SPRUCE AND MOSS GARDEN - part 1

At the Manitoba cottage there has been a space between the screened porch and the road that has been empty of trees ever since a very large evergreen died a few years ago.  

Empty space?

An invitation!

 Over the years Spruce have sprouted up too close to the cottage to let them grow to any significant height.

So once again here I am doing what served me so well landscaping the Ontario cottage                                   - moving around existing plants.

Is it a conundrum that I want my natural looking yard to be "perfect"?  Not at all, I want each tree to have a good chance to grow and be healthy so when they are not growing in an optimal spot and an optimal spot is empty...well, wouldn't you do the same?

Step one was to prune the dead lower branches getting rid of the 'scraggly' look on the surrounding trees.

 I just love pruning; removing  the dead stuff leaves it looking that much cleaner. And by cleaner, I mean I got rid of that pile later that same day.

I often forget to take 'before" pictures before I start working, and this was once again the case here, so I have highlighted the trees I added before taking the shot to illustrate how barren it was to begin with.

Seedlings at the front, saplings further on and the biggest trees I can reasonably transplant with my own 2 hands and a spade (about 4 feet tall), at the back toward the road.  A nice steady progression which should look natural to the untrained eye but in fact would be a grand coincidence were it to happen naturally.

While 8 trees was not a lot for one day considering their size, I was just getting warmed up with what I actually wanted the spot to look like. 

With the season coming to a close I targeted the area above to be included and filled with trees this year.  And the area highlighted below to follow next year.

How far did I get before the end of year?

Stay tuned.

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TUXEDO OVERVIEW - front yard

Front Yard

75' Wide Lot

Planning the landscaping for Tuxedo is very different from creating the Ontario Cottage Garden.  That garden almost seemed to create itself once I decided to use the whole property and take my cue from the woodland environment. The Tuxedo yard has more opportunity to hold distinct gardens vs. being one large garden itself.  

It is a bit daunting to be honest.   

One day when I was wondering where to start, I picked up a copy of Canadian Gardening from 2006 and came across an article called "Demystifying Design" offering advice from Thomas Sparling on how to approach planning.
Perfect timing and good advice.

As per his advice I have taken photos and measurements so I can map the whole thing out on graph paper to ensure proportions while I plan different options over the winter.

Below is a photo overview of the front yard.

12.5' between gardens

 I am not sure about why the Globe Cedars are here, but I wonder if the they get progressively  more sun from left to right.  Assuming they were planted at the same time, it is not a bad hypothesis.  Otherwise I can not understand why one would want to draw the eyes from smallest to largest in this configuration.

South Front Garden

The potentially invasive Bishop's weed is well contained.  I do not know what the shrubs are. Check out the pictures below to see if you recognize them.

Pruning out the dead material will be a priority for the fall, nothing particular, just what will have accumulated over the years.  It will breathe more easily come spring.  [editor's note Dec. 30th, it will have to wait until spring]

Any ideas what this plant is?

If it blooms, great, if not, it's days may be numbered - or I may add Clematis to it.

[thanks the Master Gardeners of Manitoba for letting me know this is a Weigela which should have long lasting deep rose coloured blooms in spring]

Once again the Goutweed is remarkably well contained, the edging must go down fairly deep.  I have actually noticed well contained Goutweed at more than a few neighbours on the block.

Any ideas what this plant is?
[Thanks to the Master Gardeners of Manitoba for letting me know that this may be Amur Maple]

North Front Garden

Daylilies, some sort of mini-Solomon's Seal and Goutweed under the Blue Spruce.

Daylilies have likely not been divided in years and years.

Only a couple of bloom stalks lead me to believe these either have a) not been divided so long they are terribly overcrowded, b) they do not get enough sun here, or c) a combination of both.

How high I trim up the tree is a big decision.  Just the dead ones, or more?

The lawn extends beyond the gardens out to the street.  I may push the globe cedars out there.

Goutweed and a couple of small cedars are not particularly exciting, but the peony seems to have bloomed and that gives me hope for how much sun it gets here, after all, despite the mature elms around it is south facing after all.

I am seriously thinking about undertaking the very big project of using these cedars to create a hedge between our driveway and our backyard.

There are so many white flowers that I might be able to have this entire long garden white.  

Or as they say, a night garden.

Spring, summer and fall.

Hostas all in a row in front of the hedge would be nice, but this is one of the sunnier places and I have no shortage of shadier spots for them.  This will better serve as an opportunity to explore more sun-loving plants after my shady Toronto gardens. [editor's note, Dec. 30th, the hostas have been moved into the north garden]

Any idea on what this hedge is?

Very tall Asiatic Lilies are growing south of the entrance as well as some Lamuim.  Interesting mix since the former prefers full sun and the latter part shade or more.

I'm not crazy about the red mulch but eventually it will break down.

There is no question for me that the first thing I am going to do is to create a "Lasagna" garden (one that does not require removing the grass first) in order to get rid of that grass between the sidewalk and the current garden.

Those big shrubs casting shadow shade will need some serious pruning. 

Are they even needed at all?

Any idea what these shrubs are?

I have decided that this is where I will learn about Alpine gardening.  I already bought of Sempervivum and assorted succulents at the local plant society fall sale. And I will be able to gather stones of decent size from the side of the road on the way home from the cottage.

These daylilies have likely not been divided for years.  I will have lots of material for Guerilla Gardening.

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Sharing with Outdoor Wednesday and Fertilizer Friday