Christmas garden

The cold of the season is firmly established, even though there are murmurs of a thaw at the end of the week.  But even if it does get into the 50's in a few days, the plants have been dragged down by the sub-freezing temperatures and biting winds. 

The Winterberry holly, Winter Red, has stepped out of the background of pencil hollies and tall grass with the red fruits that glow from inside with any bit of sunshine.  This is the front bush of two, which fade into the background for most of the year.  But when the labyrinth is its most monochrome and bleak, these bushes grab everyone's attention. 

This is their second year in the garden.  When they were stripped of their berries the first year, it appeared the birds would maintain an upper hand.  But, so far, the berries are still here, playing a role.  Hopefully they will stay long enough for blue birds migrating in the Spring to have a meal.  They will need to fill in for the large holly tree behind the house that did not set many berries in the drought over the summer.

In the future, as these get larger, they will provide Christmas decorations for both us and the church wreath makers.

While the snow has melted away from these lambs ears, they play a different role.  While the color is not vibrant, this soft gray-green with its touchable texture contrasts with the boxwood and holly green. 

Since the zoysia grass turns a soft yellow brown, it becomes a neutral color for the browns and greens of the flower beds.  While many cannot imagine having a brown lawn in the winter, I find it quite satisfying to have such a bold new color against which other things can be planted. 

Finally, there is this little charmer.  I need to look up the invoice from the Plant Delights Nursery to determine its true name, because the only name to be recalled is some kind of unusual foxglove from South America with red flowers.  That is probably all wrong, but once it has been found, all will be revealed.  For now, it is enough to provide a four inch high plant that is holding its own in the snow.  But then, one of the reasons for starting this blog about the labyrinth garden is to keep learning about all of the plants, and practice their names in my growing-older brain.

A Bit of Snow

Now that there are a few inches of snow covering the labyrinth, the pathways are obscured, and the only structure is provided by plants still visible above the snow.

The first picture is taken from the same place as the picture in the previous post.  The sense of flow and pattern that is provided by the lines of the flower beds in the grass has disappeared.  The mixed shrub hedge at the back of the labyrinth is visible, as is the hedge along the road on the right side.  But the rest of the bushes and grasses appear to be randomly scattered around. This shows the need for a good sized evergreen near the entrance of the labyrinth, in the large expanse of snow in the front right corner of the photo. 

From a different angle, also matching a shot from the previous page, some more of the nascent patterns are visible. There is the distinctly curving line of the boxwood, planted in the Spring of 2009, that flow into the herb section.  Even the back boundaries are more clearly marking the edges.  As all of these evergreens grow more together, closing the gaps, they will provide much more structure for the whole garden.

Yet, we do not plan to fill all beds with evergreens or grasses.  That would be too formal, and would crowd out the many perennials that create their own textures and colors during most of the year.  Seeing it this way is both startling and refreshing.  The dominant pattern is eliminated by a very light layer of snow.  .

Finally, here is some "inside snow," the snow village that David creates from pieces he has collected over the years.  The fences are made out of toothpicks when he was sick as a child.  This is a small part of the eight foot long strip that wraps around the corner of the kitchen.  His hope is that it is high enough to be out of the reach of his soon-to-arrive grandson, Sam.  But, there is a tall stool that sits nearby, so we will see!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Stripped to the Bones

It is currently snowing outside, covering the whole yard with a thin layer of cover.  However, I am only speaking in the abstract, since I am nowhere near the garden.  I only know about the snow because of a reliable source.  Maybe I will be able to get some pictures in a few days, if there is any snow left. This is how the labyrinth looked the last time I saw it.

With most of the herbaceous foliage gone, the tree, evergreen shrubs, and tall grasses are visible.  The shape of the labyrinth paths is much more visible.  Working with the photograph, trimming the top of it down to reduce the dominance of the two neighboring yards, white fences and houses, I became aware of the still young, low growth of the mixed hedge at the back edge.  The Pencil Hollies, Chesapeake Hollies, Inkberry Hollies, and False Holly (Osmanthus) have all done well, but it will be a few more years before they create the privacy screen for people walking the labyrinth.  Did you notice that list of hollies?  Hollies grow well in our climate, while seeming to be untouched by the deer of the area.  A few years ago while selecting plants for my parent's house near Cincinnati, I was told deer were eating the hollies!  I hope the local ones never get that craving, or I am in deep trouble!

This is the beginning of the season to examine the garden bones, that permanent structure.  Without the distraction of foliage and flowers, the place, size and relationship of each remaining plant can be considered. Winters past have shown problems of evergreens too close to each other, or the need for something solid to define a space.  Each position creates a different relationship, an ongoing challenge in a garden in which people will see it from all sides.

This picture shows a number of different things.  The now-bare Katsura tree in the center, immediately behind the tall grass on the right side, no longer screens parts of the labyrinth from the house across the road.  Don't get me wrong, our neighbors are nice people and good friends.  But many different trees and shrubs are placed to create a sense of privacy without totally closing out views.  If someone is using the labyrinth for prayer and meditation, they need some sense of separation and isolation.

In the same way, the Inkberry hedge along the road, even while it is only three feet high and not very dense, keeps the road from intruding.  As it matures, it will be pruned to maintain a height of less than six feet, so it stays as a divider but not a solid wall.

Some new evergreens, like the newly planted boxwood hedge, seen in the middle of the second photo as seven green blobs, are still too small to know how they will function.  The intention is for the hedge to separate and enclose that back corner, a contrast to the open and view oriented section in the front of the photo.

A decision already has been made to find and plant a dramatic evergreen in the center of the rounded off bed in the front of the first photo.  There was a dwarf smoke bush in the place of honor, but it did not provide the presence that prime position required, so it was moved in October.  Next spring all of the nurseries will be scrutinized to find something deserving full 360 degree attention!

Rosa Rugosa: Before and After

The Rosa rugosa, which comes from Asia, is one tough personality in the garden.  The variety Sandy was planted on the steep side of the ravine, just beyond the juniper hedge beside the labyrinth.  Twenty or so were purchased from Musser Forests in spring 2003 to stabilize the soil after a landslide.

As the photo shows, the large hips provide spectacular color, even more than the slightly larger pink blossoms.  The hips also last much longer than petals, though sadly do not have an interesting flavor, which some varieties provide.

If only they would stay in that difficult-to-grow-in area.  Over the years, the plants have suckered their way up to the top of the ravine, where there is plenty of water available, and even occasional fertilizer.  They have sent roots through the juniper, growing up and above the hedge.  While it is a very pretty contrast of foliage and puts some dramatic color near eye level, the rose also creates enough shade to start killing off the juniper.  Since the juniper is the only thing holding the soil in that particular place, and the rose will not do nearly as good of a job, the rose must be give away.  Or, more accurately, the gardener must force it to behave!

While the bushes produce hips throughout the year, they reach their peak in the middle of the fall season, when the cool weather slows down their eventual decay to black. The first picture was taken in late November.  It continued blooming and fruiting through light frosts. 

But that all comes to an end when the weather turns seriously cold.  Like this year.

Here is the current condition of that same cluster of hips.  The deep red color is holding its own for now, but the leaves are rapidly declining.  The leaves hang on for several weeks, adding to the decaying effect, and eventually the hips will turn brown then black.  For a few more weeks, it offers some color in what is rapidly becoming a blend of muted browns and dark greens. 

In February, when it is much easier to climb around the ravine, the stand of Rosa rugosa will be scanned for poorly placed shoots that need to be removed including as much root as possible.  Older, thick stalks will be cut to the ground, encouraging new, strong growth from the root.  It is a slow, prickly process, but the results are worth it.