In spring, partially submerged boulders bordering the koi pond disappear beneath a dense planting of irises (yellow flag and various Japanese irises, below), sweetflags (Acorus calamus variegatus), and variegated cattails. A wide spreading Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia, below) sprawls at the water’s edge with exceptional vigor and unusually large leaves, with roots cooled by the…

Only a single branch of the Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla, below) hangs low enough for flowers to be seen. Of course, the huge, fragrant flowers were enjoyed nearer eye level for twenty years or more, so my regret is only that visitors will miss leaves that stretch to twenty-three inches and blooms to a foot…

Enough is enough, or possibly too much as my editorial control of the garden too often leans towards keeping everything and chopping out nothing. Currently, sporelings of Japanese Painted and Cinnamon ferns, and seedlings of hostas fill gaps in damp, shaded parts of the garden. I’m overjoyed that plants are growing and propagating contentedly, but…

At long last, the stone block wall that retains the low end of the koi pond has been repaired, with only a single finger smashed in the process of lifting heavy stones while holding back a branch of the wide spreading Acrocona spruce that hid the partially collapsed wall. Ever helpful, my wife suggests that…

Drenching rains now date back twelve continuous months. I vaguely recall a brief dry spell (maybe two weeks) somewhere in there, but instead of exposed soils cracking in the heat of July there was mud through the summer. The number of trees and shrubs lost in the deluges is distressing, and I only hope that…

Certainly, there is no surprise that a garden’s peak would be in the spring, and does it matter if one day or week is better than another? Of course not, but as I stroll the garden, I can’t help it. Today is best, though the same was said a week ago, and this will probably…

I am distressed that a long established Coral bark Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-Kaku’) has been lost in the swampy lower garden (along with two dogwoods and an assortment of shrubs), but this is far from my favorite maple, so the loss is not heartbreaking. Since we’re up seven inches of rainfall for the year…

Three native fringetrees (Chionanthus virginicus, below) are particular favorites, though two have been enveloped by redbuds so that only uppermost branches are seen. Over the years, I’ve not considered the related Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus) because why, when the native is exceptional, and anyway, where could it be fit in? In recent years, there has…

A tall, hybrid ‘Stellar Pink’ dogwood (Cornus ‘Rutgan’) towers above the garden, with only a few branches low enough in this low canopy garden for flowers to be seen. When describing this dogwood to visitors, I habitually refer to it as ‘Stellar’ to limit discussion, since the blooms rarely display any more than a slight…

Perhaps I’m not the first to complain, but I recognize that I spent an inordinate period of early March whining “when will it be spring”. Usually, I answered my whiny self with “shut up and wait, it’ll be here soon enough”, and since mid March there’s hardly been a thing to complain about. Well, there…