VARIATIONS ON A PINK THEME

I have to begin with this shrub's Genus, species and cultivar name. Hydrangea serrata 'Preziosa' belies it's name as mysterious and magical just as the variations of pink are that show up on the hundreds of florets that make up the 6" -8" diameter floral umbels.  

I first saw a young plant in bloom at a friend's house while touring her garden.  On request, she kindly rooted a cutting. Four years into growing this beauty on the north east corner of my house it is spectacular. 

Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina the weather this spring hasencouraged unprecedented  growth.  Cool nights coupled with lots of rain has made it feel like the Pacific NW. Landscape plants are catching up with the predictions of mega Poison Ivy leaves. I have never seen such abundant growth with large leaves on many plants growing in my garden in a woodland. 

This Hydrangea has never bloomed so prolifically. Well, maybe because of its youth.  In any case I luckily placed it well for thriving growth and don't you like the pink against the gray house?  The color combo reminds me of a 'Poodle' skirt my sister wore in the 1950's.  HA

STRETCHING THE DEFINITION OF 'CANOPY'

After much of the southern forests were cleared to grow cotton and tobacco many grand houses were constructed with deep porches that provided much needed shade from the relentless summer sun. The porches were oriented to catch the south eastern breezes. 

I am fortunate to live near many of these homes built around the turn of the last century and have been able to experience a lazy midday sitting with the owners who have lovingly taken up the gauntlet of restoring and maintaining the old beauties. 

Notice the dark green shutters on the house as they are repeated in a landscape feature to come. 

I visited this local home all dolled up for the holidays and as I walked around it's porch I reveled  in the charming spaciousness of the floors and ceilings that rambled around the front and sides of the main house. 

I entered at the side where the original porte cochere had been given a floor and gracious side steps up. 

Through the columns facing the road the owner had cleverly repurposed the driveway into a semi-secluded terrace under a pair of mature Hollies and an Eastern Red Cedar. 

The real treat that day was to reveal itself at the other side of the house. 

Backed by an enormous Southern Magnolia was a raised open dining arbor.  

Moving off the main porch and into the open boxed arbor closed in on two sides with the same dark green shutters on the house I was at first enchanted by dreaming of past afternoon teas and intimate evening dinners at the simple but elegant table and chairs. 

Then stepping off the other side of the arbor onto a beautifully crafted pea gravel path I was completely enveloped by the Magnolia. In the dining arbor I felt in control with the human scale structure around me, but within seconds, only two feet away standing on the path, the huge Magnolia took charge. 12' long branches dipped to the ground from the massive trunk reaching out to make It's presence felt. 

The owner had enlisted this magnificent specimen to make a spectacular garden experience. First the arbor had replaced the canopy of the porch and second, the Magnolia had replaced the canopy of the arbor.  What a masterful transition from house to garden it was. 

The owner had enlisted one tree to make a spectacular garden experience. I knew then that even one tree can help you feel like you are in a garden in a woodland. 

MOVING MOSS

The Fall , for me, is the best time to establish a moss garden. As the temperature drops the mists and moisture rise from the ground. Leaves falling cover bare earth spots where you harvest.  Above was the mossy " slippery when wet " state of a stone path. So it was time to clean, restore and harvest the moss for a new moss pathway. Resident toads have found their winter hibernating homes in other places in the garden so I'm hoping they stay burrowed while I scrape and clean the stone surface. 

I have somewhat of a moss farm right in front of my house.  After 4-5 years a 40' long stone path and terrace on the North East side of the house is over 1/2 covered in moss. This will be the fourth harvesting of moss from this area  in the 20 years since the stone walk and terrace were built. 

A trusty spatula easily lifted the moss that was placed in alternate upside down stacks in a flat cart for transporting to its new location. 

Out came the brush broom and a combination of bleach and an enzyme cleaner.  

The sudsy mix looked like a waterfall. It stayed on the surface for an hour. I did this twice while I laid the new moss path. 

I raked away the mulch and debris down to the parent soil where I wanted the path;  watered the heck out of the path to make  a cushy sometimes muddy base.

Then I began placing the moss pieces. Once the path was full of moss I watered again and foot tamped it down. I always love this part. Besides being finished with bending over I feel like a kid again with no cares in the would except sloshing about in a puddle. I was careful not to kick the moss out of place as I sloshed all over it.  

The path looks a little lumpy but the moss will knit into place by springtime. 

WARNING: If you are in a healthy woodland filled with creatures of the night .... Protect the moss with a wire mesh of some type pinned over the moss so the those little brats don't tear it up trying to find bugs and grubs for their midnight snack. 

Three hours later I had a new moss path and a safe and cleaned stone walk. (Somewhat sterile looking, I admit) but, I won't have to wait long for the moss to re-cover the path again. 

What better reason to clean off a stone path than to have company coming to visit. I don't want to take any chances if them slipping and falling.  Isn't that when we get our houses the cleanest? No more ROCKS SLIPPERY WHEN WET!!!

HANDY OUTDOOR STORAGE FOR THE GARDEN

I consider my front porch as an important part of the entrance garden in my woodland. As you can see walking into the front courtyard the broken concrete path curves to the right leading to the front door under the roof elbow and situated to the left of the long narrow cavelike porch that tucks into the house. 

It faces east looking into a verdant woodland scene unlike the ancient caves at Bandelier National Monument that face west to capture the much needed warmth of New Mexico's winter sun. 

