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| The conifer bed on the east side of the birch walk in 2008 |
... one often needs to take a step backwards in order to move two steps forward. Sometimes it is a necessity to 'tear things down a bit' in order to grow. As a student of voice it was necessary to 'unlearn bad habits before I could grow vocally, and I often had to take my own vocal students through that type of growing process. Sometimes we have to unlearn misinformed techniques and bad habits so that we can make real progress.
As I spent years redoing this 1850's cheese factory, I often wondered if a recent destruction could lead to something better... or had I traversed too far down a path that would take me from a situation that was ok, to a disaster that couldn't be salvaged. In the end, I've generally been pleased with my results.
So too with gardening... removal/cutting down/pruning up/ reshaping the borders... these are all processes that need to be tackled before real improvements can be achieved. Frequently in the garden, the original concepts simply outgrow their place and a rethinking of the venture becomes necessary. I am at that spot right now... it will take time to get past changes made this past weekend, but they became necessary since time had compromised my design and the health of my plantings.
Patience is required as there will now be a 'rough' patch before the garden responds to what I've done. It takes a certain amount of courage to jump into a situation with the proverbial 'machete' in hand... not quite knowing what is on the other side of the destruction portion of whatever the latest project may be.
I have mentioned in the past that my landscaping style is a series of projects encompassing a great many years. Destruction often leads to visions that were not apparent at the outset. I've spent the last couple hours outside, just imagining all the exciting changes that this past weekend's garden 'de-construction' may eventually lead to. With chain saws in hand and a tremendous amount of help from our son and my wife, trees were felled and others I'd planned originally to take down, were limbed up. This encompasses my point entirely... one needs to move through a garden change with an eye towards 'what shows itself unexpectedly' In my style of gardening, too much planning is dangerous. Had I jumped into what I had envisioned totally, I would have completely missed some really exciting possibilities.
In fall of 2008, the conifer garden on the east side (see 1st photo) of the birch walk was perfectly as I'd envisioned it... too bad one can't freeze a moment in time. Over the course of the following two years, everything grew (a lot). Problem #1 involved the smaller conifers being shaded out by the larger ones as well as these smaller growing conifer shading out each other. These include one Thuja Sherwood Frost, a wonderful specimen of Picea glauca 'Pendula' now approaching 12' in height with a footprint of about 18", three Picea omorika 'Nana's, and a Pinus sylvestris 'Fastigiata'. In addition to the large Picea pungens 'Moerheim's shading out the intermediate and dwarf conifers (problem #2), they themselves were being shaded out by the Whitespire birches that now displayed a lot of height and leaning.
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| In 2008 the blue spruces were full and beautiful with plenty of air circulation and light |
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| The birch trees were not yet so tall and heavy that they leaned over the spruces |
This brings me to my remarks about making plans... the plan was to remove all except for one of the spruces and also to remove some trunks of the birches with a thought for a new conifer bed of the dwarfs and miniatures that I enjoy so much.
Removal of a 35' trunk of the most southernly birch clump was harrowing to say the least, as there was no way to simply drop it, particularly since a number of Japanese maples live under and in its vicinity. I am still quite limited from my shoulder surgery which made the process even more difficult... we did succeed however with the use of ladders, extension chain saw, pole pruners and rope. This is the only full trunk that needs removal as the other problem ones split into a 'Y' formation... we only need to remove one arm at about 20' above the ground, thus removing the shade concern while allowing a strong leader to grow vertically.
The next step was to remove the spruce trees and here is where a new concept revealed revealed itself. To paraphrase my friend Frog Pond, removing the skirt of a spruce tree is often considered a cardinal sin among plant enthusiasts. Normally I would agree, but sometimes this sort of outrage actually makes sense. After taking the branches up to a height that I could walk beneath, the tops were in good light, and views emerged through the openings that were quite nice. Additionally, I realized that this could be a great hosta and hellebore haven. By removing and redesigning the garden fences, new definition could be created and the bare backs of some of the smaller conifers could be hidden. I also root pruned and watered the smaller conifers that are too close to one another and will move them next spring...all at once I am presented with new possibilities that truly excite me... my advice is don't be afraid of change in the garden and no well thought out design is likely to last forever... even the dwarf conifers can get large if given enough time.
Following are some photos of what I have to work with now... my not quite blank canvas if you will. Try and ignore the flattened hostas and ferns... it was just too dangerous to always be looking down while wielding a chainsaw!
As one approaches the area, I have several Japanese maples planted. I have become very excited about acers during the past few years. This area is particularly protected and a good position for them. I also know that many new cultivars with zone 4 hardiness are presently being tested. My ultimate goal for my gardens involves lots of conifers and acers and I hope to see the day when these newer plants are readily available.
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| Acers Seiryu and Sherwood Flame/ one trunk of birch removed |
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| Looking in the opposite direction/ Sango Kaku can be seen in the distance/ fence to be extended to incorporate the new shaded area |
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| New found space for hostas and hellebores |
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| I can envision a swath of hostas through the open area! |
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| From the opposite side of the blue spruces, the view hasn't changed all that much... the conifers to the right of the variegated pine will need to be moved apart a bit however and the Aesculus was pruned considerably |
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| I've always loved the look of the blues of the spruces in this area which is not totally lost with these changes... by adding fencing that will 'peak' through the smaller conifers, some added foundation will help balance the view |
In closing, I'll include a photo from a different perspective that I think I'm going to be very pleased with once everything is fresh and in its proper place... We pruned a lot off the large white pine that dominates the area where I'm standing for this photo. With its casting less shade, the magnolias should fill out considerably and offer lots of color in season. As I look at these changes I see potential for a fresh new look in the spring.
This was only a portion of this past weekend's 'destruction'... in another area we removed several trees and it has suddenly presented an opportunity to extend the miniature conifer garden added this past summer... more on that later. Next spring will be very busy with all the moving of plants that will be necessary because of the changing light conditions created by our chainsaws this past weekend... above all other aspects of gardening, I love 'redecorating' so I look forward to it all! Take care, Larry
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