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Oh Dear, I Now Have Deer

The Garden Artist Posted on March 21, 2024 by Mary AhernMarch 22, 2024

I first noticed it in the fall. Something had eaten my hostas. My usual culprits have been the rabbits, but this was well beyond their usual food shopping spree. Perhaps they decided to invite their entire extended family this time. The raccoons ate all the minnows in my new small pond, so they weren’t hungry either. So I decided to install Ring cameras to see who was having a party in my garden while I innocently slept.

And there he was, a huge antlered deer. Oh Dear!
Daytime Deer Spotting

Daytime Deer in my Garden. I don’t know who was more scared, him or me.

The next day, I bought a battery-operated sprayer and researched what would work best to preserve my precious garden. Most of the products not only smelled bad enough to ward off the deer, but they also smelled bad enough to keep me out of the garden as well. I found one brand that also contained some mint, which apparently the deer hate, so that’s the one I settled on. So last fall, after every rainy day, I would head out to spray the perimeter of my garden. This year, I’m upping my game since the buck brought his harem and extended family.

Deer in the Front Garden

In the front garden this deer ate all my hostas in one sitting. I was wondering if he was going to ask for some salad dressing.

I’m having deer fencing installed in the part of the garden where they most frequently gain entrance in the hopes of diverting their attention. This happened to be on the property line with my new neighbor. Using the markings he had in position from his recent surveying, together we agreed on the exact placement of my upcoming fence. I hung screaming yellow Caution tape to define the property line, which sure disturbs the calming woodland aesthetics I’ve been creating for the last 35 years. The next step was the installation of this one section of fencing, knowing full well that it was only the beginning of preserving my garden sanctuary.

Deer Fencing

This is the view from my neighbor’s side of the deer fencing that I had installed on our mutual property line by Fence Solutions. I sure hope the deer notice it.

 


 

Posted in Garden Design, My Garden | Tagged Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden

Trimming Hellebores. My First Gardening Task of the Spring

The Garden Artist Posted on February 24, 2024 by Mary AhernFebruary 25, 2024

That first sunny warm day in February seduces me into my garden to begin my spring gardening tasks before the last snowstorms of winter reappear for a brief visit. It is a happy day for me each year when I reach for my Felco’s, put on my gardening gloves, pick up my rake and head out to reunite with my garden.

February Hellebores ready for trimming. Mary Ahern

Hellebores remain evergreen and provide winter interest in my winter garden.

I always start by trimming the hellebores since the longer I wait the more complicated the job becomes. Those stalwart evergreen leaves that have decorated my garden all winter are by this time raggy, spotted, and brownish. Hiding beneath them are the brand new buds of the Hellebore flowers just waiting to burst through heralding spring. I love uncovering their light-deprived lime green growth and freeing them to bask in the sunshine.

Cutting the old leaves at this very early stage makes it less likely that I’ll damage the new growth. The old stems are long and thick at this time and easy to differentiate between the short almost stemless new growth. On the years that for one reason or another, I wasn’t quick enough to do this early trimming, the job took twice as long as I had to carefully select between the old and new growth leaves. Not easy to do without accidentally cutting off a few buds. Full disclosure: When I do cut or damage a plant in my garden I reflexively find myself apologizing to it out loud…sigh…  

Not to worry about uncovering the hellebores when inevitably another bout of winter arrives since these are very hardy plants in my zone 6 garden. When the weather turns cold again for the next few weeks of winter I enjoy watching spring emerge through the windows in my home. Those hellebores burst through with so much optimism.

Hellebores are best trimmed in the late winter garden. Mary Ahern

After trimming the old leaves, the emerging flowers of the Hellebore are a great glimpse of optimism for the upcoming spring season.

 


 

Posted in Horticultural Info, My Garden, Plants, Video | Tagged Flowers, Garden Projects, Gardening, Horticulture, My Garden, Plant Maintenance, Video, Winter

The Woodland Garden Reveals

The Garden Artist Posted on August 7, 2023 by Mary AhernAugust 7, 2023

My idea of the garden I wanted to create around my new home when I bought it in 1989, was a place to immerse myself, not a garden to be admired while sitting on the deck. I had no particular plan that I imagined. Instead, I let the woodland speak to me.

The Cleaned Up Original Woodland

The autumn woodland minus the weeds, vines, invasives and cracked branches.

The area I was considering was unconstructed. An untouched mix of woodland weeds with prickles and thorns. Vines that entangled my ankles attempting to bring me to my knees. Invasives on the New York State list of plants to avoid was like a who’s who of what I had in my garden. What problems weren’t on the ground were overhead. Cracked & broken tree branches to duck under and avoid in the wind lest they clobber me on their hasty descent. Generally speaking a dense unloved mess.

