Perhaps the two of them who turned me in after seeing it last July saw something I wasn't ready to admit. There is a beautiful wild garden high on the low spot at the county line.
This declaration in no way means I am done. Decades of refinement lie ahead. I am a gardener.
There are many blooming shrubs now, defined by the fact that they are not encased in a cloak of wretched clinging vines. The native Hydrangea arborescens is free to shine.
Native and introduced self sowing flowers can travel the garden at will.
The native Fire Pink, Silene virginica has settled in. Now I want to see it spread itself about.
The first early daylily has arrived. Hundreds more will follow in the weeks ahead.
One tiny little Kniphofia I bought is now great clumps of many.
Penstemon 'Husker's Red' is still here after moving itself to new locations and losing some of its red.
This is a real garden.
Mixed with the blooming wild things like Whorled Loosestrife, Lysimachia quadrifolia.
And introduced things like a pink Veronica.
More of the alliums I forgot planting are now in bloom.
There is even a deep reddish purple one I wasn't expecting. I did finally discover their origins. The discard bulb rack at Lowes. I found their info in my plant tag bag.
The evicted lily is looking magnificent. I got some discard lily bulbs too. They only have a few tiny buds this year. Hopefully they will get bigger and multiply.
Down by the lake where the wild things bloom.
More natives are being added on a regular basis. Thermopsis villosa, Carolina Lupine is liking the new garden.
Out by the scenic byway a Euphorbia 'I don't know', Miscanthus 'Morning Light' and chicory all set to bloom grow by leaps and bounds. The Lush is back.
Even the vegetable garden is being extra perky in this official first year as a garden. I am suspecting it is mostly about the great dollops of dung I added last fall.
Flowers and bold foliage say garden in the wilderness.
And the exuberant chaos makes it blend in and appear natural.
And when you least expect it things you set loose in the garden show up. I looked and never found any baby Canterbury Bells this spring.
Calycanthus floridus is blooming quite well after getting zapped in the late freeze. I was not expecting that.
Decades of refinement lie ahead. The new Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica I came home with a few weeks ago are even going to bloom. Now live long and multiply.
I am a gardener. I can thank my father for half of that. And very much for this garden, Ku'ulei A'ina, I now call home.
Posts
13 comments:
It is a garden, and a beautiful one, too!
As one of the volunteers who was lucky enough to go on the pre-tour yesterday, I have to say, I envy those that will get to spend time in the gardens. We were rushed through. Although Christopher's amazing pictures capture the essence of Ku'ulei A'ina, they don't capture the entirety. They can't. There are too many jewels that need to be discovered at a more leisurely pace. And the Posh Estate - the photos don't capture even a small piece of it. It is truly awesome. What a fabulous gardener they have.
I knew from the start that you were a gardener. Your gardens look fantastic. Wish I could see them in person.
I shouldn't neglect Bonnie Brae, the woodland garden next door. It is a shade oasis that is mature, cool and peaceful. Truly a delight.
Carol I am feeling now like you may have after you had your designer come in and help with the layout of your garden. Yes, finally I am seeing something good here.
Thanks Paula. We were a bit rushed on the pre-tour, but such is the way it is. You can't even see all of a garden in one leisurely visit anyway. It takes many times over all seasons to know a garden well.
Lola, there was no hiding that I am a gardener. The question was when would I have a garden? June 15th 2014 is when.
What an amazing collection of flora. The budding Spigelia seems to like your location....it's a very smart plant!!
I am in total awe! Absolutely gorgeous and I am only seeing part and not even in 3D. Thank you for sharing.
Congratulations! Especially for working with the site you had even though it didn't fit your original idea of a 'garden'. It looks spectacular. Curse my puppy for preventing my visit this year.
Ku'ulei A'ina ?
Have I missed your post about this name?
Oh, my goodness! This IS a garden and I am even sadder than a few days ago that I won't be on the walk this weekend!
Absolutely gorgeous. A place of plant wonders drawing a visiting gardener through the paths. Congrats. You deserve this wonderful garden as hard as you work on it.
Danna I hope the Spigelia likes it here. It's been on my acquisition list for a couple of years.
Dianne any time you want to drive over the mountain, you can see it in 3D.
Bev once I started eliminating the thugs and finding all the great natives hiding underneath the mess there was no other choice.
Rebecca the garden was named many years ago. Ku'ulei A'ina means My Beloved Land.
Lisa it feels good. After all these years and all the work a garden emerged this spring.
Congratulations on achieving this milestone. It has been a pleasure to watch the evolution.
Chris, you already know, you are a kupuna. Ku`ulei A`ina lives because of you. As you tend it, it gives back much more. As my dentist told me last week: "You need a crown right now." (I told him to tell my wife, but I digress...)- You have most certainly won your crown as Master Gardener Extraordinaire. Put that on your resume, too.
Post a Comment