It's been an interesting gardening year in many ways. When I finally made the decision to have my shoulder surgery in August, I really was concerned that much of the joy of gardening would dissipate for the remainder of the season. Thanks to my very hard working wife, and help from our son, things remained in good control throughout the remainder of the season. Since I was unable to go about things in my usual manner, I ended up with a lot more time to really consider our involvement in these two acres of gardens, and I started to appreciate them in ways that I never had before. I can say, without hesitation, that my gardening appreciation and understanding has undergone immense growth in these last few months.
I have come to the conclusion that every sincere and dedicated gardener needs a gardening friend who is just as dedicated to gardening as himself. I have many gardening friends and I also enjoy the communication that takes place with many of you via your blogs. However, I do have one gardening friend who is as intensely committed to the hobby as I am and we talk or e-mail about garden issues almost daily. It is these in depth discussions that has really brought me to a new level of appreciation and enjoyment... I can honestly say that hardly a day goes by that I don't get really excited about some aspect of the gardens or something new becoming available in the world of plants.
When I drove into my drive today after returning home from shoulder therapy, the combination of my larger tricolor beech sited in front of my scarlet oak caught my eye. The oak has faded from bright scarlet to a more subtle coloration, and the beech is at its peak color, which by itself, wouldn't be all that impressive... but together they are perfection! I have a friend who hikes in the woods, looking for earth tones with which to decorate her new home... this combo would make an amazing living room in my opinion....
One of you commented the other day that it would be great to see the white background of anticipated snow with some of the acers still in color. How right you were... Ozakazuki hasn't made it all the way to red yet and may lose many of its leaves before it does (22 degrees overnight), but I am content with it as it is today, even if the leaves do drop tomorrow...
The larger fernleaf beech has lost much of its foliage with the weight of the snow, but I just love how the fallen leaves look amongst the hellebores beneath...
My newest addition is the miniature conifer rock garden. It is shown here with a bit of snow and a dusting of pine needles. The tomato cages are in preparation for winter... I use them as a framework for covering each of the little plants with its own burlap sack.
The following is the River's Purple European beech starting to color up nicely... I fully anticipate this tree to eventually be the "Grande Dame" of the gardens...
I was expecting Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' to color in the yellows but it has been moving towards orange with touches of yellow ... I am very pleased with this coppery coloration...
I will close with the cooler tones of my ancient Seagreen Juniper and its berries, many only now turning blue. I hope that each of you has the gift of a close friend with like-minded interests, be they gardening or otherwise... there is so much to share and to learn from one another... until next time, Larry