But I persevered. I am not just a gardener but I am also an artist who sees things that others don’t. I was determined to rescue this plot of land. To provide it with dignity.

Over time and with changes of season I took to walking around and through the woods, enjoying the shade, and the various greens and textures that a woodland presents. The sights are more subtle in the woods. No sunshine that makes you squint to limit your vision. No brilliant expanses of color to draw your eye.

You notice instead the hint of a breeze dancing through the nodding leaves. A patch of mild transient sunshine peering through the dappled shade. I began to hear what the woods were saying to me. To feel what it was saying. I learned what to treasure, what was real and meant to be, and what didn’t belong.

A gardener, decades before me, carefully planted hemlocks surrounding the outer fringes of the property. These were now stately trees forty or so feet tall. These added an aged presence to the scene and provided a strong sense of enclosure.

In researching what was native to the area I found that the Mountain Laurels which grew throughout the garden were here before any of our houses appeared. I focused on preserving them. These native Kalmia latifolia were under stress due to the many years of drought they were experiencing. I was determined to honor them and work toward their preservation.

My strolls through these thickets helped me pinpoint the laurels and I began walking around them to see the best way to showcase them. I decided that they would be the center of individual beds and that I could connect various beds with paths and allow me to admire these architecturally diverse shrubs from all angles.

Growing in the woods surrounding and into the Laurels was a mix of ivy and poison ivy. These had to go. Over time I began to remove the ivy but most of the poison ivy removal I left to the pros. It was a few years before that initial episode was mostly behind me but to state a fact, it is due diligence that keeps these plants from overtaking the woods yet again.

As the paths began to appear I decided that the springy feel of the natural woodland ground brought a comforting physical experience right up through the soles of my shoes into my body. I was determined to use wood chips to maintain that back-to-nature harmonious and quiet experience. I continue this even now. About every 5 years the wood chips have converted to compost and are scooped into the garden beds. New wood chips are delivered in huge piles and the process begins again.

Delineating the paths I had a simple solution. With each shovel I put in the ground I removed yet another river rock. The street along one side of my garden is named Stony Hollow Road for a reason and to this day, over 30 years later, I am still removing rocks from their hiding places under the ground.

Another decision I made was to avoid dead ends. Life isn’t about dead ends, it is about transitions and journeys. Each path I created offers a choice of direction. I call it the road less traveled concept. This enabled me to have a different stroll each time I walked around the garden. New sights to see, new thoughts to contemplate, new experiences with each journey.

These woodland paths have gifted me with decades of intimate and satisfying connections with nature. The feel of the ground beneath my feet. The changing light of the day. The turning of the seasons. The gifts of growth and the sadness of loss as the garden goes through its life cycles. I too share these cycles. As do we all.

All  the River Rocks I used in edging are dug from this garden. Untold mountains of wood chips have made their way onto the woodland paths over the years. Some of my artwork, printed on aluminum,  hangs in the woodland near the plants that have inspired the original paintings. All the paths have focal points to encourage wandering. Knowing what to plant in the shade is imperative to success. There are no dead ends in these woodland paths. There are always decisions to make at the junctions. I collect round things and have painting them for years. My woodland entrance invites with a walk-through round thing.
Posted in Garden Artist, Garden Design, My Garden | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden, Trees, Woody Plants

Overwintering My Summer Tropical Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on June 21, 2023 by Mary AhernJune 21, 2023

I garden all year round. Three-quarters of the year I garden outside but for a few months in the winter, from late fall to early spring, I garden indoors.

In what used to be my darkroom, I now have LED grow lights so I can overwinter my tropicals & grow cuttings from my summer garden. I use timers to turn the lights on and off to match the daylight hours outdoors since some plants are daylight and some are temperature driven.

March 8, 2023 Plant Room

March 8, 2023 My former darkroom which now is my plant room with LED lighting on timers for overwintering my tropicals.

It was an easy retooling of the darkroom since I already had a sink and water in the room with counter space and cabinets. The room isn’t heated so I believe it was originally a root cellar when the house was built in 1942. That it doesn’t freeze and stays cool allows for a reduction in disease & pests when the room is too warm. The year that I changed from fluorescent lighting to LED’s was transformational in that the room stayed cooler which reduced the incidence of scale, mites, aphids and fungus.

April 13, 2023 Empty Deck

April 13, 2023 The deck area awaiting its transformation.

Beginning in March I pot up all my elephant ears to give them a head start for outdoor planting once the weather reaches 50 degrees. Slowly I bring some of the pots out of the plant room to help them adjust to natural lighting. 

