I wanted to share pictures of our new fall photo gallery and some changes to our landscape on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/65934757@N06/sets/72157628490507707/ (Once on the Flickr page, you can click on the slide show icon on the right side above the photos.) The flower beds were extended in the front yard and in the back yard. The path to the patio was moved into the center of the back yard to allow for additional planting space. Moving the path and using bluestone irregular shaped stepping stones creates a journey through the garden, rather than a direct shot to the patio. We added several new varieties of Japanese Maples, Japanese pines, Paperbark maple, and a weeping blue atlas cedar. Many of the pictures were taken during the back yard renovation. We usually do huge projects over a weekend, but unfortunately I am still recovering from an injury so I could only supervise while my wife did all the work. The back yard is still in progress but we found a good stopping point for winter. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Have a safe and happy new year!
Your maples and yard look great. I'm impressed with the clean lines where your grass and stone borders meet. What's your secret for keeping the grass from invading your beds?
Thank you for the positive feedback. I use a serrated old stainless steel kitchen knife with a blade that is thick enough and strong enough that it will not bend and break. I keep it as part of my landscape tools and feel it's useful for cutting roots on pot bound plants too. I cut / saw a vertical line into the sod along the border about 2 to 3 inches out from the stone boarder. Then I go back and cut / saw a horizontal cut, slightly angled cutting the sod away from the earth below (roots and all, in my area it's about 3 inches deep) and roll up the sod as I go. (This left over sod can be used to fix dead spots in the lawn created over winter). I use some clay to back fill the new trench and compact so that the trench created is only about an inch deeper than the surface of the remaining sod. Water run-off from rain travels along the created channel and empties into the driveway. I use a line trimmer to maintain the strait line during the growing season. The trench is also nice because I can run the mowers wheel along it when mowing, reducing the need for frequent trimming. Once it's done at the time of the installation of the boarder, I usually go out with my knife every spring to clean up the edge and keep the grass 2 to 3 inches from the boarder. Some years it appeared as though it didn't need it, but then I found by summer the trench was shrinking as grass grew closer to the boarder. It's easier to do in the spring when the ground is moist, than in the summer when it's hard. I also use a regular maintenance of corn gluten (early March, May, July, and September) to keep the weeds down, so it may help keep the boarders clean too. (Good Nature, Preen, and Espoma are available products in my area) It naturally prevents germination of seeds, so I try to get an early start to stay ahead of germination. I also try to stay ahead of the second push of growth that we get in early August in my area. It’s low nitrogen so it does not negatively impact the growth of my maples. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Very nice! I especially love the aconitifolium in the back yard, such nice contrast even on a single leaf. That tree is on the top of my list for the spring. They seem to vary quite a bit in fall color though, it looks like even with the two you have. I've seen them from all red to all yellow and pretty much everywhere in between. I wonder how much sun light has to do with it. How much sun does the one in the back yard get compared to the one in the front? I love them both but I would like to get those purples like the one in back. I just love all the colors and contrast in your yard, amazing job so far.
Thank you very much! The aconitifolium in the back yard receives strictly morning sun. It’s been in the landscape for three years. I bought it late summer where it was getting full sun, so it was in the location of morning sun for about three weeks before the fall colors started to come on the leaves during the first year. The fall color is consistent every fall, despite this year’s record rainfall and record heat mid-summer. The color on that tree is changing constantly in the fall. First the tree looks like someone splashed the green leaves with purple. Then the yellows, orange, reds, and hints of pink come on the leaf. Yellows and reds become very bright and prominent before the tree drops its leaves. The tree in the front was bought late summer this year. At the nursery it was in full shade. After giving it a little time to get use to the lighting conditions at home, I transitioned it to the full sun position in the front yard. My first fall with the tree I observed mainly a variety of orange shades in the leaves. The coloring was not as diverse or complex as the tree in the back yard. A grower (who has 40 years’ experience growing Japanese maples locally) visited my garden last fall, said that he never saw an aconitifolium with fall colors like that in our area. He feels the tree is very unusual. (I need to learn how to graft, so I can study the tree in different conditions to see if it affects the fall colors)
Hi JT1, Wow!! I just got a chance this evening to check out the tour on flickr. What an amazing transformation in landscape. For only three years everything looks really mature. You must be getting trees reasonably large. I have to quit buying the little ones myself after seeing this. Best Regards, Stephen
Thank you for clearing that up for me. The grower was refering to the fall color of the aconitifolium in the back yard as being very unusual for our area. He felt like the one in the front yard was closer to the norm.
Thank you Stephen, Yes, some of the trees were bought as balled and larger container trees. I feel like some of the larger trees have a more developed character, are easier to get established, and serve as a good anchor to the landscape. They look amazing when illuminated by landscape lighting at night. The light does an amazing job of highlighting the structure of the tree by creating amazing shadow effects and the leaves bring on glowing colors that are hidden by the suns glare during the day. The larger trees seem to add great appeal in the winter garden standing out by revealing their inner grace and beauty that is otherwise covered by leaves. I try to source what I can from local growers in larger size. In my area it is easier to find great value in larger trees over the past two years. Sadly it's probably due to the down economy, growers and retailers are not moving the stock like they use too. Also adding difficulty, the average landscape consumer is turning to the big box store garden center. I could go further in expressing my opinion, but I am getting off topic. The national growers and online sellers have added so much to the community allowing us to enjoy those hard to find maples that we can’t source locally. There is something to be said for growing a small maple and watching it reward you over the years, giving a great sense of accomplishment. It's always easier to find a spot in the landscape for those smaller maples to shine. Softening up a place in the landscape or a corner of a patio, either way you can never go wrong with a young or dwarf maple. It’s all about balance in my opinion.
JT1, is there any way I can save some of your pitures? I keep a folder of pictures for each tree that I'm deciding wether or not to buy. You have a lot of nice examples of some of the trees I'm deciding on so it would be nice to add a few of your pictures to my collection.
I am very happy to hear you like some of my pictures. Flickr does not allow downloads because the photos have a copyright. It will allow people who join Flickr for free to mark the picture as a favorite or add the picture to your gallery. It's not quite the same as saving, but it's the next best thing. Hope this helps, but if not feel free to send me a private message. Thank you!
