The Woodland Garden

7/10/16

Forested Flood Plain

     On one side of our house is a forested flood plain in which much wildlife passes through, eats, rests, and plays.  We regularly see deer, foxes, squirrels, chipmunks, field mice.  Our property goes several yards into these woods.  Years ago I planted a garden at the edge of these woods which I call the woodland garden.  When we moved back into this house last winter, I was amazed that most of what was planted was still there although neglected and covered with leaves, tree branches and debris.  Here are some photos of what is there.

Hellebores

     Years ago I planted about 10 hellebores, and now there is a large stand of them next to the fence that runs along the side of the yard.  There are some white and some pink-flowered ones, but the white ones far outnumber the pink-flowered ones.

Ligularia "rocket"

     Behind the stand of hellebores are about five Ligularia "rocket" plants.  Their leaves are striking and provide interest, and stalks of yellow flowers rise up to four feet tall in midsummer.  I am anxious to see if they still flower.

Ajuga

     One of the groundcovers that was planted at the edge of the woods was ajuga.  Some of it has spread into the woods.  These were uncovered after removing lots of leaves and debris this spring.

Vinca minor

     Another groundcover that was planted years ago was vinca minor which has pretty blue flowers in the spring.  This was originally planted around a tree and it has spread into the woods.

Lily of the Valley

     A gardening friend gave me some lily of the valley plants years ago, and they have spread around the tree which sits just at the edge of the woods.

Summersweet shrubs

      On the side of the house next to the woods, we have a small amount of yard.  There were bushes here before, but the previous owners took them all out and did not plant anything here.  I planted five Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) bushes.  There are two Summersweet "Hummingbird" bushes near the deck railing which produce white flowers in late summer.  The three shrubs in front are Summersweet "Ruby Spice" which have rosy pink flowers.  The flowers have a wonderful fragrance, hence the name, and in the fall the leaves turn a striking yellow.  They do well in sun to part sun and are generally pest and disease free.

     This will be the last blog for a few weeks as our family is taking a much needed vacation.

    

Back Yard Bushes

7/3/16

Bushes at the back of the house

   
     When we bought back our old house last November we saw that the owners had taken out every bush or foundation planting around the back, front and one side of the house.  They left the rose bushes and perennial garden on one side.  I don't know why they did that unless they did not want to do any yard maintenance, or maybe they liked the minimalist look.  But the house looked pretty bare on the outside.  Anyway that gave me an opportunity to plant some new bushes.  Here are some photos of some interesting new bushes (for me) that were planted.

Boxwood Dee Runk

     There is a boxwood Dee Runk on each side of the basement doors.  This boxwood has dense foliage and a columnar shape.  It can grow to 8 feet but stays only 2 feet wide.

boxwood Winter Gem

     Along the outside of the deck we planted several boxwood Winter Gems.  These have dense evergreen foliage and are among the hardiest of boxwoods.  They are classic hedge plants that grow 4 feet tall and wide.

    

Scalawag Holly

     There are 4 of these Scalawag holly bushes edging the back of the house.  This holly has a dense rounded form and bright, shiny green leaves.  A slow growing holly, it can reach 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Azalea Encore Autumn Princess

     Three of these azaleas are planted around the bay window.  These are encore azaleas that are suppose to bloom spring, summer and fall.  They did bloom in the spring, but I have yet to see any summer blooms.  The Autumn Princess has dark pink, semi-double, ruffled blooms.  These bushes can grow 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Hosta Undulata Albo Marginata

     There are a few hosta plants that I planted years ago that are still here at the back of the house.  At each end of the house there is a Hosta undulata albo marginata.  I am guessing at this variety, because I know very little about hostas.  This hosta seemed to match this name when looking up hostas on the internet.

Hosta Undulata Variegata Univittata

     At the center of the of the back of the house is a hosta Undulata Variegata Univittata, which is another guess of mine from matching it to photos on the internet.

    

Hosta Golden Tiara

     This hosta (also matched from the internet) is on the side of the deck as it wraps around the house.  It has heart-shaped leaves that have light golden edging.  It has just bloomed with a purple flower.

     In my next post I will have photos of what I call the woodland garden that sits at the edge of the forested flood plain next to our property.