LAND DESIGNS UNLIMITED LLC

A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes

Author: John Holden

Winter to Spring: Arnold’s Promise Blooms Brightly

After weeks of below-freezing temperatures, my backyard is lit up like Christmas, seemingly out of nowhere.

Why? My Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold’s Promise’) is blooming.

We’ve had a brutal winter: several weeks below freezing, high winds, and an ice storm.

Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel pulls me out of the winter doldrums yearly.

I took the pictures below on March 18, 2025, in USDA Hardiness Zone 6. My Snow Crocus are just coming into bloom, and the Daffodils are a week or two away from bloom.

You have to see the Witch Hazel flowers up close to appreciate them.

Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel blooms at a time when few other plants are in bloom.

Other plants that bloom in late winter include Snowdrops, Snow Crocus and Lenten Rose.

Furthermore, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel is an understory tree. It prefers to grow in partial shade. The tree will tolerate drought once established.

Also, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel grows as a single-stem tree or multi-stemmed shrub, reaching about 25 feet.

Because it is such a unique tree, Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel often sells out early in the season.

In conclusion, if you like the look of Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel, I suggest you get to the garden center early.

March 20, 2025
Stunning Indian Pink in Shade Garden: A Must-See at Bartlett Arboretum

I visited the Bartlett Arboretum yesterday and was stunned by the Indian Pinks in the native plant shade garden.

This was my first time seeing Spigelia marilandica, also called Pinkroot, and it was a show-stopper.

Indian pink blooms in June.

Indian Pink grows in part to full shade and average to moist soil. I took this picture in deep, dappled shade where the Pinkroot thrives.

How nice to find a plant that thrives in deep shade, is easy to care for, and provides such a nice show.

Pinkroot has a clump-forming habit and spreads by rhizomes.

A view looking down at the leaves of the indian pinks.

Indian pinks bloom from the bottom to the top of the stem and may re-bloom if deadheaded.

The tag at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, CT. Indian Pinks are native to the Southeastern U.S. and grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9.

I will be adding Indian pinks to my garden soon.

June 14, 2024
Jeliff Mill New Canaan CT

I stumbled upon Jeliff Mill in New Canaan, CT, while driving to the Bartlett Arboretum last week.

Moving in closer, focusing on the waterfall.

A side view of the waterfall. Water typically comes over the top of water wheels and falls on the far side.

Water landing at the waterfall’s base, note the ripples as water goes over the falls.

This building is somebody’s home designed to look like a mill house. We’ll let it slide that the water wheel is out of scale.

Very nice!

Because the architect made the building fit the surroundings and the development’s theme; I thought Jeliff Mill was an old mill.

For more information, read this article about the Jeliff Mill Historic District. The old building was removed to make way for the housing development.

A fun picture with yours truly.

Next time you’re in New Canaan, CT, enjoy the view of Jeliff Mill. Please note that the mill and waterfall are private property.

May 24, 2024
Butterbur – Petasites japonicus

Yesterday, I removed a plant from a client’s garden because of concerns over how fast it was spreading. Last year, the plant was about a quarter of its size.

Butterbur spreads from a thick, fleshy root 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. New shoots start about every three feet along the root.

I put all the roots and plants on top of a pile of debris in the woods. If I see the remains starting to grow, I’ll cover it with a tarp to ensure its demise.

I’ve seen Petasites japonicus in a wet, boggy area where it took over.

Thankfully, I’ve never planted it.

Full disclosure: I originally posted this with the title unknown plant. However, thanks to knowledgeable gardeners in the comments below, I learned the plant is called butterbur (Petasites japonicus).

May 21, 2024
First Shade Day 2024

Last Friday, May 10, 2024, I looked out the window and saw well-defined shade on the lawn.

Every spring, there’s a moment when Mother Nature provides the gift of shade.

The first time I noticed, I was driving home from high school. At the bottom of a hill, shade poured across the road on a sunny spring day.

I couldn’t figure out how the leaves on the trees unfurled so quickly.

It seemed impossible.

I am trying a practice called ‘No Mow May‘ this year; hence, my lawn looks like a meadow.

Thank goodness for summer shade.

May 15, 2024
Sugar Maple Seedlings – Mast Year

Last fall, we had a bumper crop of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seeds, leading to a bumper crop of sugar maple seedlings.

I’ve never seen so many sugar maple seedlings in the garden.

Why Are there so many Maple Seedlings in My Yard?

Sugar maples have what are known as ‘Mast Years,’ when they produce a bumper crop of seeds that overwhelm animals that eat the seeds, such as mice and birds. Oak trees also have mast years.

The maple trees literally overwhelm the opposition’s defenses, much like when the troops landed in Normandy.

