Garden Project
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Closer view showing the garden sprite. It’s a Frank Lloyd Wright design we got when we visited Fallingwater. The originals were designed for Midway Gardens in Chicago, since demolished. There are three versions and I’m thinking about incorporating the other two as well. Only problem is that they’ll have to come in for the winter - freezing destroyed the one I had previously.
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Right side. This is where most of the work took place and where most of the rocks are. It’s also what I see from my usual place at the dining room table.
Tree still leans -still undecided. Benches are new. Bamboo did not like being transplanted and is probably dead.
Purple flowers under pine tree are “balloon flowers”. They’re supposed to be perennial down to -10F or something and if they survive the winter I can see using a lot of them.
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Here’s the part I’m least happy with - center back. The idea was to keep things low to preserve the view of the pond but it looks bare. Needs bushes. I had hoped for rhododendrons but they really don’t like being in full sun. I already have too many hydrangeas. Rose of Sharon might work but the look doesn’t feel right. Roses don’t seem right either. We’ll have to see.
I ordered this arbor and once I install it in front of the gate I’ll work from there to the left.
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Where's the arbor going? Will it frame the gate that is back there?
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Yes. Frames the gate. I have two small iron lanterns that I’ll hang on the posts and light up with connections to the landscape lighting.
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Will put in my "no" vote for Rose of Sharon. On the plus side, they are nice because they're a colorful late season bloomer. But I don't find their shape to be appealing, they don't get good fall color, and they drop their damn seed pods all over the place and you end up with a job to pull all the babies out.
Have you seen any fothergillas? An unassuming but very sweet looking shrub that is early to leaf out, it gets white bottlebrush flowers in spring and can have great fall color. The branches are quite fine and the leaves aren't terribly large. In landscape architecture terms, it has a "fine" to "medium-fine" texture/appearance rather than "coarse" (which is what a lot of hydrangeas are - thick stems, lots of big leaves). I think it might fit in well in your Japanese-inspired style.
https://www.thespruce.com/mt-airy-dwarf-fothergilla-shrubs-2132715
It's one of my top 10 favorite shrubs. It's only failing is that rabbits love to eat it. Sam will have work to do.
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@Steve-Miller said in Garden Project:
Yes. Frames the gate. I have two small iron lanterns that I’ll hang on the posts and light up with connections to the landscape lighting.
That's great. It will give you a tallish focal point in that area without obstructing the view.
By the way, I really like Vita's products. I think I posted the trellis I ordered a month or two ago. And I have some of their raised beds. Really nice people at the company. They forgot to pack the mounting posts for my trellis and they expedited getting me the missing parts. Costco carries some of their items, too, and at a very steep discount. Home Depot can be competitive on Vita pricing, too. That's where I got my trellis. It was like $50 cheaper than buying directly from Vita.
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The dwarf fothergilla cultivar I'd look for is 'Mount Airy'. It's very available at local nurseries.
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That fothergilla looks promising for the fall color alone! Striking!
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Nice discussion about fothergillas.
https://whatgrowsthere.com/grow/2016/03/17/fothergillas-are-topnotch/
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Installed the arbor today.
Very happy with it. Vita did a good job.
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That looks great! I really like the Vita products.
Will you be planting anything to grow up and over it, or is it just hardscaping?
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It all looks good. Please keep posting the pictures as it develops.
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Right now the idea is to leave it as it is. I’m putting two metal lanterns on it and the idea is to have them light up at night, fed from the landscape lighting system. Got a couple of step lights to cannibalize to make that work.
Bought these old spikes to hang them from on EBay:
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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.
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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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I love all your personal touches, especially the meditating dog!
And I actually like that pot a lot.
I’m afraid I’ve become quite obsessed.
Boy, do I ever understand that....
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How big will those rhodies get?
I love the meditating dog.
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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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@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
