It’s about this time of year when I have a sec to catch my breath and pen my “oops in the garden.” But 2023 has been a very different year, best summed up as the “B & Bs Summer… bunnies and beech leaf disease. One is eating everything in sight and the other is destroying our (and Newport’s) treasured beech trees (a weeping beech in the Feature image above). Not the makings for an uplifting blog.
So I am going to focus on happy images, those views and sights in my gardens that bring me instantaneous joy, and prompting a big smile, the minute I see them I see them. These are all blog worthy and the reasons vary. Some are a wonderful bit of serendipity…
Luscious Japanese painted ferns that happily self-seed whenever, wherever they choose — under the cobblestones in the Orangerie Parterres.
or peeking out from a chartreuse berberis pruned as a “chocolate kiss.”
On that whimsical note, I nominate a boxwood pruned in a shape that no one can guess its identity. I’ve received answers such as a Chinese ginger jar (Hint: it’s inspired by a French house and a French garden). It’s a BRIOCHE!
Others are trees and plants recovering from disease or conditions that were compromising their viability…
The four elegant ‘Hally Jolivette’ cherries (we battled their bad case of scale for years)
and the specimen variegated Zalkova (which recently recieved a gift of more light when a tree went down in the Woodland).
Every time I drive into the back courtyard, my eyes go directly to the rich green rose trellis. When it was erected, after a lot of discussion, it was clear that it added that extra touch of elegance to the Cutting Garden. It was an extravagant touch also, in its kiln-dried red cedar (which, given the price of wood today, would not have been approved).
Isn’t this adorable? For 25 years, the fountain garden’s Versailles boxes have been home to a rotating series of topiaries…but this miniature ginkgo is by far my favorite (‘Merika’).
We loved it so much that we added one to the cluster of clipped holly globes at the side door.
One takes their chances when they choose mercurial plants out of curiosity and passion. This year, the cimicifuga in the Green and White garden is “strutting its stuff”; how welcome it is! The tallest stem exceeds 6′ in height.
The pair of mother ferns in the Green and White garden are super lush… and look at all the babies on their fronds. What’s unique to this fern is that you can snip off each “baby”, secure it in the dirt, and have a seedling in no time (getting them to this mature stage is another matter).
After dealing with boxwood blight we’ve been “trialing” alternative shrub options that prune well! These examples of the Ilex ‘beehive’ get our vote. They grow quickly, and their small leaves make for a tight shrub after pruning.
Continuing on this note of plants used for different purposes than you’d traditionally see…dichondra and creeping Jenny are typically used in pots and containers for their cascading nature. But I love to use them as ground cover adding silver notes as a formal touch between cobblestone stepping stones.
Or chartreuse creeping Jenny mixing in with Lady’s Mantle.
Between this summer’s hot, muggy spells and heavy rains, one would have thought that the Dahlias would have succumbed. Instead, they thrived, blooming to their heart’s content. A sampling for your pleasure and a sight that brings me great joy at this time of year.
Sorry to read you lost some of your beautiful trees. The care you give to your garden is unsurpassed and the results bring happiness to all with whom you share your home. Thank you for letting us in.
Welllll Ellen, the good news is we haven’t lost them yet…but the clock is ticking. And all the care in the world will hopefuly make a big difference, but first the experts need to understand hwo to treat them, which they didn’t know a year ago when we first heard about BLD! xB
You had me with the beech & bench – but the dahlias are beyond beautiful!
Thank you, Tyna, they have been a true bright spot in this summer (althought in early summer the veracious bunnies tried their best to reduce their ranks). xB
Beautiful photography! We have hungry bunnies in our garden too. Any thoughts on how to keep them away?
Hello down there, so good to hear from you. IF I had ANY idea on what to do with bunnies, I could make a fortune!!!
Or at the least I would have included my thoughts in the blog, but I’m absolutely at a loss…as never before.
Their voluminous numbers made them even more difficult to deal with. Good Luck!! xB
We have many of the same planets you do here in Ohio but this year it was our packisandra which has taken all of my husband’s time and energy spraying etc. Unlike you, we didn’t have near enough rain. Love your dahlias! Never tried them.
Well, as Rosanna Rosanna Dana used to say on SNL…”it’s always something.” If it’s not pachysandra it’s the bunnies or the deer or the snails…xB
WOMAN, ONCE AGAIN … YOU’VE DONE IT!
MEMORIES OF MY DAYS IN THE ‘HAMPTONS’ –
…. WHEN STOPPING BY THE ROAD SIDE OF A PRIVATE HOME, A TABLE WITH BUCKETS OF – JUST CUT DAHLIAS … AWAIT YOUR SELECTION (& PURCHASE).
NO ONE IS THERE, JUST A SIGN AS TO WHAT PRICE IS ‘ASKED’.
A STRANGE ‘PRACTICE’ … ‘THE HONOR SYSTEM’ & FOR SOME REASON IT WORKED.
SO THERE YOU R.
MERCY ‘BUCKETS’
The honor system…now there’s a subject for a blog. They survive around here, too, so I guess it’s still a “working sytem.”
Let’s keep our fingers crossed, for that small gesture speaks volumes about our world…and the values we’ve still kept…or lost. xB
The apricot roses always take my breath away as they cling joyously to the green chain in front of that stately Weeping Beech. I will weep for that Beech, too, if the Bunnies and Beech Leaf Disease hurt “Rapunzel, letting down her ‘hair.'”
You are just too clever, Tall R! Of course it helps that you’ve been here more than few tiems to see Parterre in bloom….and I love every minute of both. xxB
What is the green shiny ground cover in front of the Zalkova? I love it.
Re bunnies, a friend told me to put plastic forks that blend in with the soil upside down around your plants. He said they don’t like to step on the sharp tines. I have not tried it yet.
I will say…your garden is gorgeous and I, too, uderstand one has to “go with the flow.” *sigh* franki