Back To Front

Some of my readers may recall that a year ago I received a commission from an English couple that had recently relocated to Scituate, MA via the Middle East. Their new property included a seasonally marshy area and a water feature that had fallen into disrepair.

During our initial consultation my clients expressed interest in replacing the broken pump system that had previously produced a waterfall. In addition I suggested that we redesign a large area of lawn, brambles and weeds surrounding the pond. Sharing their countrymen's famed fondness for gardens, they readily agreed.

It has been a little more than a year since we embarked on the transformation and the new plantings are flourishing.

For this large new garden area I selected plant material that can tolerate consistently damp to marshy conditions as well as periods of dryness. Due to one or two miscalculations involving seasonal moisture some of the plants had to be rearranged following the initial planting and my clients subsequently revamped a drainage system to accommodate the heavy downpours that often flooded the low-lying areas. For the most part, however, the plants have settled in quite nicely.

Beginning with Japanese Irises in the spring, the garden is in bloom until frost and the red stems of Cornus Ivory Halo along with the berries of Ilex Verticillata provide winter color.

Ilex Verticillata

Cornus Ivory Halo

Additional plantings include hydrangeas, clethra, swamp azalea, viburnums and a host of perennials such as astilbes, hostas, foxgloves, grasses, daylilies, physostegia and chelone.

I installed the various species in large drifts to give the final composition a naturalistic appearance that complements the pond and a dramatic twenty-foot waterfall. One might assume that having completed such an extensive project, my clients would take a moment to  rest on their laurels. This summer, however, they decided to revamp the front of their house as well.

My clients had their hearts set on a flower-filled front yard reminiscent of a classic English garden, a choice that I thought perfect for their lovely Tudor home. My first challenge, however, involved coaxing them to remove the narrow strip of lawn that bisected the front yard.

 
To keep the overall maintenance to a minimum I suggested that we choose primarily flowering shrubs and roses rather than more labor intensive perennials. I also swapped out the rectangular bluestone steppers and installed a path of rustic, irregular field stone.

For a touch of formality I lined the front walkway with Ilex Crenata ( a boxwood look alike) underplanted with silvery lambs ears, which should fill in nicely over time.

Although newly installed and recently battered by torrential rain when these photographs were taken, I'm looking forward to seeing the plantings mature. In a year or two I'm confident that the soil will no longer be visible. Instead the front walk will be awash in dark green, silver, pink and white.

  

On the home front, my gardens here in Seekonk are muddling through the dog days of summer and I have embarked on a new project. I am currently hosting a television show for a local cable station. The series entitled "In The Garden" is taped at my home and currently airs in southern MA. If you live outside of my area and would like to watch an episode or two google Seekonk Channel 9 and select schedule. You should be directed to the station's website. Select ON DEMAND and type in "In The Garden". You will be able to watch current and future episodes on your computer.

So far I have shot four episodes and plan on filming at least two more before the end of the season. It's a fun and challenging endeavor and I welcome your comments and feedback. Who knows, perhaps my series will be picked up by a larger network.

In the meantime, I'm honing the skills I cultivated in my twenties while pursuing a career as a dancer/performer in New York City. I guess that like the seasons, things have a way of coming around again.

Count Your Blessings

The other day I was bemoaning the fact that my garden never seems to live up to my expectations. Despite careful planning and conscientious care nature conspires against me. Whether it's disfiguring snails or woodchucks that mow entire plants to the ground or unforeseen blights or too much rain or too little rain, there always seems to be something that mars the perfection I had envisioned.

Last weekend, however, I had a sudden epiphany. Two dear friends from college had visited from Vermont and we were spending a lazy afternoon relaxing in the shade beneath my Tupelo tree. Through its branches we marveled at the sunlight glinting on a patch of black-eyed susans growing in the field. I hadn't planted them, they had simply appeared, a gift from nature.

   

Later it occurred to me that I had never planned many of the most cherished elements in my garden. Some, like the cattails that grow by my farm pond or the white woodland asters that bloom each autumn in my Blue & White garden, simply appeared one day, growing from seeds carried on the wind. Others like the masses of Lobelia Siphilitica

Lobelia Siphilitica

Eupatorium Coelestinum 

and Eupatorium Coelestinum that provide late summer color are the offspring of a few plants that have self-seeded with great abandon. Each spring the seedlings pop up in unexpected places, filling bare spots and creating surprisingly artistic combinations.

