Changing a Garden
I am constantly looking for ways to change and improve the gardens around my farm. The area behind my Tenant House and across from my long clematis pergola is now in its third iteration. When I moved here, I planted it with rows and rows of beautiful ferns and tiger lilies. In 2018, I filled it with Stewartia trees and lush, green shade-loving plants. The following winter, I had several trees taken down - six 125-foot trees that were leaning dangerously close to the house and had to be removed for safety reasons. Doing this took away much of the shade and many plants suffered. Since then, I added several Japanese maples and smoke bushes hoping they would provide more shade to the specimens below. But now I am transforming the space once again - clearing old, overcrowding plants and adding more Japanese maple trees and plants that will thrive better under the sun. Changing a garden to keep it young and vibrant... it's a very good thing.
Enjoy these photos.
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- In the fall of 2015, I removed rows and rows of ferns and lilies and relocated them to new areas.
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- Here, the beds are clean, free of any bulbs, and ready to be replanted.
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- In the spring of 2016, I planted the area with a collection of Stewartia trees. Stewartias are native to Japan, Korea, and the southeastern United States. All are slow-growing, all-season performers that show off fresh green leaves in spring, white flowers resembling single camellias in summer, and colorful foliage in autumn.
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- The varieties I chose include: Stewartia gemmata, Stewartia x. henryae, Stewartia pseudocamellia ‘Ballet’, Stewartia monadelpha, Stewartia rostrata, and Stewartia henry ‘Skyrocket’.
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- My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I began filling the space with shade-loving plants including Epimediums, Syneilesis, Polygonatum, and Astilboides and others.
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- The plants thrived and developed nicely in this partly shaded area.
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- But in January 2019, I had to remove six 125 year old trees – five Norway spruce and one white pine.
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- It makes me very sad to see any large trees taken down, but they were leaning very close to my Tenant House where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit. It had to be done for safety.
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- Here is the garden without those towering evergreens.
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- The area looked very pretty without the trees, but the plantings below still needed adequate shade to thrive. That spring, I planted two 10 to 12-foot Japanese maples.
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- Red-leafed cultivars are the most popular of the Japanese maples. Red and variegated leaves need relief from the hot afternoon sun but need the light to attain full color. These trees are still doing very well.
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- Here is a photo form 2019 – the plants are filling the area in nicely.
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- Smaller Japanese maples were added to fill in any bare spots. Gardens take a lot of planning and patience. And remember the old adage, “the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.” One must give a garden time to mature.
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- Here it is in 2021 – more growth. I continued to add interesting plants.
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- This is the garden last July. There are still some tiger lilies that pop up, but the shade loving plants were failing. It needed a change.
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- Recently, I received a delivery from Monrovia, a wholesale plant nursery specializing in shrubs, perennials, annuals, ferns, grasses, and conifers with several nursery locations across the country. I decided to plant many of them in the Tenant House garden. Among them – Ryusen Weeping Japanese maples, Waterfall Japanese maples, Coral Bark Japanese maples, Shaina Japanese maples, Autumn Moon Fullmoon Japanese maples, and more.
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- Areas were cleared of plants and trees were strategically placed.
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- Whenever planting, always consider spacing needs. Be sure to plant with the specimen’s mature size in mind.
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- And then my outdoor grounds crew got started. This collection included both red and green leafed cultivars.
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- This is an Orangeola Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Orangeola.’ Its foliage changes from green to purple and then a brilliant shade of orange-red in autumn.
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- Its leaves are already changing.
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- Here, Pete is planting a Coral Bark Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku,’ – a beautiful small deciduous tree that thrives in bright dappled and shade.
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- This is a Ryusen Weeping Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Ryusen.’ It is known for its cascading branches and vibrant seasonal foliage.
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- The Waterfall Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Waterfall,’ is loved for its cascading green foliage, and elegant weeping form. It will grow nicely here.
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- By late afternoon everything was planted and watered. A well tended garden is always a work in progress. I am looking forward to adding more interesting greenery and seeing this transformed garden flourish.
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