The ‘Children’ Were Nestled All Snug In Their Beds….

While Mother Nature continues to flex her authoritative muscle, at least where the weather is concerned, I could not let that stop me from getting my newest additions planted into their new homes. Located in the recently revamped border to the right of the entrance steps, I am hoping for a more simplified planting. After a rather hasty eradication of Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ [to make room for my unplanned for Metasequoia and Larix… talk about impulse shopping!]  the following plants remain: Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Matthaie Broom’ in a standard form, Larix kaempferi ‘Nana’ [Low Graft], Leptodermis oblonga, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis,’ Thelypteris decusiva pinnata, Paeonia mlokosewitschii [directly beneath the red circular object] Gentiana scabra ‘True Blue’ and Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Electric Blue.’ Did I say I wanted a more ‘simplified’ approach? LOL! Those who know the postage stamp size of my property will better understand! Today’s addition of two Gentiana asclepiadea represent the finishing touches. I was thrilled with the size of the bare root specimens that I received – each of the four [What? You can never have ENOUGH true blue flowers in the garden!] are all showing potential for four to five stems per plant, which is a blessed improvement on the single stemmed plant that I have been coddling and coaxing along for the past three years!

 This is what I deplore most about this time of year! I hate seeing the ‘Shaded Walk’ stripped naked of its bounty of foliage and texture. This past year was one of the very best, what with it’s cool and wet Spring that seemed to coax blooms from plants that I had almost given up on! Who can forget the ear-drum piercing scream heard throughout the neighborhood when both Anemonopsis macrophylla and Glaucidium palmatum both bloomed in the same year!

Glaucidium palmatum [upper]

Anemonopsis macrophylla

I fondly remember back to a time when the ‘Shaded Walk’ looks more like this:

I haven’t planted everything out in the garden – there are a few tender hearted ‘kids’ who I am going to overwinter inside so that I can keep a closer eye on them: these include Dysosma versipelle, Arisaema griffithii and Cypripedium formosanum. I am hoping to force them into growth next Spring. For the time being I am sheltering them from our somewhat bone chilling Zone 5 winter winds. Fingers crossed that I have something to brag about next year! In the meantime, all that remains is for me to bring in my garden adornments: the mirror, reflecting bowl, statuary and gazing ball! And I almost forgot: thanks to the fierce, howling winds of the past few nights, the wooden trellis that supports a rather substantial Vitis on the side of the garage came crashing down in the middle of the night! For a year or so now, I have been contemplating its removal, replacing it with Hydrangea petiolaris, which would hopefully clamber along the side of the garage without need of the trellis. There is always next year! And how does your garden fare?