Ruella Humilis

Even the Ruella Humilis that edges the walkways of my front garden was a welcome surprise. I had never intended to use the plant as an edging. But when its seedlings sprouted against the cobbles, I liked the effect so much that I left them there.

In light of these revelations I've decided to curtail my litany of complaints and give credit where credit is due. While it's true that nature's hand can be harsh at times, her input has greatly improved the look of my gardens.

And in the spirit of giving credit, I should thank my gardening chum, Tish Hopkins, for suggesting that I grow sweet peas up the teepees that support my dinner plate dahlias. For the past six weeks I've enjoyed filling vases with their delightfully fragrant flowers.  

Everything Is Coming Up Roses

In previous posts I've included photographs of my entire property. For this installment, however, I thought I'd focus on the front garden, which has been awash in roses for the past few weeks. I have more than twenty different varieties of roses planted on my property and this time of year their impact is undeniable. Many people shy away from planting roses because they have a reputation for being difficult. I admit that my foray into growing tea roses has produced less than stellar results. Still, perhaps more than any other shrub, I rely on my roses for color and fragrance throughout the growing season. I consider varieties like "The Fairy", "Betty Prior" and " the David Austin Series of shrub roses" to be indispensable landscape plants.
 

In addition I highly recommend the "Knock Out" and "Flower Carpet" series of roses, which are tough nearly indestructible landscape plants. I've also had great luck with the new "Drift" roses which are suitable for smaller gardens. Granted these varieties may lack the charm and fragrance of their fussier counterparts. It's also possible that their recent appearance in strip mall parking lots may eventually consign them to the same category as stella d'oro daylilies. Nevertheless, if one is searching for a low maintenance plant that will provide months of color, they simply can't be bettered. I rely heavily on these varieties in my design work and clients are invariably happy with the results.

 


This spring as an experiment, I decided not to fertilize any of my roses and the lack of additional nutrients hasn't impacted their flowering. Perhaps my soil is already rich enough.

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that even the easiest roses benefit from a good pruning in the spring and dead-heading throughout the summer. Dead-heading encourages repeat bloom and keeps the shrubs looking fresh and healthy. With a few exceptions I make a habit of removing all of the spent flowers in my garden and find it a relaxing pastime. Last week a local cable television show shot an episode on my garden and this week I will shoot another on the correct way to dead-head roses and peonies. I'll keep you posted on show times in case you'd like to tune in.

 

Unfortunately, not everything in my garden is coming up roses. While driving about last year, I noticed that one of my favorite spring blooming shrubs, Kerria Japonica, was looking surprisingly ratty. Smugly I attributed the condition to poor horticultural practices on the part of the home owner. This year, however, the two plants in my garden have succumbed to the same condition. After a bit of research I discovered the cause,which turns out to be a mold, Blumeriella Kerriae. The mold produces brown spots on the leaves, which soon wither and fall. If untreated, eventually, the entire plant may die. I'm still waiting for my arborist to spray my bushes with a fungicide, but the rain has made his work difficult. And of course, the snail onslaught continues unabated, despite the hours I spend collecting and crushing them underfoot.

  

Still, I try to take pleasure in the garden's successes, like the vase of sweet peas and Eden roses pictured above.

Rip Van Winkled

Last week I stepped outside and for a moment I wasn't sure what month it was. As I huddled beneath my umbrella in the rain, the cool, damp air certainly felt like spring, but strangely the garden told a different story. Roses and Alliums blooming in mid-May? Peonies already shedding their petals? As I write this post, I can smell the vase of freshly cut tea roses on my kitchen table yet it isn't even Memorial Day. Perhaps I should re-write an old adage. "Better early than never" seems a more fitting commentary on the state of my garden this year.

After a frighteningly dry start to the growing season, I have welcomed the recent rainfall. While last month I resorted to running my sprinklers in an effort to stave off what seemed like an impending disaster, the truth is that no amount of irrigation can replace a week of steady rain.

