Today, February 28, 2023, we received our FIRST accumulating snow this winter in Connecticut. Once again, mother nature did not let me down with the photo opportunities.
Barn Wood Bird House
Last weekend I visited the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show and purchased a barn wood birdhouse. It gives the garden an instant old-timey feel. I hope to purchase another larger birdhouse for the fence in my backyard. Visit Birdhouse Brokerage for more information.
Last year, I built a platform to put bird seed on and found a sign that says “This is our Happy Place” for it. When I saw the birdhouse at the flower show I immediately knew where to place it. The birdhouse looks great looking out the kitchen window.
Arnold Promise Witch Hazel
My Arnold Promise Witch Hazel is in full bloom. I first noticed flowers on this small tree on February 16. That is ridiculously early because it has been a ridiculously mild winter.
Arnold Promise Witch Hazel isn’t a show-stopper. However, in late February with 5 inches of snow on the ground, there’s not much competition for the best tree in bloom.
The sunnier and warmer the weather the more witch hazel flowers become noticeable. Once the temperature goes above freezing and the sun shines Arnold Promise Witch Hazel looks like a different tree.
Heated Bird Bath in Snow
I like the contrast between the heated birdbath and the pile of snow on the unheated birdbath. A bird bath heater is a great service to the local avian population in addition to possums, raccoons and stray cats as a water source through the winter.
If you heat your bird bath keep in mind the colder the temperature the quicker the water will evaporate. When the temperature is below 20 degrees you can see a mist coming off the water.
America the Beautiful
The boxwood provides a green and white backdrop for the flag. I need to power wash the house this year!
Winter Wonderland
The depth of this picture excites me! Dragon Lady Holly in the foreground on the right, a tongue and groove cedar fence in the middle, and Emerald Green Arborvitae in the background.
Stray Cat in Snow
If you run your eye along the siding you’ll see Phantom watching me from a window well. I started feeding Phantom, and Snowball, last summer.
When we first met Phantom would hide in shadows or be within feet of me without me knowing it. He can be quite stealthy when he wants to be.
When I began feeding Phantom he wouldn’t eat until I was at least 50 feet away. Phantom now rolls on the ground in front of me hoping for pets and lives in our three-season room.
I had a meeting with a prospective client yesterday to discuss a design for the front of their home.
When I drove up their driveway one thought came to my mind.
This the most challenging space I will ever design.
I stepped out of my car looked at the landscape and the ideas started to flow. I couldn’t stop them.
How to hide an outlet in the middle of a landscape?Surround the outlet with impatiens and make the flowers a focal point. I get a lot of compliments on the pretty pink flowers, everyone thinks I planted the flowers there because they look pretty, not to hide the outlet.
Luckily, this landscape reminded me that I have a special set of skills.
This garden started as a square foot garden. Then I found this cool wire arch that fit between the beds perfectly. I added a hummingbird feeder and hummingbird-friendly plants. Every morning the hummingbird feeds and rests by wrapping its little feet around the wire of the arch.
After spending my life consciously, and subconsciously, learning plants, analyzing landscape and learning from my work I’m able to solve problems many cannot.
Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this. Please don’t mulch trees like this.
The truth of the matter is I don’t expect you to solve landscaping problems if you don’t have the time or the interest. That’s what I’m here for.
The number one tip on how to have a nicer lawn is to mow your lawn higher. A lot higher. A second tip is to make sure you have a sharp blade. These two tips will make a greater difference than any chemicals or irrigation system.
Just as a plumber solves problems with plumbing, a lawyer solves problems with the law and my wife solves the problem of where the Cheddar Cheese Sticks are.
I solve the problem of how to design and maintain your landscape.
Today I spotted flowers on a stewartia seedling in the yard. I was beyond ecstatic. I felt the rush only gardeners and adrenaline junkies know.
There was something special about those flowers.
The flowers were flatter,brighter and more delicate than the parent.
A flower on the parent stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia).
The parent Stewartia growing in the front yard. In hindsight, I should have planted it at least another six feet away from the house.
The flower I saw today.
The grouping of stewartia seedlings, the one I saw is in the center of the picture with two flowers.
Big difference!