By April I have brought all my large containers out of the garage and refreshed the soil to make them ready for planting. In May, depending on the plant, I begin to fill the deck containers with the overwintered plants, grooming them where necessary. There is not much all-day direct sun in that area of the deck but as a precaution, I do not put the newly planted contributions into the sun immediately, instead, I gradually introduce them to the new lighting.

2023-05-08-empty-containers-IMG_7584-15x72

Mary 8, 2023 Some of the containers that are stored in the garage over the winter.

All my largest containers are on wheeled bases so I can easily redesign the display as the season progresses. The growth of the grouping is astonishing as the season progresses which I often don’t realize except when I review my garden photos looking for inspiration for my studio.

Sitting outside looking at this summer display while having my afternoon coffee break gives me time to think about how lucky I am to be in my garden all year round. Whether in the summer knee deep in flowers, in my winter plant room inhaling the smell of the soil and plantings, or in my studio painting the inspiration these flowers share with me.

June 6, 2023 Deck Plantings

June 6, 2023 The early summer scene of the tropicals ready for their summer vacation.

 


 

Posted in Garden Design, Horticultural Info, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Container Plants, Flowers, Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden, Plant Maintenance, Winter

Sharing My Garden In Support of the Huntington Historical Society

The Garden Artist Posted on June 10, 2021 by Mary AhernMay 13, 2023

June 6th is one of the many days I think of my Uncle Teddy, the man who introduced me to gardening at the tender age of 6. Because of him, I began my long journey into gardening. I’ve written about him in previous posts.

This year on June 6th, I opened my garden to benefit the Huntington Historical Society. It was so fitting that it fell on Uncle Teddy’s birthday since, in the garden, he and I are entwined together. For five hours straight I taught, explained, identified plants, offered historical references, shared my knowledge, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Between 200-250 people came to enjoy my creation.

June 6, 2021 Garden Tour Welcome

June 6, 2021, Huntington Historical Society Garden Tour – Welcoming the Docents

Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Artist, Garden Design, Musings, My Garden | Tagged Being an Artist, Creativity, Design, Garden Artist, Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, Gardening, Musings, My Art, My Garden

Bringing The Garden Indoors

The Garden Artist Posted on October 5, 2020 by Mary AhernMay 13, 2023

Every year I’m faced with decisions about where to spend my energy. Each year that decision shifts as my available time, available focus, and available interest fluctuates. Those issues don’t present themselves in linear time. There is no steady march towards some undetermined goal. No inevitable trudge towards downsizing.

Now I’m facing another decision point, one that I face each fall. I ask myself if it’s worth it to continue my seasonal shifts of bringing the garden indoors and outdoors again next spring. Do I let nature make the decision and just buy all new plants when the season begins again? And if I do decide to harvest, what will I bring in, where will I put it, is it worth the effort this particular plant will present me with, and what is the value of each choice given my limited space?

Some Plants in my Deck Garden

These are some of the deck plants. There are also 8 window boxes on the railings, 3 large box planters & other assorted containers around the corner from these. What was I thinking!

Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Stories, My Garden | Tagged Container Plants, Garden Projects, Gardening, House Plants, Musings, My Garden, Plant Maintenance, Winter

Living With Scars

The Garden Artist Posted on September 6, 2020 by Mary AhernMay 13, 2023

In my garden I have hundreds of shrubs and trees. I’ve designed woodland walks that encourage immersion in the garden as you journey along the different paths. Each time I walk the garden I meander a different trail to observe the small and big changes that occurred since my last visit. Sometimes it’s a new tiny shoot emerging from the soil just seeing daylight. Sometimes there is a plant weakening and a slipping into senescence. But each time the garden tells me its stories.

Twenty years ago when I was designing this garden I hired a company to help carve the terrain. Soil was to be dumped behind the row of trees along the edge of the property to make a berm, thus creating a buffer to the street and more privacy in the woods. The driver of the bobcat had the sensibility of a construction worker rather than a gardener. There was a carelessness to his treatment of the trees. He didn’t respect their majesty. At one point he drove his bobcat forcefully into the trunk of one of these, he didn’t blink, he didn’t stop, he just backed up and kept going, Concerned only with his job at hand.

Living With Scars-A Tale of Resilience

This hemlock trunk has been healing for over 20 years now.

 
I walked to the tree truck and gently covered the gouged bark with the palm of my hand. I spoke to it as I often do while amongst the plants. Over the roar of the machine, I softly apologized and told the tree I was so sorry. I felt its hurt personally. It felt natural to me to nurture that injury as I’d cared for the scrapes and cuts on the bodies of my young sons.

