Garden Project
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I planted three Rhodendron (Rhododendrons?) today. It was bare before (to encourage the view) but that area looks much better now.
They’re PJM Elite, half price at the nursery as they sell off stock to prepare for winter. If they bloom even half this much I’ll be thrilled!
The arbor now features a dragonfly wind chime - Sharon’s favorite motif. It used to hang on the deck at the lake but guests kept taking it down because it made too much noise. It’s far enough from the house that it shouldn’t be a problem.
Sharon also got a meditating dog:
A friend gave me a bamboo plant that died as soon as I planted it. Turns out it wasn’t dead after all. It’s timber bamboo and will probably break the pot but for now it’s fine. I’m not keen on that pot anyway - too busy.
The tree straightening has commenced! (You can see the rope if you look closely)
I’m afraid I’ve become quite obsessed.
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They’re supposed to max at 4 ft. after about 10 years. That would put them at the height of the fence.
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They’re supposed to max at 4 ft. after about 10 years. That would put them at the height of the fence.
@Steve-Miller said in Garden Project:
They’re supposed to max at 4 ft. after about 10 years. That would put them at the height of the fence.
What variety of rhododendron is that? The ones I have growing near my house seem to have no height limit whatsoever.
Big Al
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@Steve-Miller said in Garden Project:
They’re supposed to max at 4 ft. after about 10 years. That would put them at the height of the fence.
What variety of rhododendron is that? The ones I have growing near my house seem to have no height limit whatsoever.
Big Al
They’re called “PJM Elite”.
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Good time of year to pick up bargains. I should pop over to the nursery and see if they have any allium. Perennial, long bloom time, nice foliage, and most importantly to me right now, the rabbits don't eat it. You should see what they've done to my hostas. It's a tragedy...
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Willoway Nursery is about a mile from here. They’re one of the largest ornamental growers in the country. I’ll bet WTG sees their plants - look for “WNI” on the tag. They grow for national brands as well - Knockout, PW, etc.
They’re wholesale only but every September they have a giant sale where they sell off whatever they have too much of, have decided not to grow again, or is a bit “off” in one way or another. It’s a big deal - big crowds, live music, hot dogs, and thousands of plants for sale, all at about 1/3 of retail.
Big fun!
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I’ve set out dedicated garden sandals. No need to put on shoes and socks when I want to go out and fuss with stuff.
I’m good with it…
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Coming in late to some of your updated, @Steve-Miller, everything looks great! I love rhododendrons! When we lived in our rental house in the SE. e had a huge one, and yes, no height limit on that puppy!
Now that we’ve been in our new house for about two months, I can see that the front of it is going to be a challenge. We want to add some plantings, esp bc it’s quite brown and dreary in the winter. But it faces west and the sun is brutal. The plantings that are there now are doing great, but I think most things that would also have green in the winter probably won’t be able to deal with the summer sun…
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Coming in late to some of your updated, @Steve-Miller, everything looks great! I love rhododendrons! When we lived in our rental house in the SE. e had a huge one, and yes, no height limit on that puppy!
Now that we’ve been in our new house for about two months, I can see that the front of it is going to be a challenge. We want to add some plantings, esp bc it’s quite brown and dreary in the winter. But it faces west and the sun is brutal. The plantings that are there now are doing great, but I think most things that would also have green in the winter probably won’t be able to deal with the summer sun…
Evergreens look great in winter and thrive in full sun. Look at Mugo Pine perhaps, or various Taxus.
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Picked up a little weeping lace leaf Japanese Maple yesterday. The lady who works there showed me how to train it to grow taller rather than just weeping.
I found some more Balloon Flowers on closeout and bought all they had. Maybe too many - I’m getting a “resort hotel” vibe. Might move some around.
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What do you think of the bench? Is it too shiny/new?
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Sweet little tree. Japanese maples are very nice.
Is that an oakleaf hydrangea I see in the photo with your new tree?
You have the bug...late summer closeouts are too tempting to pass up, aren't they?
@wtg Yes it is, and it’s coming out as soon as I can find someone who wants it. It’s the only one in the yard, planted by itself as a specimen, and it doesn't look good enough for that.
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The brown-ish leaves make it look like it’s dying. I could prune it to a better shape but it would still have brown leaves.
The little maple is much more pleasing to me.
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The splotchy leaves are not a characteristic of this plant and are a sign of stress, so it may be that it's getting too much sun or not enough water, especially if it's recently planted. Of course I'm a big fan of oakleafs, so I'd suggest giving it another chance, maybe in another location. It may be a case of a good plant in the wrong spot, but you may not have a better spot for it, in which case finding a home for it is the way to go.
Design-wise, it's a coarsely textured plant, so I'm not sure it fits in where it's located, with the multicolor river rocks and the other things that are around it. TBH, I'm not sure the Japanese maple will look good there either, but like any design decision it's very personal.
Sometimes plants need some time to come to their full potential. And I'll add that there is no such thing as a finished garden. By their very nature they are perpetually changing and also unpredictable. A plant that looks great for years may suddenly go south for a year or two. And some that start out as ugly ducklings become swans.
A weeping beech tree that I rescued from the discard pile at a nursery comes to mind. It was the beech equivalent of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, but it took off after I brought it home and planted it in late summer one year. It looked great for a few years, and then the squirrels decimated it when they chewed branches off to make their nest. I went to dig it out to move it but it had a taproot and I knew I would kill it, so I left it where it was. I planted large evergreens next to it and it struggled for years. This year, I took out those evergreens and the beech has come back into it's own.
It's not perfect, it looks a bit ragged around the edges. But it gets lovely fall color and it is perfect in its gnarly imperfections.
We found each other years ago and it has become my friend in my garden. I think it feels at home here. It's a little bit like Raffi in that regard....
