Why I Oughta...

A few days ago, I wrote about a pair of small Canadian Hemlock trees in our backyard and mentioned that a place where I could add another one of the unique trees (Conifer that grows in shade), might be the stumpery.   I first wrote about stumpery gardens in the Fall of 2023 when I came across (now) King Charles Stumpery at High Grove .  Upon learning about the idea, I immediately ran back to my pile of wood pieces and grabbed a few stumps and hauled them up to a spot closer to the house.  With those three small stumps, I created my own stumpery .    That first growing season, I planted a few ferns around the stumps.  Last year, I added a few more.   I put some Shredded Umbrella plants in the garden bed adjacent to the Stumpery , but figure that I should add some of those to this bed this year.   In January 2024, I first documented the "winter interest" in the stumpery .  I seem to have not posted any winter/snow-covered photos from 202...

Yesterday, I showed a photo of the growth that the three Green Gem Boxwoods have put on in the past few years .  I also mentioned that there were a couple of small boulders tucked in-betwix them that started out as a feature but have recently been hidden by the foliage.  I put those three boulders (two round, one more-square) during the Winter of 2023 .  Today, they're covered in this beautiful, soft green moss.  See below: I'd like to move these out from in-betwix the boxwoods, but I don't want to damage this moss.  It sure seems to like to grow here.  This is *exactly* the type of " Garden Personality " that I'm after, but it is being hidden.   The conditions seem to be right with the mix of moisture, shade and surface area.  I'm thinking that I can move these out to a different shade spot and keep them happy. 

With the growing season winding down, I'm turning my attention to a couple of things:  chronicling the lessons learned from this past season AND thinking about what I could do NEXT season.  This post is to put down a marker for next year - with something I've come across via YouTube:  Edging.   I've posted some photos/inspiration of edging over the years including this metal edging from Luxembourg Gardens in Paris , this metal vs. brick edging view in 2019  and this boulder edge at a nursery .   Moxie Gardens is a YouTube Channel of a gardener/landscaper who lives in Kansas (I think) and has built a personality-heavy backyard garden with LOTS of unique touches.  One of them is his use of various types of edging.  Here's a video - and screenshot below - that shows how he used 4x6 posts cut-up to different heights to create a curved edging around his patio.  Here's the 275 second mark with this view: Screenshot v ia Moxie Gardens vi...

One of the things that I've been thinking about is boulders.  How to use them.  Where to use them.  Why to use them.  In my garden.  That's because (mostly) my new conifer garden. But, also...because of my dream of a pond.   Like most things, you can wander around the Web and find all sorts of tips/tricks/inspiration for how/when/why to use boulders.  Like this post from Nelson Landscaping in Oklahoma where they  give a few ideas, including: Highlight a single boulder as a focal point. Group boulders together to create a cohesive and natural look. Incorporate boulders into your patio design to add texture and visual interest. Use rocks and boulders to add height and dimension to your front or backyard. Surround boulders with pebbles and gravel to create a cohesive look. Everybody is talking about large boulders.  That's what the pros use.  When I say 'large', I mean HUGE.  Boulders that you need heavy equipment to move around. ...