Continue reading →

Posted in Garden Stories, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Garden Projects, Musings, My Garden, Trees

Garden Tours Offer Distraction From Virus – The Observer by David Ambro

The Garden Artist Posted on April 24, 2020 by Mary AhernMay 13, 2023

I was delighted to open my local paper, The Observer, and right there on Page 3 upper right was a big and generous article about my Virtual Garden Tour Video. David Ambro the Publisher, outdid himself by putting into words the far-flung conversation we had of how people are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. As an artist and a gardener, it was a natural for me to share my garden online since the many garden tours I’ve hosted over the years were not going to happen anytime soon. My garden provides the inspiration for my art but it also gives me emotional solace. This is what I love to share with my visitors.

I thank David so much for sharing my thoughts and my garden with a wider audience.

To see my YouTube Channel with my videos you can click here.

Now here’s the article David Ambro wrote.

The Observer Article: Garden Tours Offer Distraction From Virus by David Ambro for The Observer.Click on this link if you would like to download a pdf of this article.


Posted in Garden Artist, My Garden, Video | Tagged Garden Artist, Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden, Video

My Garden Tour Video March 21, 2020

The Garden Artist Posted on April 8, 2020 by Mary AhernMay 13, 2023

My Art Starts in the Garden

I love to share my garden! This is a creation that I’ve been working on for over 30 years and what fun is it keeping it all to myself? That feels so selfish to me.

So the best thing I can do, since it’s hard for so many of you to travel here, is to take you on a garden tour around my 1/2 acre woodland walks in Northport NY. We’re Zone 7 here and this Garden Tour video is in the early spring on March 21, 2020 around 6pm in the evening.

I haven’t yet finished my fall cleanup at this point and of course, as gardeners well know, the garden is never perfect. At this time of year, in my neck of the woods, something new opens every single day. It’s a very exciting time for me each day as I walk around to see what’s new. Spring is about renewal. About optimism. About color. About surprises.

This is the first in a series of Garden Tour videos I’ll be doing so please remember to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be alerted when I publish new videos.

My garden is the source material for almost all of my paintings. It is where I get my inspiration. It’s where I present yet another aspect of my creativity but this one is in 3D and seasonally adjusted over time and temperature.

Come and take a casual walk with me around my garden. Enjoy!

Posted in Garden Artist, My Garden, Video | Tagged Azaleas, Botany, Bulbs, Creativity, Design, Flowers, Garden Artist, Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, Gardening, Horticulture, Musings, My Garden, Shrubs, Trees, Video, Woody Plants

Growing New Gardeners

The Garden Artist Posted on May 31, 2018 by Mary AhernMay 31, 2018

How do we grow gardeners? We start them young. We intrigue them with our questions about what they’re seeing, what they’re hearing. We let their imaginations run rampant. We celebrate their dirty hands and knees and when they grow up they already love their favorite garden spots. 

Garden blog by Mary Ahern Artist.

My grandson CJ taking a break from chasing dinosaurs in our woodland garden on April 26, 2006.

We pass on what our elders taught us that captured our fascination with the world around us. How did we come to appreciate the complexity of leaf edges and the critters crawling under our stumps and stones?  We talked with them, we enjoyed the experience of learning and sharing. We made the garden the center of their invented stories, their imagined dinosaurs, the strolling around the paths that led to nowhere but really everywhere.

My Uncle Teddy passed down to me the mysterious and exciting world of nature and the gift he gave me keeps giving. As my grandson CJ completes his Eagle Scout project of creating a woodland path through a nature preserve dedicated to native plant species with the eradication invasive species, we see how we generationally share our knowledge and continue to contemplate our universe. 

 

Garden blog by Mary Ahern Artist.

My grandson CJ Ahern sitting at one of his favorite spots in our woodland garden on April 29, 2018 just before he started his Eagle project to restore a neglected woodland area at an animal sanctuary in Seaford NY.


 

Posted in My Garden, Public Gardens | Tagged Dream Chasing, Garden Projects, Musings, My Garden

Color Combinations in the Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on June 3, 2015 by Mary AhernMarch 26, 2017
Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ & Azaleas in bloom in the garden of the Artist, Mary Ahern

Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ & Azaleas in bloom

I am an Artist so color, texture, scale, focal points and other factors drive much of my garden design. My son gave this Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ to me many years ago. Not knowing the eventual size of the tree I placed it right by the deck where I would be able to enjoy the delicate filigreed leaves all summer.

