Plum Blossoms
Oddly, it snowed early today–big, fluffy flakes of snow. The weight of it even made the tall clump of bamboo slouch over, which is a new thing. Then, the sun came out, the snow quickly melted, and it felt odd…
Category Garden
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Evaluating Sunlight (gardening)
To determine what plants can go where, I performed a sunlight evaluation for all garden zones across the property. On a sunny day, I took photos of each area every hour. I placed those photos in grids to evaluate the…
Washington Park Arboretum (part II)
After gathering ideas from the Winter Garden in Washington Park Arboretum (see Washington Park Arboretum, part I), I explored the rest of the park. I found structural art in a few bare Japanese Maples and a very peaceful reflective pond.…
Washington Park Arboretum (part I)
As I develop my gardens, one of my goals is to enhance their aspect during the cold months. With at least half of the property surrounded by maples, it can get pretty bare and drab. after learning about the winter…
Garden Plans
The previous owners of my property established some very special trees, flowers and shrubs. I’ve enjoyed the profusely blooming blue hydrangea, delicate climbing rose bushes, bright salmon colored azaleas, and various ornamental maples. There are others I have yet to…
Early Buds & Garden Clean-up
New buds are starting to appear around the property. Most of the plants are still dormant, but bright green shoots have come up in the front, tiny leaves are appearing on some of the small trees, and I noticed flower…
Foraging Birds
Can you spot the bird in the photo above? If not, don’t worry, you’re in good company. I noticed sporadic movement on the ground outside my window one afternoon, but couldn’t see what was causing it. It wasn’t like leaves…