While we’re taught that all plants of the same genus and species grow X feet tall and X feet wide and have X attributes they don’t. There is always some variation unless plants are grown from cuttings or cloned.
When I laid eyes on the stewartia I planted in front of the house I knew it was destined for my garden. The tree had a distinct upright habit, rare for stewartias, as well as a strong central leader.
Take the time to listen to plants they’ll tell you where they want to grow and what they need to thrive. Forget what you know and listen to the plant.
Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) love dry spots in the shade, like growing through the cracks of a bluestone patio.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) likes soil that is always damp, but not wet, and spreads like wildfire in the right conditions.
Plant begonias or impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) on shady patios in large containers. Old fashioned. Yes. Easy, colorful and bulletproof. Yup!
Pink impatiens hide an outlet while creating a focal point. This explosion of color will last until frost or the deer find them.
I’m a huge fan of tuberous begonias on shady patios. They have colorful flowers all summer.
Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) likes to grow just beyond where the gutter drips. Don’t plant under the gutter, the plants will be smushed by downpours. Columbine goes dormant by the end of summer but you’ll be rewarded next spring.
We don’t treat all people the same. Why should we treat all plants the same?
When you learn that all plants and people are different you’re well on your way in this adventure we call gardening, and life.
While some consider impatiens (Impatienswalleriana) old-fashioned; I consider them reliable, easy to grow and gorgeous.
Impatiens thrive in shady spots.
If you have a shady patio or deck pots of impatiens will brighten the space immediately. Once impatiens start blooming they don’t stop until frost.
I planted impatiens in pots around an outdoor outlet for screening. Eventually, I’ll figure out what to plant there permanently but for now, I’m using them as a filler.
By September these plants will be mounds eighteen inches tall and in need of light pruning to keep the branches from breaking. You won’t be able to see the outlet.
While the image above focuses on the outlet when you step back the outlet disappears. Sometimes we have to see the forest for the trees. The only person that will ever notice that outlet is me.
This picture of the impatiens gives a better feel of what’s going on. In another week my Stewartia pseudocamellia will be in full bloom! You can see the tight blooms to the left of the lamp post.
If you plant impatiens in pots water them daily during the heat of the summer. I water outdoor potted plants daily during the summer anyway.
Impatiens like wet soil and go limp the second they dry out. While you can plant impatiens in the garden I usually put them in pots.
A word of caution, deer love impatiens. If you’ve got deer plant them where the deer don’t roam or suffer the consequences. I have lost a pot of impatiens overnight to those beautiful creatures.
While I admit the salmon contrasts with the bright pink of my petunias I’m ok with that. This bed is half sun and half shade so we’ll see if my sun plants (Petunias) or shade plants (Impatiens) like the garden better.
Don’t overlook impatiens for a shady spot. They’re incredibly easy and reliable plants.
How often do people call and say, “John, I want you to design an adequate landscape for me. It doesn’t matter the plants or materials you use. Make it look adequate.”
The short answer. Never.
When I meet clients I meet people who want to make their home more beautiful.
Clients want interest in all seasons. Clients want low maintenance. Clients want a functional landscape.
People want the best!
Never in my life has someone called and said, “I want an adequate landscape.”
I was watching a video on Myers-Briggs Personality Types today and learned that my type has an artistic side. Well duh! The speaker mentioned INFJ‘s often draw, paint or play an instrument. This left me feeling a bit perplexed.
I’ve never felt a desire to draw or paint. Yes, I took piano lessons for a while but it just wasn’t for me. So how is it that I’m a ‘creative‘?
I don’t see myself as a creative person. It goes back to when I was a child. Being creative was looked at as having some sort of terminal disease. Being an artist was an unacceptable career choice.
Today, yet again, I thought, “Where is your creativity? All you do is spread topsoil, dig holes, and spread mulch. Who can’t do that?”
Luckily, I caught myself before it spiraled out of control.
I don’t think I’ll ever find a way to communicate what I do effectively. There’s more to it than digging and mulching.
Designing, installing and maintaining landscapes is my form of self-expression.
I look at a space and figure out how to make it look best.
I’ve spent a lifetime learning about plants and observing how plants perform in landscapes. I’ll never stop learning.
