For better and worse, the splendid blooms of ‘Magician’ deutzia (Deutzia x hybrida ‘Magicien’, below) are tucked into a hidden, back corner of the lower, rear garden. For a moment I wonder if its glorious blooms would be better placed front and center, but the tall, unruly shrub with long, arching branches is probably best nestled beside the huge Japanese cedars (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan sugi’). In another spot it would require regular pruning to keep an acceptable form, but here it grows unrestrained with more flowers each spring. I visit every day while it’s in bloom.

After flowering, ‘Magician’ and the white flowered ‘Nikko’ (Deutzia gracilis ‘Nikko’) are pleasant enough, good background shrubs though with unremarkable green leaves. Along the path to the rear garden, yellow leaves of ‘Chardonnay Pearls’ (Deutzia gracilis ‘Chardonnay Pearls’, below) remain brilliantly colored through the summer.

Trouble is brewing just outside our kitchen window. The assistant gardener (Barbara, my wife), who once was obsessed but now rarely chops leaves and fronds that cross the margins onto the stone paths, has taken a dislike to the tall, gangly ‘Silver Edge’ rhododendron (below) that is beginning to infringe on her view of the garden. A second ‘Silver Edge’ in the front garden grows more compactly, but this one sprawls in every direction.

Still, I like it, with the variegated foliage standing out against a background of green. After several years of sparse blooms, I applaud its abundant purple flowers this spring. I don’t think I’ll change her mind, but perhaps I’ll prune the tallest branches to drop it out of view from the window and promote more fullness. Maybe next year.