Visitors often question if I am able to maintain this acre and a quarter garden without outside assistance. Perhaps they note the untidiness and are politely suggesting the necessity.

Unquestionably, there are times when this bursting-at-the-seams garden verges on returning to nature. I prefer plants that collide with neighbors in rambunctious wildness, but there must be a limit. The form of a Japanese maple or a redbud must remain evident and not be too crammed into a green mass.

My role is to ensure that plants remain as individuals and also to provide adequate labor so that weeds do not overwhelm the garden. To date, I’ve been successful, I think, though when our recent two-week vacation coincided with record rainfall, the weediness of the sunny, lower rear garden gave reason for doubt.

The tidying up took more than a few minutes and I’m done. Hours were spent pulling weak-stemmed ground-covering weeds that snapped with the gentlest tug, then following up pulling the stragglers for a few days. I’m certain there will be more.

While the lower rear garden demands the greatest attention, the dozens of trees planted through the largest area ease its maintenance. Considerable work remains to clean up after the tall Bigleaf magnolia was uprooted in a late June storm, but the need for regular maintenance in the shaded areas is minimal.

When the temperatures cool in September, I’ll plant a tree or two to replace the canopy occupied by the magnolia. The garden has changed with the magnolia’s loss, but soon enough it will be filled and back to a somewhat controlled degree of wildness.