If a verdict must be assessed, I plead guilty to a lack of editing in parts of the garden. Native sporelings of Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis, below) obscure lovely hostas that I am quite certain are seedlings, though my memory is famously unreliable.

The ferns are easily removed, but I am reluctant to disturb a desirable native doing what natives do. In sunnier locations the Sensitive ferns spring above neighbors, but then are damaged by the summer sun. The scorched fronds are a bit too natural, so these are removed.

I am not opposed to editing the garden. Large declining evergreens have been chopped out in recent years, and a week ago I took the hint, almost certainly dropped by my wife, to dig out liriopes (Liriope spicata, above) that had grown between stones to narrow a path. The rambunctious liriopes had begun turning brown, a near impossibility in summer without herbicide intervention. I hope she is satisfied.

I’ve just realized, as I recline in the shade on the circle patio, this morning there are no mowers or other mechanical sounds to drown the sounds of the water gardens, the songs of birds and chirping insects, and the breeze whistling through the tall maples and tulip poplars that overhang the garden. As I enjoy the sounds and seclusion of the rear garden, this seems ample reason to limit editing of the wildness of the garden.