•June 20, 2009 •
Leave a Comment
So right now I have peaches:

We’ll see if I can keep the squirrels, bugs and birds away and get a couple ripe ones this fall. I’m training it to grow espaliered flat in a V shape. There are raspberries behind the tree, so it’s hard to see, but so far the espalier is working great, I’m getting a lot of peaches.

Posted in espalier, peach tree
•June 18, 2009 •
Leave a Comment

Don’t neglect the small spaces. This area is only about 6 inches wide, and is in a shady courtyard in a city garden. But it’s quite charming with the repetition of the small ferns and white flowers. This is a great reminder that gardens don’t have to be about color, green and white keep things calm, especially in small spaces. Great garden! (It’s not mine)
Posted in fern, shade gardening
•June 15, 2009 •
Leave a Comment
Japanese maples are supposed to be slow growers but look at this. This is my Threadleaf Japanese Maple in the fall of 2006:

And look at it now:

It’s spilling over the sidewalk, and I’m standing a little farther away for the latest photo, that white column was out of the picture in 2006. Pretty soon I’m going to have to prune it so we can walk on the sidewalk. Has anyone ever pruned one of these? Any tips for me?
This photo comparison also gives anyone who is thinking about planting one of these a great view of the colors you get. Beautiful spring green in the spring, and a lovely gold in the fall.
Posted in japanese maple tree
•May 31, 2009 •
1 Comment

I love this planting in my neighborhood. Instead of just lining up the rhodies and evergreens, they have been planted with a lot of depth. If you have the luxury of space, planting a very wide border like this is very attractive. What gives it interest is the repetitiveness of the evergreens, but there is still some variety as you can see in the photo below. Different shades of green, from blue-green to lime, plus different leaf sizes between the pines and rhododendrons, make this garden a winner.

Posted in garden, rhododendron
•May 4, 2009 •
Leave a Comment

Actually, the windowbox looks pretty good without the grape hyacinth (see previous post). The greenery from the muscari fill in the box and the daffodils aren’t as sparse as I thought they were going to be.
Posted in bulbs, daffodil, windowbox
•April 30, 2009 •
Leave a Comment

So now the daffodils are blooming, but the grape hyacinths are gone by and look terrible. I’m going to have to deadhead those tomorrow. And next year either find something that will bloom at the same time, or plant more of the later bulbs, so they will look good by themselves after the muscari are gone.
Posted in bulbs, daffodil, windowbox