, lumber, etc. It all has to go. So we plan to remove the soil, etc. by hiring a bobcat to come in and scrap the mound away. Then they will haul in new topsoil and create a new berm worthy of landscaping.

That leads us back to that earlier privacy issue I mentioned. We will plant a screen of arborvitae in groups of three across the crest of the new berm leaving a space between each group of three for another shrub to add color and texture and break up the repetitiveness of the arborvitae. The photo at right is an example of how that planting might look.

We are now getting bids to have the berm itself removed. I have ignored the rest of the garden what with my concentration on getting certain aspects of the Secret Garden finished. When I did stroll the rest of the garden I discovered blossoms and wanted to share a few photos of what's been blooming. Enjoy!

The Ruby Slipper Dogwood has bloomed for weeks. A gift from the family of a former student, this variety of dogwood was developed by the student's grandfather, owner of Well's Nursery in Mount Vernon. Stunning!

Finally, I found a spot my Bleeding Heart loves!

My first Foxglove flowers!

I planted two Clematis, one on either side of the arbor in the Upper Garden. I purchased them on the clearance table at a local nursery. The plants were sickly looking and were only about three inches tall. I gave them a try and three years later they have reached the top of the arbor and bloom profusely. Patience!

Transplanted Red Hot Poker, a gift from a neighborhood gardening friend, these are one year olf transplants. I can't wait until next year!

The baskets surrounding the gazebo are filled with pansies and, in this case, a beautiful Fuscia.

Hydrangea is one of my very favorite flowering shrubs. I must have a dozen different varieties and colors scattered throughout the garden and I'm always looking to adding some new ones. This old-fashioned shrub is never out of fashion in my opinion.

And now, the question of the day. What in the world is this block of wood for? Note that some of the holes are filled in. After taking this photo another half dozen of the holes became filled in. Stumped? A future blog will answer the mystery!