For a few short weeks in May this wonderful, almost stage setting display of cool pink azaleas blooms as a backdrop to set off the wine colored purple leaves of the maple. The azaleas were already on the property in this location when I bought the property in 1989 though they have certainly grown and expanded.

Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ or commonly known as Creeping Jenny with dandelion in the garden of the Artist, Mary Ahern.

Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ or commonly known as Creeping Jenny with dandelion

As a ground cover underneath the mounding maple, I planted Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, commonly known as Creeping Jenny. The bright, almost chartreuse yellow offsets and lightens the ground underneath the purple leaves of the maple lightening an otherwise potentially dark corner. Happily, both the maple and the nummularia retain their vibrant colors the entire summer.

I would like to take credit for the whimsical placement of the dandelions in front of the maple but alas, that was the creative idea of Mother Nature.

Posted in Garden Artist, Garden Design, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Creativity, Design, Flowers, Garden Artist, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden, Shrubs

Adding a Tree to my Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on July 30, 2014 by Mary AhernApril 30, 2018

In October of 2012, Superstorm Sandy felled 4 large Oak trees in my woodland garden. We were lucky that was the only damage we suffered in that severe storm other than loss of electricity. Instantly my garden went from full shade to sunshine a dappled shade. What a transformation for it and for me.

Oak tree lost in battle with Hurricane Sandy

Oak tree lost in battle with Hurricane Sandy

After a period of mourning, I started rethinking, planning and studying what to do with this newfound daylight.

One of the mighty Oak trees was left with an interesting sculptural remnant which I originally planned to keep in remembrance of what had been. As usual, I changed my mind as I started designing and replanting. Like most gardeners, I change my mind all the time as I work in my garden.

I decided to plant a Heritage River Birch, Betula nigra “Heritage” in memory of my Uncle Teddy who introduced me to gardening. As a child visiting him in Schenectady from my treeless home in Brooklyn, he one day found me peeling the bark from one of his many white birch trees. When he asked me to stop as I was pulling the “skin” from the tree and hurting it, I looked around with tears in my eyes and realized that the entire garden was alive. I was transformed!

1940's-WWII-Theodore-Gerrits

Theodorus Hendrik Gerrits, 1914 – 1991. Thank you!

 

This tree is for my uncle who shared with me his garden and his love. Thank you!

2014-Uncle-Teddy-birch-tree-IMG_6821


 

Posted in Garden Design, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, Musings, My Garden, Trees, Woody Plants

Tree Recommendations

The Garden Artist Posted on April 3, 2014 by Mary AhernApril 3, 2014
Fall colors of the Ginkgo tree

Fall colors of the Ginkgo tree

Recently I was asked about replanting trees after the destruction of Storm Sandy. I’ve given a lot of thought to this issue since my garden lost 4 large oaks which were living here before I moved into the shade they kindly provided me.

Following the storm, my arborist Ron Strauss of Tree Believers, (631-864-5514) sent his newsletter , “The Root of the Matter”, with recommendations of what to and what not to replant. Here is what he said:

We recommend that you do not re-plant using the following species of trees (all commonly planted in LI landscapes) that did not endure the storms well.

  • Emerald Green Arborvitae
  • Linden
  • Crabapple
  • Leyland Cypress
  • White Pine
  • Red Oak
  • Norway or Crimson King Maple
  • Flowering Pear
  • Douglas Fir
  • Weeping Willow

Now to the question of planting recommendations his list included:

  • Sycamore
  • Sugar maple
  • Magnolia
  • Beech
  • White Oak
  • Magnolia
  • Sweetgum
  • Blackgum
  • Baldcypress
  • Dawn Redwood
  • Dogwood
  • Green Giant Arborvitae
  • Gingko
  • Holly
  • Cryptomeria
  • Katsuratree
  • Weeping Cherry
  • Hollywood Juniper
  • Crape Myrtle
  • Chamacyparis
  • Hawthorne

For our smaller gardens, trees that I recommend and have or will be planting are:

  • Dogwood ‘Stellar Pink’ (this is one of the disease resistant Rutgers hybrids) 15-30’ ht & spread. Pink flowers in early summer.
  • Stewartia pseudocamellia var. koreana. Quite slow growing 30’ht, 20’ spread. Decorative bark. White flowers in early summer. Single or multi-trunk.
  • Heptacodium miconoides, Seven-son flower. (recommended by Katherine Tracey of Avant Gardens) 15-20’ ht by 8-10’ spread. Full sun. Bloom time:Sept.

For more particulars of each of these trees, don’t forget to search Google for more information to help you make the right investment choice for your own garden.

