I chuckle when a gardener states that today their garden is perfect. I suppose there might be a day in late May, if I was inclined to spend many more hours of maintenance, that this one could come in with a passing grade. A year from now, as I have more free time in retirement, the garden might get a bit closer to this dream, but I don’t value “perfect”. There’s always something to do, weeds to pull or a hole to fill that will make the garden better. I want to be doing something.

Today, there’s much to do, but no rush in summer’s heat. I’ve just finished planting a few Japanese maples and a dwarf Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Miss Grace’), and filled gaps in between with a few perennials. There are still maple seedlings to pull, and by early summer there are plenty of perennials beginning to flop. A few have been braced with supports so they don’t injure a dwarf ginkgo and other neighbors, but I don’t have the number of supports or the inclination to address all the floppers. This is not a bother.

No doubt, this garden will never be manicured (above). There’s a single boxwood (below) that long ago encroached on a path and patio that I decided to trim into a cone rather than dig it out. It’s now about twelve feet tall, and it hasn’t been sheared in several years though it retains the semi-conical look. Little else is pruned or sheared unless a branch strays too far to obstruct a path.

Pendulous branches of a wide spreading European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Pendula’) are elevated in late spring every year or the path to the lower, rear garden would quickly become inaccessible (below). After pruning, under this canopy is the coolest spot in the garden out of the summer sun. I must still dip down a bit to get through, but there are intentionally plenty of other “low bridges” that slow the pace walking through the garden.

Of course, walking the garden is also slowed by the irregular footing, wobbly path stones and changes from cut paving to natural stones that must be traveled with care. Recent visitors noted the lack of continuity in the paths with five small patios, all constructed with different materials. All are natural stone, but none match. Several paths switch from one stone to another midway. Some might be bothered by this. Not me.