Bloodroot growing on the edge of a road.
Trillium growing in the forest.
A beautiful stream with boulders flanked by hemlocks.
Part of the design process, for me, is to stare at a space and let my mind wander, almost subconsciously, and see what pops into it. My Myers-Briggs Type’s dominant function is intuition.
Some landscaping practices should be avoided. Below are my top three landscaping pet peeves.
Tags left on Plants
Why would anyone leave plant tags fluttering in the wind? Leaving tags on plants takes a beautiful landscape and makes it look like the side of the highway. Please remove all tags before leaving the job.
I occasionally leave a tag on a new plant, at my house, so I can remember what I planted or learn a plant’s name. However, if you’re bringing a plant to someone’s house either know what it is or keep a list of what you planted.
A great way to practice plant identification is to walk through a newly installed commercial landscape. Guess what the tree or shrub is and check the tag to see if you got it right!
Landscape Fabric
There’s never a reason to install landscape fabric under mulch.
In a few years, the mulch will break down and weeds will grow into the fabric becoming a headache to remove. In ten to fifteen years, when it’s time to redo the landscape, someone will suffer while ripping the fabric out. If you’ve never ripped out landscape fabric I assure you it’s no fun.
There’s never a reason to install landscape fabric under gravel either.
Dirt settles in gravel and creates the perfect seedbed for weeds. Weed roots anchor to landscape fabric under gravel the same as under mulch. It’s more of a hassle than it’s worth.
Volcano Mulching
Trees are not supposed to look like a fountain of lava shooting out of the top of a volcano. If you leave mulch against the base of a tree you’re doing more harm than good.
A properly mulched tree should have, at most, two to three inches of mulch tapering down six inches or more away from the tree.
Please stop the volcano mulching madness.
If you’re new to landscaping please heed the pet peeves on this page so your landscape doesn’t suffer.
I woke early today, I don’t know why, perhaps because of Daylight Savings. Seeing the sunrise inspired me to wander the garden with the Pentax.
The only other flower in bloom this week is Dorothy Wycoff Andromeda (Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wycoff’). It’s early-March with little else going on and Dorothy is covered with red buds. Andromeda is a reliable broadleaf evergreen growing 4 to 6 feet tall, the perfect size for the back of a foundation planting. Andromeda prefers partial shade, full sun can leave her foliage yellow and susceptible to lace bugs.
Gladiator Alliums (Allium ‘Gladiator’) are starting to emerge. I bought these on a whim and LOVE how easy they are to grow. Alliums, in general, are easy and deserve to be on the ‘Hard to Kill’ list.
There are several groupings of poppies around the yard. For such a fragile flower they are a ‘Die-Hard’ plant.
I have a funny story about poppies.
When my wife and I moved into the house twenty years ago there was a red oriental poppy by the front door. The previous owners were going for a period garden to match the age of the house.
My wife loved that red poppy. I didn’t realize how much until it was too late.
One day, I asked one of the crew to weed the gardens and, unfortunately, he didn’t know the poppy was a plant, not a weed. That poppy was my wife’s favorite plant in the yard. I’ve tried to replace it at least three times. I can never find a deep enough red.
My wife shows gratitude for the replacements but I can tell they’re not right in her eye. I’ll keep trying.
I bought a few tree peonies at Cricket Hill Garden in Thomaston, CT years ago. If you’re a fan of tree peonies you should visit Cricket Hill Garden when the peonies are in bloom.
The peonies have lingered since I planted them, yet it’s no fault of Cricket Hill Garden. They grow extremely slowly and only have a few flowers every year. Last year I culled two of them. This peony is surviving but only gives 3-4 flowers for a week each spring. The flowers are absolutely GORGEOUS so the plant keeps its place in the garden.
Last spring I was ‘Gung Ho’ about my square foot garden but as the season progressed enthusiasm waned. I cleaned out the weeds and vegetable plants last fall. I guess I missed the red onions. If onions can grow in the fridge why not the garden in the middle of winter?
Onions are biennials. The first year they get established the second year they flower and set seed. I should have a nice crop of onion flowers soon!
That’s it for this post. I’ve got to go move the clocks forward.