Posted in Garden Design, Horticultural Info, My Garden | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, My Garden, Trees, Woody Plants

Rethinking My Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on February 10, 2014 by Mary AhernFebruary 10, 2014

For the past 25 years I’ve cultivated my woodland gardens. For the first decade I cleared the tangled woods, studied the indigenous plants, planned paths and materials. I worked on creating a natural looking shade garden focusing on the large oak trees and Kalmia that inhabited this spot of land before I showed up.

A lot of thinking and sweat went into this garden. I selected what shrub trees, like the untold numbers of small cherries, that needed to be removed. Purged, or shall I say, paid someone to purge the thick growths of poison ivy. Fought and pulled, yanked and grunted bales and bales of ivy from the trees and ground in a continuing war for dominance.

When the bones were clear I began to plant. The lists of shade tolerant shrubs and perennials read like a who’s who of my garden. Mistakes were made. Shade is not shade. Lessons learned. Successes were savored. Learning that gardening in shade reduces the need for weeding, plus you perspire less. Perfect!

Oak tree lost in battle with Hurricane Sandy

Oak tree lost in battle with Hurricane Sandy

But Sandy decided she knew better and redesigned my garden. She blew in and knocked down three large oak trees and a beech thereby instantly transforming my beloved woodland shade garden into a sun-splashed mecca. Thousands of weeds instantly rejoiced by dancing in the new sunshine, prancing in the beds and mulched walkways. Ivy rebounded with a vengeance of superiority, eyeing triumph. Scores of broken and battered kalmia, enkianthus, leucothoe, rhodi’s, azaleas, viburnum, hammemelis,  and andromeda wept.

And now?? Lessons begin again.

Looking for low-maintenance in the sunshine? Remembering our club trip to the Highline designed by Piet Oudorf, my Dutch hero, I’m creating new plant lists with sunshine in mind to cover the time for my new gingko to grow and spread. Shade my grandson will perhaps enjoy in case I miss it.

Amsonia, salvia, achillea, aster, coreopsis, Echinacea, eremurus, liriope, persicaria, rudbeckia, sedum, helianthus, and grasses, yes many textures and heights of grasses. I’m excited now that my period of mourning has passed. Excited by all the new possibilities in the sunshine.

 

Posted in Garden Design, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Design, Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, Horticulture, My Garden, Trees, Woody Plants

The Joys of Gardening in the Shade

The Garden Artist Posted on June 1, 2012 by Mary AhernAugust 2, 2018

So now, after an unusually warm & snow-free winter, the weather has already skimmed the high ’80’s during the month of May. As I sit on my deck exhausted from the heat, wondering how I’m ever going to be able to do all my planting after I’ve indulged at our plant sale & exchanged plant trophies with my gardening girlfriends.

The good news is that I’m a shade gardener. (That’s not to be confused with a shady gardener.) If I play my cards right I never have to bow down in the bright sun, slather myself in sunblock, or supply myself with a straw hat. The sun, which in my youth was my friend, now entices me only from sheltered nooks.

I garden in full shade, dappled shade, high shade, mostly shade & some minimal shade. Because shade is an elusive distinction, my garden is a type of laboratory. Often I’ll divide a plant in order to test the shade tolerances of specific species or cultivars. I document my garden with extensive photos & data as part of my enjoyment of the Art of gardening.

Shade gardens are about subtleties. Textures of leaves, the size & scale of those leaves, the shiny leaves versus those with indumentation, rough to the touch or smooth as suede. Color in the shade is not blinded out by the harsh sunshine. One can appreciate the varieties of green, the blue-greens, the lime-greens, the purple-greens & how about green-green. The color of an emerging stem or bud versus that in its maturity is quite an event to observe in the shade garden.

My shade garden is zen-like for me. It’s about savoring the space, the sounds of the birds singing for their supper, the smell of the soil on moist mornings, the wandering on my woodland walks.

Oh, and one final thing, because of the shade there is very little weeding to be done. Sweet!

Woodland walkways with Ginkgo bench the inspiration for the artist, Mary Ahern.

Woodland walkways with Ginkgo bench in the distance.

Posted in Horticultural Info, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Azaleas, Design, Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, Gardening, Ground Cover, Horticulture, Musings, My Garden, Plant Maintenance, Shrubs, Trees, Woody Plants

Planning For Next Year’s Fall Garden

The Garden Artist Posted on October 5, 2011 by Mary AhernDecember 14, 2011

One of the ways I plan for next year’s garden is to take a look around, make notes & gather ideas from other gardens. This is particularly helpful in planning the fall garden.

