Me like the contrast..your curtains of forest type material would hold your garden proper together even if your entire garden were herbaceous for the winter months..just a thought.. a magical mass of plantlife in the warmer months and a total tundra in the colder..
Liisa, thanks for visiting. Glad you like the stonework. It's all native argillite. I encounter it every time I dig a hole.
Phillip, I wish I could keep the pond more visible, and I will remove lots of growth later in the season to do that. The large-leaved plant is a hybrid coltsfoot (Petasites x hybridus). It's extremely invasive so I definitely do not recommend it for most gardens. In my conditions, it doesn't spread rapidly and is easily controlled.
Rob, it does race to the longest day, then remains "airborne," only slowing in September.
William, I really like the bare, tundra garden. Maybe I'll start burning it earlier, before winter. (Of course, it's much safer to burn with a snow cover on the ground.)
James, you wouldn't know this was the same garden...how do you feel when you lose so much, and then gain so much? Your seasons must be peak experiences, visceral, intense...great, ongoing stimulation for anyone with ideas, like getting a blank canvas, and watching your brush-strokes ignite...dramatic, potent...
Faisal, you have such a gift for description! When I try to describe the garden at this stage, I usually resort to analogy. At times, especially at twilight, the garden reminds me of an ocean of sea anemones and other strange life forms swirling in underwater currents.
Not scary at all. rather reassuring. the recovery from winter. and also what would ultimately happen if man left his urban spaces to their own devices. that I find very reassuring :-) Best R
I truly worry about your garden sometimes James..you seem to have all the right things in what looks to be the right places but where oh where are your Standard Roses? I have scoured your photos to no avail..its all very well being a sensitive new age sorta guy but surely you can find in your heart a place for the some Rosa beauty?
talking of which I grow a North America species Rosa Virginiana http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_virginiana and hey one of its common names is 'prairie rose'..I bet Mr Kingsbury ain't got one of those! We grew it from seed from one of your university gardens..I don't doo roses much other than some Rugosa's but this PRAIRIE rose is my favourite..a great thicketer.
Yes, you are right. I have neglected stardard roses. Bad! But I do have one Rosa glauca. Does that count? Oh, and I also have Rosa multiflora, I believe a Japanese invasive introduced here for erosion control. Damned hard thing to get rid of. As ubiquitous as Poison Ivy.
Oh as you may know i have new blog..I deleted my last one as Posterous seems to be problematic for those who wish to comment or so i am informed. http://williammartinswigandiaagardenofthesun.blogspot.com/ Methinks blogs are the present and the future for (in particular) many subjects..the days of the hard copy magazine are dwindling and perhaps that's not such a bad thing..blogs can be oh so very eclectic and printed matter always has to try to reach target audiences..BUT come to think of it the many don't try very hard to appeal to a broader range of tastes. The BBC Gardens Illustrated is a GOOD POINT IN QUESTION. Bless its rarefied soul!
Amazing amount of green power... And I just love the stonework in your previous post. Very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a spectacular change. You can hardly see the pond in the after image. What are the large leaved plants in the lower right?
ReplyDeleteEverything races to the longest day, nearly there.
ReplyDeleteAmazing...I think that's a perfect example of a big reason I love gardening...the drama of life unfolding before your eyes!
ReplyDeleteI'm noticing the same kind of change in my garden... wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMust be all that Miracle Gro.
ReplyDeleteMe like the contrast..your curtains of forest type material would hold your garden proper together even if your entire garden were herbaceous for the winter months..just a thought.. a magical mass of plantlife in the warmer months and a total tundra in the colder..
ReplyDeleteLiisa, thanks for visiting. Glad you like the stonework. It's all native argillite. I encounter it every time I dig a hole.
ReplyDeletePhillip, I wish I could keep the pond more visible, and I will remove lots of growth later in the season to do that. The large-leaved plant is a hybrid coltsfoot (Petasites x hybridus). It's extremely invasive so I definitely do not recommend it for most gardens. In my conditions, it doesn't spread rapidly and is easily controlled.
Rob, it does race to the longest day, then remains "airborne," only slowing in September.
Scott, Carolyn, I suppose it's only natural.
ReplyDeleteLes, your comment reminds me of how much I hate packaged soil sold with Miracle Grow in it. I never use any kind of fertilizer.
ReplyDeleteWilliam, I really like the bare, tundra garden. Maybe I'll start burning it earlier, before winter. (Of course, it's much safer to burn with a snow cover on the ground.)
ReplyDeleteJames, you wouldn't know this was the same garden...how do you feel when you lose so much, and then gain so much? Your seasons must be peak experiences, visceral, intense...great, ongoing stimulation for anyone with ideas, like getting a blank canvas, and watching your brush-strokes ignite...dramatic, potent...
ReplyDeleteFaisal, you have such a gift for description! When I try to describe the garden at this stage, I usually resort to analogy. At times, especially at twilight, the garden reminds me of an ocean of sea anemones and other strange life forms swirling in underwater currents.
ReplyDeleteNot scary at all. rather reassuring. the recovery from winter. and also what would ultimately happen if man left his urban spaces to their own devices. that I find very reassuring :-)
ReplyDeleteBest
R
I truly worry about your garden sometimes James..you seem to have all the right things in what looks to be the right places but where oh where are your Standard Roses? I have scoured your photos to no avail..its all very well being a sensitive new age sorta guy but surely you can find in your heart a place for the some Rosa beauty?
ReplyDeletetalking of which I grow a North America species Rosa Virginiana http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_virginiana
ReplyDeleteand hey one of its common names is 'prairie rose'..I bet Mr Kingsbury ain't got one of those!
We grew it from seed from one of your university gardens..I don't doo roses much other than some Rugosa's but this PRAIRIE rose is my favourite..a great thicketer.
Yes, you are right. I have neglected stardard roses. Bad! But I do have one Rosa glauca. Does that count? Oh, and I also have Rosa multiflora, I believe a Japanese invasive introduced here for erosion control. Damned hard thing to get rid of. As ubiquitous as Poison Ivy.
ReplyDeleteOh as you may know i have new blog..I deleted my last one as Posterous seems to be problematic for those who wish to comment or so i am informed.
ReplyDeletehttp://williammartinswigandiaagardenofthesun.blogspot.com/
Methinks blogs are the present and the future for (in particular) many subjects..the days of the hard copy magazine are dwindling and perhaps that's not such a bad thing..blogs can be oh so very eclectic and printed matter always has to try to reach target audiences..BUT come to think of it the many don't try very hard to appeal to a broader range of tastes. The BBC Gardens Illustrated is a GOOD POINT IN QUESTION. Bless its rarefied soul!