The purple-leafed European beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’) was planted in the front garden soon after our family moved into the house. Good thing, since it grew imperceptibly for years, but today the tree is massive. No matter his plant knowledge, it is difficult for the gardener to imagine the space occupied by a sixty or eighty-foot tall tree after three decades.

Closer to the garden’s southeastern border are two towering magnolias, Bigleaf (Magnolia macrophylla) and ‘Elizabeth’. Both occupy considerable space in the canopy as the garden merges into the forest. ‘Elizabeth’ retains its lower branches in brighter shade while lower limbs of the bigleaf magnolia have been shed over years of increasing shade.

While many features of the garden are happy accidents, the canopy of foliage over the front walk by two ‘Seriyu’ Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Seriyu’, below) was planned, though it took a while. The first planting of dogwoods inside the walk was quickly abandoned with one dogwood moved to the outside of the walk. After thirty-some years, it is in decline. I expect it will be replaced in the next year.

While lower branches of many trees in the garden are kept to slow the pace as the visitor ducks beneath, branches of the ‘Seriyu’ maples were managed to be well above heads. Branches of the maple at the corner of the house extend far over the driveway, meeting halfway across with arching branches of ‘Jane’ magnolia. This is a discouragement to delivery drivers entering the driveway, but only a minor inconvenience since the drive is short in length.

Two Japanese maples were planted along the drive and walk, and two Japanese Umbrella pines (Sciadopitys verticillata) were planted at the front corner of the property and a safe distance from the corner of the house. With trees in place, shrubs and perennials were filled in the shaded spaces with a dwarf bamboo planted below the ‘Seriyu’ at the corner of the house where I imagined heat from the asphalt and root competition could be a problem. Unsurprisingly, the bamboo has thrived, spreading further into the shade than I expected, but creating few issues with only an occasional rhizome spreading under the flagstone walk.

The small, barely maintained front lawn becomes smaller each year as the beech, magnolia, and a ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’) spread. As planting areas expand, I plant a shrub or two, shade and root-tolerant barrenworts (Epimedium), hostas, and a variety of ferns. After thirty-six years, the front and side gardens are still works in progress.