Spring Planting, part two
Apr. 13th, 2006 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellyssianOur Forest Farm order arrived yesterday and is now planted - almost entirely foundation backbone stuff. Planted some zebra grass down on the lower bank of the sandmound - I expect to add two or four more clumps over the next few years to screen off the loverly cement septic access from the front porch view. Eventually, of course, the entirety of the sandmound and points immediately south will be transmogrified into a native plant meadow, which will further beautify, obscure, create animal habitat, and provide final processing for the septic system.
For those of you who aren't able to make it to one of our cookouts this year - and I'm trying to come up with an advance schedule of those events - I'll give you a quick walk-around of the foundation: Starting at the driveway, and stepping on to the skipping-stone slates (a real, actual front walk is still in the planning stage,) on the right is the only section of foundation planting ringed by rocks (thus far - more WIP, rocks needed!) A mugo pine is planted in there, and some mint will, no doubt, find its way through the mulch in the next few weeks. On the left is a Leyland cypress, which may outgrow that spot - might need to move it this Fall or late Winter/early Spring. Three mugo pine dot a line on the left, the last one will eventually obscure the septic pipe, and all three will be joined by a mulched border for the future front walk. On the right is the kiwi trellis with the happy couple - girl, then boy - wrapping up around it and each other. Just within the far edge of the trellis is a Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Plumosa Albopicta', which will work with the sea green juniper on the other side of the trellis to hide the septic pipe near the house. Another sea green juniper frames the other side of the entry to the porch. Just beyond that, and still sleeping, is a hosta. A pair of Chinese plum yew - Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Duke Gardens' - will eventually grow into prominent positions in front of the porch, and another hosta will poke out between them. The foundation border curves down the yard, along the banks of Stone Stream, and three stepping stones lead across the mulch and to the other side of the stream. Standing on one of the first two stones, you have a mugo pine to your left and right. Looking downstream, two large hosta flower stalks still stand (must trim those before new growth starts!) and another hosta hides just a little further away. Both sides of the bank are lined with iris, becoming more and more noticeable every day. Further down, as Stone Stream splits, more hosta will appear on the left bank, and the central island leads off with a few iris, then some sweet fern, and a winterberry holly. The far bank has a river birch, and both sides of Stone Stream are lined with more winterberry holly, as the stream curves around the meadow. Okay, sandmound, but meadow sounds better.
Crossing the stream, and then turning to the right towards the house, a Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chabo yadori' and a Thuja occidentalis 'Elegantissima' provide two very interesting looking evergreen contrasts to the mugo pines and yews in front of the porch. The Thuja will also grow taller, and obscure the electrical and utilities from the view on the porch - and, maybe, will eventually host nesting birds. The section between the electrical access and the heat pump is home to an Allegheny Serviceberry - a single, skinny, stretching twig now, it will grow to a multi-trunked small tree, and provide the heat pump with summer shade and winter sun, which helps it run more efficiently. On the other side of the heat pump, an oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' will provide a similar function at a certain scale, backed up by the American fringe tree in the curve of the Stone Stream and a more distant Parrotia persica - not to mention the oaks and the woods beyond that. Between the fringe tree and the corner of the house, a cherry laurel 'Marbled White' will provide some evergreen - or ever-white-splattered-with-green-or-vice-versa structure.
In front of the school room - or dining room, since we're not homeschooling (at the moment) - windows, a firethorn (Pyracantha 'Teton') adds some security, as well as an eventual supply of berries to bring in some birds to watch. A pieris 'Mountain Fire' is planted between the firethorn and access to the dryer vent and water supply, and a slightly larger pieris 'Forest Flame' is left of the water, tucked in the corner. Midway along the deck, a fothergilla will provide some shade to the Darmera peltata that grows at the corner of the deck - next spring, that pair will be matched on the other side of the deck, which is currently only populated by a Y-shaped stick, in memorium to our first efforts at feeding the birds.
