Summer Projects - "Staycation"

For the second year in a row we haven't been able to take our "real" vacation to Michigan, so decided if we had to stay home we may as well as spend some time playing in the gardens, hence our "Staycation" aka "Gardening Vacation" :) Rick had been working on the new woodland garden which he started last year (more info and pics on that later). This is an area which is just below the woodland garden and has been a real eyesore for the past couple of years. We had planted trees and shrubs here over the past 5 years and they're finally providing enough shade and it's time to plant! Roughed out some paths which will be a continuation of those created in the woodland garden and made our selection of plants for this area. Here's the before picture...

Well!!! Had another picture ready to load and my computer crashed :( Going to try this again. Realized that I posted the wrong picture above - this is what the entire bed looked like, weeds, pots and all!

We planted trees and shrubs in this area five years ago to create shade and it's been way too long but we're finally ready to plant! Roughed out some paths which will be an extension of the paths leading from the woodland garden, made our selections of plants and all we have to do is dig the holes! Selected Heucheras for the right side of the bed which gets late afternoon sun and Hostas for the shadier area on the left. Planted two varieties of grass along the path at the top of the photo under the tree. We still haven't finished yet but planning to plant Toad Lilies under the tree as well. Some of the Heucheras are small but should fill out nicely by next year and the Hostas were cut back in June before planting so hopefully they'll be full and gorgeous next spring. Spliced two photos together to show the entire area...

Unfortunately we don't have any of those beautiful rocks that Holly and Ruby have had me drooling over, so we've used other "decorations". This piece of driftwood works and hopefully the two types of Ferns will grow up and over it.

Had planned to post more photos, but computer is giving me fits this morning, so I'll be back tomorrow with more!

rcn, that's gorgeous! I love a path that beckons, and the driftwood amongst the ferns adds a perfect natural touch.

What a nice change! Love the winding path, and driftwood. You did a great job on splicing the 2 photo, I had to look hard for the seam,lol. Are you going to add any Jack in the Puplit to your collection?

Debbie, that's so pretty. Is any section of the GW National Forest near you? You can get a permit to allow you to collect rocks for around $20 a year. You do need to let them know exactly where you want to collect - you can select several sites - because they don't own the mineral rights to every spot in the forest.

That's where all the rocks came from for our ponds, including the huge ones.

Hart, over a month ago I emailed them to get a permit to collect rocks - have heard nothing :( Guess I'll have to try to catch them by phone! Other option is the new neighbor who did a ton of excavation over the past two summers. I can see his pile of rocks from my windows but he's from out of town and hasn't been back since April - just waiting for that gate to open so I can mosey on over and ask him if I could "borrow" some of his rocks :) Then of course I still have the rocks from the creek but that's a winter project - too much huffing and puffing in this heat and waiting for the snakes to hibernate! LOL

LG, Rick's included some Jack in the Pulpits in his woodland garden - more pics of that as soon as I get them, although the Jacks he planted are dormant right now!

Going to back up a little - this photo was taken of the bed from a different angle before planting. Shows the intended paths and at the top of the picture the arrow points to the new woodland garden.

Then, this one shows where you cross over the grass and enter the woodland garden. Plants selected and waiting for planting!

This one shows the paths through the woodland garden.

From the other direction, standing in the road looking back through the garden.

Walking down the road, this is the view you see driving by from the other direction. Some of this was planted last year as a start - the plan is for the shrubs and conifers to grow up and provide a screen for privacy. I wish I had a "before" picture of this when Rick first started last year. In 2006 he spent a long time pruning up the Pines, cutting down shrubs and trees which were suffering because of too much shade and then lined all the brush on the bank to keep the weeds down - what a mess! Some of the people driving by in the past year have stopped when he's out there working to tell him how much nicer it looks :)

I've got to try to get some pictures today to show you what the area looks like "after" planting as well as what else we've added in the area. Everything just started coming together and before we knew it, we cleaned up another mess in the adjoining bed and along the edge of the woods and kept planting and we're not done yet!

I'm so jealous! ;) You must be thrilled to see it coming together so beautifully--happy planting!

Everything is looking great Debbie. One of these days I am going to take a short road trip to your neck of the woods and see your place. I will warn you before doing so though.

Thanks for sharing. Oh yeah, about vacations....John said recently that he knows never to go away during July because we would miss too many blooms if we did.

Ruby

Oh how wonderful it all looks! That is coming along beautifully. I love those types of woodland gardens. All your hard work is showing. I too, hope someday to come by and see your gardens

I know at the office here, you have to go there in person to get any permits. They don't do any online or over the phone, not even to renew. That's probably why they haven't replied. And you will have to tell them exactly where you want to collect rocks.

RCN: I always love to hear about your projects -- absolutely beautiful.

Lovely woodland garden. It's very helpful to have the arrows and outlines. It helps me to visualize. Happy planting.

Thank you for all the compliments :) There is still a lot to be done, but it's slowly coming together! I took some pictures yesterday but haven't got them loaded yet - hopefully will have some to share tomorrow. We discovered that a skunk had been busy overnight and had pulled a couple of plants out of the ground while rooting around :( When Rick had just finished the first round of planting we had voles tunneling everywhere - now the skunks!!!