But, I digress a bit now to talk about the ongoing need for dry storage in the garden. This is one solution for a 7' X 2' X 4'1/2" cabinet that houses handy tools and seasonal decorations outside. 

Our house did not come with a detached garage, carport or storage building but it did have the 6' wide front porch tucked into the roof line. The depth accommodates a couple of rocking chairs.  At one end there was sort of a dead space between the kitchen window and end wall. 

I decided to build a rustic armoire to fill the space reminding me of a trip ( in my 20's) to New Mexico. I came upon 100 year old doors from a post office and began to build. The doors were made of Oak and the wood had become hard as iron with age, almost petrified ( I saw the Petrified Forest on that trip west, too.) The doors I used had the original hand forged hardware which added great character to the piece. 

All the joining had to be done with pilot holes and screws as the hard aged wood long since denied the penetration of nails. To keep it water tight and somewhat weather tight it was caulked inside with a silicone seal. 

My brother, nephew and I lfinished building and painting this beauty in a weekend. Now all I need is "Help in the Garden". 

FALL MAGIC or Why I love Autumn Gardens in Woodlands

Apart from pushing spider webs out of the way when walking the woodland paths and sweeping them from the house eaves, at this time of year, be on the look out for magical visual gifts in the early morning lit up by the slanting sun. 

I saw this silvery floating disk from my kitchen window as I was washing up the breakfast dishes. 

There it was....a floating alien space ship looking to land in my woods. 

I knew I had to get outside quickly to capture it's glowing placement before the sun rose a little higher in the sky.  I keep my IPhone at the ready. 

Try as I might, I couldn't get a clear image of Mrs. Spider in her leafy shelter resting above the web attached by a single strand of silk. 

15 minutes later the web disappeared in shadow as the sun moved on for the day. 

What better reason to live on the woods than to experience moments like this. 

NON LIVING FEATURES FOCUS A WOODLAND RAMBLE

Whether they are tucked in the foliage or out in the open sculpture is a powerful element of the garden experience. 

Thoughts of India and a long time friend greet me at the end of my driveway each day with the placement of this ornate metal turquoise chair filled with exotic plants. 

For visitors who have a difficult time seeing 'the forest for the trees' I use a fair amount of non living objects or artistic sculptures throughout my gardens that I think are essential for enriching the garden  experience and anchoring each destination. 

Some pieces can be so different, seeming out of place in a woodland. What will deem a sculpture's appropriateness is it's shape, color, size, material and most importantly the story behind why it was chosen and where it is positioned.  In my gardens every  piece reminds me of a another person, place or experience.  I strive to enhance the plants and spaces by careful placement along paths, in garden rooms or as focal points and destinations. Above is a living 'Bottle Tree' whose story origins go back to Africa. Placed at the beginning of a garden path it catches 'The Haints' (any bad spirits) that might try to enter. 

Some pieces allow the subconscious to 'kick in'

This little 6" jazz band sits at the edge of a mossy memorial space. It reminds us of one of our fathers who has passed on and played in a jazz band during a great part of his adult life. 

Whimsical at 6'6" tall, when we come upon this sinuous beauty I am always reminded to tell a story about the geographical history of this property. 

The mermaid is not out of place....she is marking the edge of an ancient lake now about 10 miles west my garden.  Any ideas for a name?

What of this red gazing ball? Edith Eddelman comes to mind as a friend and fantastic plants woman I met when I first started studying landscape design. Edith designed and put in place one of the first long perennial borders in the Southeastern United States modeled after English Designer Gertrude Jekyll's color principals. The border is 18' deep and over 300' long and is a progressive color study as you walk it's length at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh NC. Edith in her whimsical way reintroduced victorian gazing balls to Raleigh over 30 years ago and they are still popular all these years later. 

Gardens over the centuries have been created to remind their owners of how wonderful they felt in a place and the experience they had when they were away from home. It's like that spoon collection or box of post cards that your mom or grandma had to remind them of their collected memories of travels.  I consider this path to be 'sculptural' as the crew that installed it surely were artisans. Using concrete to impart a prehistoric feeling I had in a garden in the Strybing Arboretum in SanFrancisco, CA was a cost effective way to create the effect of very old large stones that draw company to my front door through an experience that I want to share. 

Dado (a copy of a Notre Dame Cathedral gargoyle ) guards the entrance... A friend gave him to us. 

This laughing Buddha was also a gift and sits beside a meditation bench of stacked stone. 

Ceramic sculptures in my garden range from beautiful pots to figurative sculptures. Can you tell that I would love to visit Japan some day? I love the malleable yet durable art of clay and here are a few more pieces created by local artists that I have incorporated in to the gardens. 

A grouping of 'Garden Eyes'  I call "The Artist and Her Admirers' floating above a watery looking cascade of Hosta. 

This guy is listening to the nestlings that have taken up temporary residence in his head!

'Lady in the Bath' crafted by local
sculptress Frances Alvarino sits in an oversized birdbath. 

Above a metal cutout of a curious boy stands on polka dotted septic tank covers.  Below, a twirled  copper snail and recycled rooftop pig sign flesh out a portion of the many items to enjoy. 

'Miss Bumps' marks a slight berm in the gravel driveway. 

Above, to the left, growing through a blanket of Lamium maculatum is Tetrapanax. On the right is an impressive life sized replica of the leaf in cement crafted by Lasting Impressions of Raleigh, NC. If you are able to add a number of meaningful objects along side the connecting paths and garden rooms of your woodlands it can help guests to pause, focus and 'reboot' their brains as they ramble through. Start your own collection of memories soon.