I look for what plants have continued to hold their own & still look beautiful into this time of year. I avoid looking for suggestions at the nurseries & gardening centers because those plants have been coddled, fed, trained, trimmed & produced specifically to entice you to buy them as your own garden fades.

Instead, I look at the gardens of my friends. Which plants are in bloom & in which colors? Which have stood the ravages of a long season of pests, fungus & weather to still look stunning? Which plants have resisted the need for staking & other high maintenance gardening chores?

Here are a few of the choices you’ll find in the fall garden:

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips'

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips'

Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’

Turtlehead

This cultivar is a bit shorter than the Chelone oblique & the pink color a bit brighter. It needs no staking & reliably blooms for weeks on end. The dried heads look stunning in the winter sun as they’re popping up through the snow.

Angelica gigas

Angelica is a sturdy biennial, which reseeds conservatively in the mixed border.

This chest high specimen blooms on tall stalks with purple broccoli like flowers adorning them for weeks on end. Just be careful not to lose them by being to earnest in your springtime weeding or you’ll miss out on this fall wonder.

Kirengeshoma palmata

Kirengeshoma palmata

Kirengeshoma palmata

This 4’ tall and 4’ wide no maintenance fall blooming plant sports pearl like buds of yellow flowers in the shade garden. No staking, no pruning, no pests. Just sturdy, reliable performance.

Call your friends. Visit your neighbors. See what’s blooming in their gardens as you plan for next year’s fall extravaganza.

Posted in Garden Design, Horticultural Info, My Garden, Plants | Tagged Flowers, Garden Design, Garden Projects, Gardening, Horticulture, My Garden

Propagating Plectranthus

The Garden Artist Posted on February 21, 2010 by Mary AhernJanuary 26, 2018

Plectranthus and other members of the Lamiaceae family, like Coleus, are easy to propagate. These tender perennials are not hardy in my Zone 6 garden so before frost I bring in a few of my favorite plants as stock plants. If the plants are small enough I overwinter them in a pot with soil and towards the end of winter I begin propagation. If the plants are too big outside in the fall I proceed to take cuttings and begin propagation at that time.

An apical cutting of Plectranthus
An apical cutting of Plectranthus ciliatus ‘Zulu Wonder’

Whether I begin this process in the fall or late winter, this  is how I propagate my square stemmed plectranthus and coleus. I prefer to begin the process later rather than sooner since it makes the house less cluttered.

I use my fingers rather than scissors to snip off the leaves because the give me more control
I use my fingers rather than scissors to pinch off the leaves because that gives me more control over how close I can get to the stem

I cut sections off the host plant making sure that I have at about 5-7 leaf nodes. Then I pinch off most of the remaining leaves right to the stem taking care not to tear stips. Since the leave nodes are opposite, I leave only 2-4 nodes depending on the spacing between them on the stem.

Once I cleanly remove the excess leaves I discard them
Once I cleanly remove the excess leaves I discard them

I take off so many leaves since I want the energy of the plant to got towards root production rather than transpiration. I cut the stem to a length of 4-6 inches, making sure that I cut the stem just below my final node.

I like keeping the glass on my windowsill in the kitchen so I can enjoy watching the roots grow
I like keeping the glass on my windowsill in the kitchen so I can enjoy watching the roots grow

I leave the stems in a glass of water on my windowsill in the kitchen for a few weeks making sure to keep the water clean and the glass full. Once there are a sizable number of white roots and root hairs visible I plant each of the stems into a pot using fresh pro-mix potting soil. I place a bit of soil at the bottom of the pot, sprinkle in a bit of timed release fertilizer and then top it off with more soil to within about a half inch toward the top of the pot.

I try to keep the water clean and high enough on the nodes to develop more and healthier roots
I try to keep the water clean and high enough on the nodes to develop more and healthier roots

I make sure as I’m sprinkling the soil around the roots that they are evenly spaced and not cramped. I continue to water them without letting them dry out in their pots.

Wherever there is a leaf node submerged in water the roots will develop
Wherever there is a leaf node submerged in water the roots will develop

This propagation process always gives me a great feeling that spring is in the air even when there’s still snow on the ground.

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Tagged Flowers, Garden Projects, House Plants, Plant Maintenance, Propagation, Winter

Step 15 – Building the Garden Bridge

The Garden Artist Posted on September 25, 2009 by Mary AhernFebruary 11, 2010

(If you’d like to follow this project from the beginning you can start at Step 1 here)

Step 15 of Rear Garden Design Project.

So now that I measured the space, researched on the web, selected and took delivery of the bridge from GazeboCreations.com it is time to assemble the parts.