Here’s a close-up of sugar maple seedlings growing in my gravel drive. The photo covers less than one square foot.

Sugar maple trees flank my home, providing shade from morning and afternoon sun. During the summer, the house rarely sees direct sunlight.

The sugar maple trees are very tall, and there are plenty of them to set seed.

Sugar maple flowers in full bloom in mid-April.

If you’re looking for sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings, I know a guy with a few to spare!

May 13, 2024
Garden Maintenance is a Journey, Not a Destination

I’ve spent the last few days overwhelmed with how far behind I am in my home’s garden maintenance.

Yesterday, I knocked the weeds down with a weed wacker because they were so overgrown.

This morning, I flame-weeded our gravel driveway.

Finally, I hoped to tune up the lawn mower but fell behind in my plans.

The Perfect Day Maintaining Gardens?

I used to think that if I woke early, had a good plan, and worked hard, I could finish my garden maintenance chores in one or two days.

The family and I would barbecue chicken with an Italian glaze while enjoying the immaculately maintained landscape. Fresh-cut flowers adorn a vase at the center of the table.

While I sometimes rise early, I never get as much done as I want.

In summary, I get sidetracked, and tasks often (always) take longer than anticipated.

Weather can also cause delays.

How did I get so far behind?

I stopped weeding my garden in September last year. I’ve been experimenting with flame weeding, and the hose to the torch broke.

I searched the internet for a replacement hose, but nobody had it in stock.

I visited a local propane supplier. The replacement hose cost more than the torch and hose did new.

I lost motivation.

Winter annual weeds, especially chickweed and grassy weeds, overtake my gardens.

Sugar maple seedlings carpet parts of the landscape.

Our Newtown, CT, arborist visited twice last winter and cut the wood to log lengths. I cut the equivalent of three large sugar maples worth of wood.

While cutting the logs, I could have been picking up sticks, cutting back perennials and weeding.

I don’t regret the decision.

It gave me an immense sense of accomplishment.

The Reality of Maintaining Gardens

While many wait for the first warm day to start working in the garden, we should do what we can when we can.

Work at a steady pace and gradually move forward. Enjoy time in the landscape throughout the year, not just in the spring.

That’s how to make great landscapes.

May 1, 2024
Hartlage Wine Calycanthus

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus, Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine,’ is an underused large shrub that ticks all the boxes: gorgeous blooms, long season of bloom and easy to care for.

Where does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub Grow?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus will grow in full sun or shade. However, you’ll get more and larger flowers in full sun.

Calycanthus likes average to slightly moist soil.

How large does Hartlage Wine Calycanthus Grow?

Hartlage Wine Calyucanthus grows 12 feet tall, with new growth extending 3 to 4 feet from the previous year.

Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub is a fast grower; the more sun, the quicker it fills in.

When does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub Bloom?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus blooms four to six weeks, beginning early May in USDA Hardiness Zone 6.

The flowers are three to four inches in diameter and have a crimson-purple color that is gorgeous.

The more sun Hartlage Wine Calycanthus receives, the more it blooms. In deep shade, there are still flowers.

Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub foliage fills in through the season. By October, the leaves fill in dramatically.

The leaves are glossy and grow quite large.

How Do You Prune Hartlage Wine Calycanthus?

Perform heavy pruning immediately after bloom for the best display next year. Hartlage Wine Calycanthus easily recovers from heavy pruning.

Crossing branches and branches that grow away from the shrub should be removed. Then, reduce the overall height of the shrub by one to three feet.

I’ve never had a bad year of bloom, except for reduced bloom and more petite flowers on plants in deep shade.

If you’re planting Hartlage Wine Calycanthus as a naturalizing shrub, pruning isn’t necessary. After 4 to 5 years, the shrub will develop into a thicket 10 to 12 feet tall.

Does Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub have a Fall Color?

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus has a yellow fall color.

My love for Hartlage Wine Calycanthus has only increased since making this video.

Hartlage Wine Calycanthus is a must-have for the gardening enthusiast in USDA Hardiness Zone 6, along with Dwarf Fothergilla and PeeGee Hydrangea.

November 3, 2023
Why You Should Never Play to the Gallery

I recently found this interview by David Bowie. I agree.

When checking boxes, my work is droll and lifeless—my designs are like a pile of boxes left out for recycling.

I work with nature, combining traditional knowledge with intuition, creating unique landscape solutions.

Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being and go a little bit out of your depth.
David Bowie

Rotely mulching gardens or making tidy balls out of shrubs is unacceptable.

If you want more, that’s what I do.

Let’s Dance!

November 2, 2023