The only downside to all the rain is the proliferation of snails that continue to chew their way through my garden. Not to beat a dead horse, but yes the snail infestation continues unabated. In an effort to slow their rampage I purchased three Guinea hens, which promptly flew away, and a group of adorable white ducks. Sadly, along with my two roosters, the ducks fell victim to a marauding predator. I try not to become emotionally attached to my barnyard fowl, but it's a bit demoralizing to be left with nothing but a trail of white feathers.

I've yet to discover what local carnivore feasted on my feathered friends, but it seems to have also dispatched the groundhog that was living in my field, which is at least some small consolation. Given the choice, I guess I'd rather wage war on snails than groundhogs. And so despite my efforts and various home remedies, including a mixture of ammonia and water, the battle continues with no sign of a ceasefire in sight. I've finally resigned myself to spending a good half-hour twice a day plucking snails by hand and crushing them underfoot.

On a brighter note, it seems to be a good year for clematis. The double white variety that I'm training into one of my yew columns is loaded with flowers.

And I must say that despite the snails and the vagaries of the weather the garden is looking lovely...if I do say so myself.

Drive By

As my regular readers may know, I'm not in the habit of photographing my driveway. This year, however, the crabapples, Malus Transitoria Schmidcutleaf, are so beautiful that I couldn't resist. I must confess that their unexpected display is something of a relief. This spring marks the first time since I planted them almost a decade ago that they've bloomed profusely. In fact for the past five years I've considered replacing them with another variety, a daunting prospect given how large they've grown and the expense involved. In the fall they should produce an abundance of small golden berry-sized fruit hence their common name, Golden Raindrops. The flowering tree at the very end of the driveway is not a crabapple. It's an old apple tree that was here when I bought the property. It's fruit, though never pretty, is quite tasty.

Many of the buds on the wisterias that flank the farm pond fell victim to the cold snap that followed the spell of freakishly warm days in March. They should be absolutely covered with flowers, but they're lovely nonetheless. My current mantra when it comes to gardens is "you win some you lose some". It seems that no matter what the weather brings some plants flourish while others flounder.

And this year the dogwoods and (white) redbud in the Blue & White garden are certainly flourishing as are the lilacs. I hoping they'll hold their blossoms another week until the azaleas burst into bloom.

The yellow flowered Kerria Japonica in the Hot Colored garden never fails to put on a stunning display. As it spreads by suckering it can be a bit invasive. The one closest to the checkerboard patio is a division from the original plant that grows at the corner of the house.

I'm sad to say that daffodil season is drawing to a close. It sure was fun while it lasted.

All Bets Are Off!

It seems that rainy spring days are thing of the past. Here in Seekonk, March felt more like July and April, though cooler, has been pitifully dry. In a fit of exasperation I turned on my irrigation this past weekend to dampen the dust devils swirling across my lawn. While most of my friends were happily parading about in shorts last month, I was gripped by anxiety as buds swelled weeks ahead of schedule. Though sun worshipers scoffed at my concern, as I had feared the temperatures plummeted. The leaves on the Actinidia that covers the arbor in the Blue & White garden fell victim to frost as did the nascent buds on the wisteria trees that flank the farm pond.

Despite the peculiar weather the daffodils have proved indomitable. Though not as exceptional as last year's display, the bulbs don't appear to mind the dryness and the recent spate of cool days and cold nights has kept the flowers from fading.

I picked this bouquet yesterday and gave it to a friend's mother as thank you for a batch of delicious Easter cookies.

I'm beginning to regret that I decided not to plant tulips last fall. With a few exceptions most varieties only flower for a couple years in my garden. To guarantee a bountiful display I had been replanting them each year. To remedy the situation I'm already making note of how many to order this coming fall. To ensure that I don't forget where to plant them, I'm marking the ground with popsicle sticks inscribed with a big "T".

I love the reddish tinge of the rose foliage this time of year especially in the hot colored garden, where it compliments the yellow and orange daffodils. Luckily, the delicate leaves seem to be impervious to the cold.

On a completely unrelated note. My first novel, LOST SKY, was recently published and is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. I think garden lovers in particular will find it an enjoyable read, perfect for relaxing in a deck chair or hammock.