Occasionally, I consider eliminating the small area of front lawn. Already, it’s a fraction of the original, and a year ago another section was cut out.

As the huge purple-leafed beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropurpurea’, above) and yellow flowered ‘Elizabeth’ magnolia (Magnolia x ‘Elizabeth’) grow wider and shade deepens, the lawn beneath them continues to fade towards the street. I don’t care a bit about the lawn, and of course I’m always anxious to add plants. The transition from lawn to garden seems inevitable, but it’s still a considerable project that would require additional labor while it’s filling in. So, I’m still thinking. Dangerous, I know.

Meanwhile, I carve out another small piece of  lawn. A few difficult to move boulders are relocated and I wish I had another eight or ten. This part of the front garden gets a half day in the sun, so I’m able to plant several conifers that are difficult to place in the rear garden where there’s little available space that’s not too shaded or damp.

As often happens, the obsession with a single plant started the project. There are two large (over twenty-five feet) Umbrella pines and a third that has just hit ten feet, but I was compelled to find one of the dwarfs (Sciadopitys verticillata ‘Picola’, above). After an hour and twenty minute drive, I happily paid far too much for a beauty a few feet tall. Of course, there’s always something else, this time a skinny ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’ cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’) and a crooked trunk, variegated Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba ‘Sunstream’, below) from the bargain bin.

Much like the rest of the ill kept lawn, the grass to be removed is mostly weeds, in this case a thick cover of crabgrass that continually creeps over into planting areas. In the rear garden, crabgrass is spreading, but fortunately not into the widespread areas where Mazus reptans has been encouraged.

So, less crabgrass and more plants. What a deal, and most importantly, there’s room to add more.