As temperatures fall into the thirties tonight, I reflect for a moment on this year as I stroll through the garden, but mostly the gains I anticipate in the year ahead. Yes, the start of the new year is the more common time to look back, but the garden’s near dormancy is around the corner. There will be scattered flowers, berries, and splendid evergreens to enjoy throughout the winter months, so the garden is far from bare until spring, but leaves fall to mark the end of one gardening year. The next begins as witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana, below), then snowdrops and daffodils, flower to announce the new year.

I am quite pleased with the renovation of the overgrown section of garden that was dug out for construction of the sunroom a year ago (above). I excused the overgrown spruce and ferns for too long, and if not for the construction, the upper patio would still be diminished to hardly more than a pathway.

The circular patio now has space for a potted agave and aeoniums (that have recently been lugged to the basement for the winter) and a few containers of colorful begonias. A sturdy stone bench has replaced two rickety wooden chairs, one that was discarded while the other was moved to the lower patio while it continues its slow decay.

The huge globose spruce has not been missed for a moment. Its removal made room for the yellow leafed ‘Moonrise’ Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘Moonrise’, below) that I’d been looking to shoehorn into some space that would be barely appropriate, but now it has adequate room to grow for years. The maple has grown more than expected for a first year tree. Already, Barbara is concerned that it will quickly overgrow the area.

As ‘Moonrise’ spreads its canopy, I expect a few changes will be made to the understory plantings, but the angle of the afternoon sun should permit most to flourish. This is a mishmash of old and new favorites that mostly fill the space in year one. I look forward to year two.

As I think of every year ahead, I anticipate a gap that will be filled, or a tree that needs one more year to look just right, and that’s what happened with several this year. In recent days, a laceleaf Japanese maple that was not the right plant for the place was dug out and potted while I figure a more appropriate permanent location for it. A columnar Chinese dogwood went in its place, and while this will need another few years to be at its best, I can imagine it already.

While the dogwood will improve the appearance, I’ve been steadily planting the weedy drainage swales in the lower rear garden (above). The soil here is excellent, damp, but well drained so that weeds flourish. So, the ground must be covered, and as usual, I have planted to an extreme. But, that won’t be seen until next year when some editing will be necessary. I look forward to it.