The corner of the deck and family room holds the first thing we ever planted - an azalea given to us as a housewarming gift by a friend in Bethlehem - and, considering its nearly four years of planted life (May-June; don't recall exactly,) it is easily the largest of the foundation shrubs, sprawling kiwi vines excluded. Next, under the family room windows, and performing similar functions to the firethorn, is a Mahonia aquifolium, otherwise known as an Oregon grapeholly. A third Japanese pieris, Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver' is to the left, with another oakleaf hydrangea in-between - this one a 'Pee Wee' cultivar. It may get too tight as the pieris and mahonia grow, so I expect it might need relocation in a few years. Off the corner of the family room - mirroring the other back corner - is another cherry laurel, this one 'Otto luyken,' which has more of the traditional green that one associates with something that is evergreen - the 'Flaming Silver' pieris provides the variegated foliage in this area. Along the "garage wall" - which I insist on calling it because it extends beyond the garage doors, but is, in truth, a blank wall for the family room - is a third oakleaf hydrangea, also a 'Snow Queen' like the one near the heat pump. A few bulbs - looks like maybe tulips - are showing foliage; I think Deb planted a few flowers here that were given to Rachel, but I have no idea exactly what they are, other than sprouting, despite all the shade. The iris along Stone Stream were originally here, so there could be some we missed in the move, although the leaves look more curved. Anyway, last, just before we get back to the driveway, is a columnar English yew - Taxus baccata 'Fastigata.'
I'll be taking some pictures, hopefully this weekend, to document the progress - I already have several showing monthly growth of the kiwi and a few of the first round of background plantings from last spring posted on Flickr - hopefully, I'll be able to get these ones done and out there in a few weeks. Of course, it won't be that impressive for another few years - most of these plants are in the 6-8" tall range; the mugos (which don't get *that* much bigger) look like any other pine seedling and haven't even begun spread out, as they will eventually. It's definitely an accomplishment, though - after these guys get a bit more substantial, I'll be able to get some more ferns to supplement the native ones (that hopefully don't mind all the mulch) and possibly some other groundcovers, and at least one part of the landscaping will be done.
Anyway - other than spreading some foxglove seeds throughout the woods - our spring planting is done for this year. Now we just sit back and watch stuff grow.
For those of you who aren't able to make it to one of our cookouts this year - and I'm trying to come up with an advance schedule of those events - I'll give you a quick walk-around of the foundation: Starting at the driveway, and stepping on to the skipping-stone slates (a real, actual front walk is still in the planning stage,) on the right is the only section of foundation planting ringed by rocks (thus far - more WIP, rocks needed!) A mugo pine is planted in there, and some mint will, no doubt, find its way through the mulch in the next few weeks. On the left is a Leyland cypress, which may outgrow that spot - might need to move it this Fall or late Winter/early Spring. Three mugo pine dot a line on the left, the last one will eventually obscure the septic pipe, and all three will be joined by a mulched border for the future front walk. On the right is the kiwi trellis with the happy couple - girl, then boy - wrapping up around it and each other. Just within the far edge of the trellis is a Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Plumosa Albopicta', which will work with the sea green juniper on the other side of the trellis to hide the septic pipe near the house. Another sea green juniper frames the other side of the entry to the porch. Just beyond that, and still sleeping, is a hosta. A pair of Chinese plum yew - Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Duke Gardens' - will eventually grow into prominent positions in front of the porch, and another hosta will poke out between them. The foundation border curves down the yard, along the banks of Stone Stream, and three stepping stones lead across the mulch and to the other side of the stream. Standing on one of the first two stones, you have a mugo pine to your left and right. Looking downstream, two large hosta flower stalks still stand (must trim those before new growth starts!) and another hosta hides just a little further away. Both sides of the bank are lined with iris, becoming more and more noticeable every day. Further down, as Stone Stream splits, more hosta will appear on the left bank, and the central island leads off with a few iris, then some sweet fern, and a winterberry holly. The far bank has a river birch, and both sides of Stone Stream are lined with more winterberry holly, as the stream curves around the meadow. Okay, sandmound, but meadow sounds better.
