tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post3765461597166077606..comments2024-03-07T10:06:13.620-05:00Comments on View from Federal Twist: Garden Diary: Ugly job, but it must be doneJames Goldenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-48957213490845354522009-03-19T22:37:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:37:00.000-04:00BV,I'm trying to see my empty garden as an aesthet...BV,<BR/>I'm trying to see my empty garden as an aesthetic asset, a blank field with subtle, rough texture that will miraculously change over the next few weeks, part of the natural process that reveals itself in time. (Okay, I'm trying this idea on for size.)James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-89584467960619251212009-03-19T22:28:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:28:00.000-04:00Peter,I'm considering your suggestions. I original...Peter,<BR/>I'm considering your suggestions. I originally planned to have a trapezoid with straight lines, but I think making it with the rough stone I have and limited stone laying skills would be difficult. I'm intrigued by the soil mounds a la Keith Wiley. I had already planned to do some of this in various areas where I want to try bergenias and other plants that otherwise might rot. Thanks for the suggestions. Now I have to decide whether I want a giant flaccid phallus in the garden (thanks for the image).James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-84326230567433196782009-03-19T13:13:00.000-04:002009-03-19T13:13:00.000-04:00Not adding anything new here, just whining about h...Not adding anything new here, just whining about having a perrenial garden that looks so brown and flat come this time of year. Sure, I have trees and shrubs now in place, but they are young, and the exanse between them is desolate. I can't wait until late summer and autumn when it all looks really good again--finally--but then, of course, the snow and cold is not far behind. I think thuja is the right way to go for what you have to work with. I just planted another malus in my clay, with slight amending, so we'll see how that goes.Benjamin Vogthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10661489036836711335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-44157206138724520412009-03-19T10:44:00.000-04:002009-03-19T10:44:00.000-04:00It's not the raised bed I have reservations about,...It's not the raised bed I have reservations about, it's the shape. This is a completely subjective thing perhaps but Amoeba-shaped beds are a serious pet peeve of mine - I find that they more often than not end up looking bit like a phallis, but, you know,ahem, flacid. Maybe this isn't a bad thing. It's up to you. <BR/><BR/>And now that you mention it - do you actually need the stone retaining walls? Maybe a Keith Wiley-esque mound (or three) of earth might help the topiary integrate with the rest of the planting? I hope I'm not being disrespectful here. You're often asking for critical feedback after all...<BR/><BR/>PHPeter Holthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16402931973397922450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-61624323002832588462009-03-17T22:26:00.000-04:002009-03-17T22:26:00.000-04:00Peter,I can't do this without raising it above the...Peter,<BR/>I can't do this without raising it above the muck and mire! Undecided on topiary shapes: balls, cylinders, perhaps an undulating mass of boxwoods grown together and trimmed into continuous wavy hedge (like the boxes in Jacques Wirtz' home garden; I've seen the photographs in several magazines and books). I'll probably wait to see how they look against the garden in full summer before making a final decision.James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-44152361425554003392009-03-17T22:21:00.000-04:002009-03-17T22:21:00.000-04:00Anne,Yes, every fall I plan to plant hundreds of d...Anne,<BR/>Yes, every fall I plan to plant hundreds of daffodils, which can survive my hostile conditions, but never get to that task. Actually, I'm beginning to like the dismal time of year, the blank earth full of roots and tubers, the hidden potential under that dreary surface.James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-7750472006207359372009-03-17T19:21:00.000-04:002009-03-17T19:21:00.000-04:00We've a gray, beaten down landscape on our hands h...We've a gray, beaten down landscape on our hands here as well. But the best days are ahead of us, right? <BR/><BR/>I've never been a fan of the ubiquitous amoeba-shaped raised bed but must admit that my curiousity is peaked. What sort of topiary shapes are you considering? Oudolf-style Bauhaus shapes or something even simpler?<BR/><BR/><BR/>PHPeter Holthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16402931973397922450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-43858781445196949582009-03-17T07:58:00.001-04:002009-03-17T07:58:00.001-04:00The burning is fun. Since the grasses are grouped,...The burning is fun. Since the grasses are grouped, not spread continuously over a wide area, burning is safe and easily controlled. They go up in just a few seconds, sort of like slow fireworks. And it's an appropriate practice for a prairie garden. The heat is intense. I have to cut grasses near trees or shrubs. Last year I almost lost two Viburnum 'Winthur' by trying to burn the giant miscanthus, which is too near them. That one will be hand cut.James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-74527771676788875692009-03-17T07:58:00.000-04:002009-03-17T07:58:00.000-04:00There are good spring flowers/bulbs, of course, bu...There are good spring flowers/bulbs, of course, but it is the season anyway before the garden fills up. Isn't it inevitable that it has an emptiness then at this time of year? Funny that no-one writes - until you - about that characteristic. But then people don't often say interesting things about gardens.<BR/>XXXXX AnneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-39488496309217623042009-03-17T07:20:00.000-04:002009-03-17T07:20:00.000-04:00I am envious of all your space. Do you find the b...I am envious of all your space. Do you find the burning therapeutic? I am glad to see I can leave comments again.Leshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18281256160705697856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-14236935793051610352009-03-17T07:07:00.000-04:002009-03-17T07:07:00.000-04:00Since I've taken to burning most of the grasses, t...Since I've taken to burning most of the grasses, the spring cleanup isn't really a big task. I could easily do it in two days if I didn't have the interruption of a work week. I'm adjusting to the bleak look of spring because, as the plants emerge over the next two months, the change is almost miraculous.James Goldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12718058779971621920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20141337.post-87948190068828388232009-03-17T00:25:00.000-04:002009-03-17T00:25:00.000-04:00This looks like a mammoth task, but exciting! I'm ...This looks like a mammoth task, but exciting! I'm new to your blog - looking forward to following the development of this.Phoenix C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13852678924557075302noreply@blogger.com