Incessant Rains

My covered front porch is a very good thing. I can at least step outside when it is impossible to go outside. The rain has been unending. The contours of the land allow me to gaze upon pretty much the the entire garden becoming from the front porch. I can contemplate things, plot and plan. It's gardening light, the planning processes, the next best thing to being out there pulling weeds.

From the front porch view, high above the garden I can contemplate the bigger picture. The repetition of major plants like the Miscanthus 'Morning Light', yellow Louisiana iris, and variegated Red Twig Dogwood bring flow and coherence to the larger garden. I recently added two rooted cuttings of the Dappled Willow, Salix Integra 'Hakuro Nishiki'. One day they will be nice small trees since I want to train them to that form. Right now they are twigs.

I have quite a bit of white variegation going on. Breaking up the monotonous green of the forest and the Lush before it blooms is another key to making a garden stand out in this setting. Hiding behind the trees is a large group of yellow leaved hosta. These add a strong element of color in the shade and also help break up the ocean of green.

My hosta vision from the front porch is a 100 foot long arc that sweeps from the trees at the top of the garden closest to the driveway, all the way down to these golden hosta near the Creation at the bottom of my little valley. There is some dividing and acquiring of hosta in my future to bring this vision into being.

Having color in the foliage helps when the wild things aren't in bloom and in the shade where the wild things don't bloom as profusely.

I am in the middle of planting a rather extensive woodland garden at the Posh Estate. This involves me going to my favorite local independent nursery and filling my truck with whatever plants I want for the new garden. It's fun. It also has a slight drawback. It seems for every two dozen plants I buy for the Posh Estate I end up buying one for myself.

I have been wanting to add some of the Rudbeckia maxima to the Lush for a couple of years. Today I got two. This fall I will get seeds. Then I will have more.

Last time I was at the nursery I came home with a Lacecap Hydrangea. It was planted on the edge of the Great Lawn. There really is a garden starting to take shape out there now.