Crossing the stream, and then turning to the right towards the house, a Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Chabo yadori' and a Thuja occidentalis 'Elegantissima' provide two very interesting looking evergreen contrasts to the mugo pines and yews in front of the porch. The Thuja will also grow taller, and obscure the electrical and utilities from the view on the porch - and, maybe, will eventually host nesting birds. The section between the electrical access and the heat pump is home to an Allegheny Serviceberry - a single, skinny, stretching twig now, it will grow to a multi-trunked small tree, and provide the heat pump with summer shade and winter sun, which helps it run more efficiently. On the other side of the heat pump, an oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' will provide a similar function at a certain scale, backed up by the American fringe tree in the curve of the Stone Stream and a more distant Parrotia persica - not to mention the oaks and the woods beyond that. Between the fringe tree and the corner of the house, a cherry laurel 'Marbled White' will provide some evergreen - or ever-white-splattered-with-green-or-vice-versa structure.
In front of the school room - or dining room, since we're not homeschooling (at the moment) - windows, a firethorn (Pyracantha 'Teton') adds some security, as well as an eventual supply of berries to bring in some birds to watch. A pieris 'Mountain Fire' is planted between the firethorn and access to the dryer vent and water supply, and a slightly larger pieris 'Forest Flame' is left of the water, tucked in the corner. Midway along the deck, a fothergilla will provide some shade to the Darmera peltata that grows at the corner of the deck - next spring, that pair will be matched on the other side of the deck, which is currently only populated by a Y-shaped stick, in memorium to our first efforts at feeding the birds.
The corner of the deck and family room holds the first thing we ever planted - an azalea given to us as a housewarming gift by a friend in Bethlehem - and, considering its nearly four years of planted life (May-June; don't recall exactly,) it is easily the largest of the foundation shrubs, sprawling kiwi vines excluded. Next, under the family room windows, and performing similar functions to the firethorn, is a Mahonia aquifolium, otherwise known as an Oregon grapeholly. A third Japanese pieris, Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver' is to the left, with another oakleaf hydrangea in-between - this one a 'Pee Wee' cultivar. It may get too tight as the pieris and mahonia grow, so I expect it might need relocation in a few years. Off the corner of the family room - mirroring the other back corner - is another cherry laurel, this one 'Otto luyken,' which has more of the traditional green that one associates with something that is evergreen - the 'Flaming Silver' pieris provides the variegated foliage in this area. Along the "garage wall" - which I insist on calling it because it extends beyond the garage doors, but is, in truth, a blank wall for the family room - is a third oakleaf hydrangea, also a 'Snow Queen' like the one near the heat pump. A few bulbs - looks like maybe tulips - are showing foliage; I think Deb planted a few flowers here that were given to Rachel, but I have no idea exactly what they are, other than sprouting, despite all the shade. The iris along Stone Stream were originally here, so there could be some we missed in the move, although the leaves look more curved. Anyway, last, just before we get back to the driveway, is a columnar English yew - Taxus baccata 'Fastigata.'
I'll be taking some pictures, hopefully this weekend, to document the progress - I already have several showing monthly growth of the kiwi and a few of the first round of background plantings from last spring posted on Flickr - hopefully, I'll be able to get these ones done and out there in a few weeks. Of course, it won't be that impressive for another few years - most of these plants are in the 6-8" tall range; the mugos (which don't get *that* much bigger) look like any other pine seedling and haven't even begun spread out, as they will eventually. It's definitely an accomplishment, though - after these guys get a bit more substantial, I'll be able to get some more ferns to supplement the native ones (that hopefully don't mind all the mulch) and possibly some other groundcovers, and at least one part of the landscaping will be done.
Anyway - other than spreading some foxglove seeds throughout the woods - our spring planting is done for this year. Now we just sit back and watch stuff grow.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-13 07:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-14 05:07 am (UTC)I'm aiming for Saturday, but if I wait a bit the azalea will be in bloom which will make for at least one prettier picture. Probably more, as the deciduous folk will leaf out. I plan on getting April-May-June (at least) shots of the kiwi to show its progress, but I don't know if I'll do that for the whole foundation or not.