I’ve mentally noted, so I must be reminded repeatedly when notes are not written, that the yellow, threadleafed spirea (Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’, below) overhanging the pond by the front walk must be chopped after flowering in late March. No matter how unruly, spring flowering shrubs must not be pruned until soon after the blooms have…

While stomping through the garden this afternoon, a glimpse of yellow was spied through brown stems of what has grown to become a wide spreading clump of toad lilies (Tricyrtis). In winter, I typically stay to the edges of the garden as all noteworthy winter bloomers reside where they are easily seen, but I was…

Unsurprisingly, after three decades in the garden there remains much to learn. While my intent is to shut out the everyday, to escape from overthinking, every peaceful stroll through the garden reveals new information. Some are merely observations to be enjoyed for the moment. Others provoke thought (a dangerous proposition). A tall rhododendron outside the…

Certainly, local gardeners must be thrilled by recent mild temperatures that followed December’s severe chill. I am overjoyed. For several days in December, broadleaf evergreens curled for protection in the cold, and while no damage is apparent in this garden, I repeatedly hear reports of plant losses locally. Somewhat by accident, a handful of tender…

Despite my wife’s pronouncements, I am somewhat disciplined in my plant purchasing habits. With unlimited space and funds this would not be the case, but the limitations of a reasonable budget and the small spaces open in this thirty-four year old garden demand careful consideration prior to each acquisition. If not careful, at least consideration….

How marvelous if complaining made the lull until spring seem shorter (or ever accomplished a thing)? To minimize whining, I must take the winter months a step at a time. First, I await the first blooms of hellebores (Helleborus), then vernal witch hazels (Hamamelis vernalis, below) and so on, with each new bloom an accomplished…

In early January, thoughts frequently turn to spring, and what’s next? A few acquisitions didn’t quite work out nearing the year’s end, so I still have plans to add a variegated, weeping ‘Whitewater’ redbud (below) and the purple leafed ‘Evening Lights’ styrax. An ‘Autumn Moon’ Japanese maple will be tucked into a partially shaded void…

The pleasures of the garden are many, and while the delights of the warmer seasons garner more attention, I also enjoy the brightly colored red and yellow stems of Japanese maples and shrubby dogwoods in the winter months when there is little foliage and fewer flowers.  A number of Japanese maples offer interesting bark, with…

A handful of hellebores are flowering this first week of January (below), with many others expected in a few days though several will not flower until later in February. With recent mild temperatures bees are out and buzzing, searching for fresh blooms. Flowers of mahonias are fading, and while we’re still a few days early…

This garden diary documents the growth of plants over three decades, but also changes that have expanded the garden to cover most of what was once an acre and a quarter of mowed pasture. Additions were made slowly while our two boys (and dogs) required room to run and budgets were more limited, but planting…