This area is so cool and pleasant to relax in the late afternoon. Only problem is while we're relaxing our minds are busy thinking of what else we can plant! LOL Rick dug another huge hole late in the day to plant a large Wolf Eye Dogwood I had picked up last fall to plant in MY garden! I really had my heart set on it being planted beside the arbor I put up last fall, but decided to give in and let him have it for his garden because it will look much nicer in the spot he's chosen :) And besides, the area I wanted to plant it in is far from being ready - that's this fall's project! We've got more plans for this fall, so we'll have plenty to show everyone WHEN, not IF, you visit :)

RCN, I looked up your tree. What a great tree variegated leaves and with the pretty flowers and berries of the Kousa. That will really brighten up Rick's woodland garden. I saw notes about sun tolerance in the Plant Files. I'm going out to another nursery in the next day or two to look at trees again. I'll be looking for a replacement for that forsythia and some things to add to my rock beds. I gave some plants to a friend and the labor to plant them is part of the gift. So when I get done planting the two of us can visit a nursery near her home. OH Happy Day.

Debbie, Your gardens are lovely and the drive to your house is so dappled, it makes me long for the same. I must ask, how did you know it was a skunk? Some small animal is eating tomatos as they ripen at ground level, and I thought it was a bunny. If it's a skunk, I will stop going out to check at night. Don't want to meet a skunk.

Ric's and your energy level is amazing. Thank you for the inspirations.

Holly, be sure to let us know what you find at the nursery! Pam, hard to describe, but skunks "root" in the mulch or soil and leave a circular spot where they've stuck their noses in to seek grubs or whatever else they're looking for! Some nights they make a mess here :(

These are a few of the pictures I took, it's tough to give you a "feel" for what it looks like, everything's basically green AND small plus the bright morning sun washes out the color. Maybe next time I'll try it later in the day and see if that works better!

This is to the right of the path that enters from our driveway. There's quite a variety here, some Hepaticas and Ginger that we dug from our woods, small ferns, Ceratostigma 'My Love' (gold plant along the front edge), Cimicifuga 'Brunette' and a few other wildflowers planted in the back. This is also where Rick planted the Hart's Tongue Fern that I ordered and surprised him with last month :) This small area is where the voles gave Rick fits several weeks ago - five minutes after he collapsed their tunnels they were back! This is where he attacked the "moving soil" with the pitch fork and punctured the irrigation pipe :( BUT...we think he got it because the tunnels haven't reappeared! The little table in the background is where we've saved a place for a bench. We've borrowed one from another area in the gardens but I think we should look for something a little more special - maybe a birthday or Christmas present for Rick? LOL

As you go up the path, there's an island planted with ferns, etc. This plant, Pollia japonica http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/69479 was planted there 7-8 years ago and although it spread somewhat, it just didn't stand out because nothing else was planted there. Now I love it - it's obviously enjoying all the extra attention (watering, etc) and the bright white flower buds "shine" here :)

Chris, FYI, the little white tag on the left is where some of the Jack in the Pulpits have been planted :) The Pollia breaks dormancy late so hopefully the Jacks will bloom and fade away just as the Pollia is sending up new growth!

This gives you a better idea of the entire 'island'

Then just beyond this island, is Rick's planting of Hostas. There are probably 10-12 different types, 3 of each, and it should be completely covered with foliage next year. This pic was taken from the opposite direction with the fern island at the top.

Jan23, I included the outline of the paths for you :)

This is one plant I love, American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1522/. It tends to get BIG and spread, but if it gets too happy we'll just pluck the seedlings and plant them elsewhere! You can barely see the flowers from this side (taken from the road, growing on the bank)...

But look at all the flowers from the other side! Within a couple of weeks the flowers will turn into deep red berries :)

So beautiful!

Last one for this morning. I had lusted after this plant, the gold form of the American Spikenard - shoot, tried to post a link to Asiatica Nursery but looks like they're no longer selling it? When I first saw it I knew I HAD to have it but it was way too expensive ($35!). Told a friend about it and said I was going to wait until it dropped in price. Long story short, she visited Asiatica last fall, bought one and shipped it to me as a surprise! It was teeny, tiny but I babied it through the winter and "let" Rick have it for his woodland garden :) It's still small but at least it survived and next year it should be gorgeous!

I absolutely love this view
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5403069 I can just imagine driving by and looking up the bank and see this lovely view. Your gardens will be a sight to behold. Especially like the gold American Spikenard.

What a beautiful area! I'd love to walk thru there. Wheres the coleus :-)

jadajoy, good to see you here! Coleus....hmmm, Rick probably wouldn't go for it - he's particular about what is planted there and I'm sure he'd think Coleus doesn't have the right "flavor" :) LOL

Didn't get any more pics yesterday but Rick did get the Wolf Eyes Dogwood http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53337/ planted. Darn him - he pruned it back before I could get a pic! I do have a picture of it from last fall and I'll post it when I get one of it planted in its new home so you can see what it "should" have looked like :(

Love the dogwood. Now you have me thinking of getting one..ummm.

Okay, I'll "tease" you a little more and post the pic from last year :) I picked this one up at a nursery that was having a 50% off sale last October - I think I got it for $35? Normally we don't buy anything in a large container because it's tough digging that big hole...but I've wanted one for a long time and I couldn't resist with this beauty :)

OOOH! Forget the tree, I want that darling baby!

RCN, Didn't get to the nursery, That friend of mine is on her way to the beach. How dare she go without me. LOL
I did have a wonderful day out weeding and mulching the back yard. It's been a little neglected with all the work out front. Everything looks so nice and neat again. I'm babysitting for my daughter up at her house later this afternoon and might get a chance to stop by the large nursery out past her house when I'm done. Going to take my note pad with me.

She looks sweet. What kind is she?

I have to agree that is sure one cute pup. How is she doing these days Debra?

Ruby

It sure is good to hear you had to spend an hour getting burs out of her fur. Of course I mean that she was able to roam around and collect all those burs. :>)