First you assemble the struts on a flat surface
First you assemble the struts on a flat surface

Fortunately my son Michael gave me a Mother’s Day present of one day of labor. First he put together the base on the flat surface of the driveway.

Using a level to make sure the structure is balanced is critical to the entire process
Using a level to make sure the structure is balanced is critical to the entire process

Then he put the struts across the dry stream bed and used a bubble level to make sure that it was even both front to back and side to side. This is a very critical stage to the entire project.

All the holes are predrilled and make the assembly much easier to understand
All the holes are predrilled and make the assembly much easier to understand

Once the base is level and in place he attached the pre-drilled flooring in place. We used a thin nail as a spacer on each end of the boards to give some room for expansion as the boards swell with moisture. We attached the first board and then placed each successive board so we were sure of positioning before we attached them with screws.

It was useful to have two people to put the handrails together
It was useful to have two people to put the handrails together

By this time my husband Dave came home and couldn’t keep himself away from the project so he joined Michael in putting up the side rails. Each part of the bridge kit was clearly marked and pre-drilled for easy installation. Nevertheless, the assembly took hours to complete. The second time would have been much shorter.

I'm so happy to finally, after 9 years, have such a beautiful woodland setting
I’m so happy to finally, after 9 years, have such a beautiful woodland setting

My son Michael was pleased to have the project over and next year I’ll probably get a pot of marigolds for Mother’s Day. It will be much easier for him.

My son Michael is happy the project is over.
My son Michael is happy the project is over.

After 9 years of waiting I’m so very happy with the outcome of the project. The bridge is such a perfect complement to the natural feeling of the woodland walks I’ve designed.

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This is the end of this series.

If you’d like to see this project from the beginning you can start at Step 1 here

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Posted in Garden Design, My Garden | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, My Garden

Step 14 – Selecting and Ordering a Garden Bridge

The Garden Artist Posted on August 24, 2009 by Mary AhernOctober 5, 2009

(If you’d like to follow this project from the beginning you can start at Step 1 here)

Step 14 of Rear Garden Design Project.

I searched online to find a garden bridge to replace our nine-year-old “temporary” bridge and I found a good selection at: gazebocreations.com.

I selected this bridge style from GazeboCreations.com
I selected this bridge style from GazeboCreations.com

I measured across the dry streambed to determine the length I needed to cross the span. The website had very good information about the span size and other stats I needed to make my selection.

It was important to have a bridge that was the right scale for the project, a Goldilocks bridge, not too small, not too big, just right.

I ordered it online with the added options of stainless steel screws and 2 Coats Cedar Stain/Sealer to ensure greater longevity. This bridge has to last a lot longer then the temporary one did.

The boxes arrived by UPS and when I unpacked them I checked the parts list to make sure everything was there. It was complet I’m happy to say.

The bridge parts arrived well packaged and easily inventoried
The bridge parts arrived well packaged and easily inventoried

We dismantled the “temporary” bridge that was always such a joy to the grandchildren on a day they weren’t visiting so the work went more smoothly. I thought I’d be nostalgic but I was far too happy to be finally getting a real garden bridge that I didn’t waste a moment dwelling on the past.

My son Michael helped  to dismantle the nine year old "temporary" bridge
My son Michael helped to dismantle the nine year old “temporary” bridge

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Go To Step 15 – Building the Garden Bridge

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Posted in Garden Design, My Garden | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, My Garden

Step 13 – Replacing The Garden Bridge

The Garden Artist Posted on August 17, 2009 by Mary AhernFebruary 11, 2010

(If you’d like to follow this project from the beginning you can start at Step 1 here)

Step 13 of Rear Garden Design Project.

Now that I finally, after 9 years have my back entry stone walls and dry stream bed installed it is time for the decorating to begin.

For all these years we’ve been using what was supposed to be a temporary bridge. In 2000, when we originally began this project the construction crew built a plank bridge by hammering a few weather treated boards together and putting them over the dry stream bed.

My own grandsons have been born since the temporary bridge was originally installed and have grown up with the joy of bouncing wildly on the planks, much to the dismay of fathers, mothers and grandparents. Their utter joy in the flexibility of the boards and the semi dangerous and enthusiastic experience has provided untold hours of glee.

I felt somewhat bad for them and wondered how they would react to the disappearance of their favorite playground.

Fear not. They adapted instantly and have gone on to other adventures in the garden. I think they’ve found dinosaurs hiding along the woodland paths.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmuNpgXaVPQ

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Go To Step 14 – Selecting and Ordering the Garden Bridge.

_______________________________________________________

Posted in Garden Design, My Garden | Tagged Garden Design, Garden Ornaments, Garden Projects, My Garden

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