Garden Project

[wtg]

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.

[wtg]

@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.

[wtg]

The dwarf fothergilla cultivar I'd look for is 'Mount Airy'. It's very available at local nurseries.

[Steve Miller]

That fothergilla looks promising for the fall color alone! Striking!

[wtg]

Nice discussion about fothergillas.

https://whatgrowsthere.com/grow/2016/03/17/fothergillas-are-topnotch/

[Steve Miller]

Installed the arbor today.

Very happy with it. Vita did a good job.

[wtg]

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?

[CHAS]

It all looks good. Please keep posting the pictures as it develops.

[Steve Miller]

@wtg

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:

[Steve Miller]

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.

[Steve Miller]

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.

[wtg]

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....

[AdagioM]

How big will those rhodies get?

I love the meditating dog.

[Steve Miller]

They’re supposed to max at 4 ft. after about 10 years. That would put them at the height of the fence.

[Big_Al]

@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

[Steve Miller]

They’re called “PJM Elite”.

[wtg]

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...

[Steve Miller]

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!

[Steve Miller]

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…

[wtg]

I have garden clogs. I'm always wearing socks, so not a prob...