Author Archives: jmarkowski
Not so long ago, I vowed to have my garden/property looking fantabulous by June 29th, 2013.
Why put that pressure on myself?
Because NOW is the time to dedicate the time and effort to something I love. Let’s go for broke. Dream big and try to pull this off while I am still physically able to do so. I’m daring myself to accept the challenge and see it to fruition. It will be the opposite of “stop and smell the roses”. More like “bypass the roses, pick up your shovel because we’ve got ten yards of topsoil to spread.”
Why that date?
I need to give myself ample time to do this right and plan it appropriately. I need two springs and one fall to plant my ass off and my absolute favorite time of the year in the garden is late June/early July.
Speaking of planning, I spent this past weekend photographing my garden beds in their current state as a means to capture them at their weakest. My ultimate goal is to have four full seasons of interest throughout my yard and now is the time to assess where that stands. I feel very vulnerable sharing some of these photos with you, but is for the greater good.
Today, I’ll show you what is going on (or not going on) in the bed that surrounds my driveway. I see it more than any other garden bed so I NEED to get it right. Hopefully these photos will inspire me to think “winter interest” throughout the planning process because it can be easy to forget once everything is green and thriving in the spring/summer.
Here is photo #1 as of today:
And here it is as of mid-summer:
The dilemma – I love how it looks from early summer through mid Fall. Do I accept that and move on? Maybe the Siberian irises, which bloom in mid-spring, don’t work here because they bloom when the surrounding Miscanthus grasses are still sheared to the ground and the Eupatorium (Joe-Pye weed) have yet to put on any height? Maybe I need to mix in some evergreen shrubs to get the “green” in winter/early spring and some bulbs for some early spring blooms? Problem is this area stays wet for long periods of time.
This shit keeps me up at night.
Photo #2 as of today:
And in mid-summer:
And in late summer/early fall:
Again, a whole lot of brown and not much else. I don’t think drastic changes are necessary, but I’m hoping I can strategically add some winter color and maybe an inanimate object or two. Oh yeah, I can’t forget the impact the deer have here.
Finally, a quick pat on my own back for inspiration. I planted this section of the bed in summer of ’10:
And have been thrilled with how it has filled in and the mixture of foliage textures and colors:
I’ll continue the theme of “winter interest” over the next few posts and hopefully something will click with all of your wonderful feedback (hint hint).
It has to look better than this in late winter, right?:
John
As the temperature drops and the onslaught of snow is inevitable, I have one go-to plant/tree for happiness:
I love me some River birch (Betula nigra), in my case, ‘Heritage’ River birch. This is a true four season tree and it really shines most when it is needed – the winter.
The exfoliating bark truly stands out when the ground is covered in snow:
The cinnamon colored peeling bark has such an interesting color and texture, it makes you want to inspect it up close and run your fingers all over it. My three trees are relatively young (2 years) so I look forward to watching the development of the bark as the trees age.
But it isn’t all about the bark. I truly enjoy watching this tree first leaf out in spring:
And the development of the catkins (as I’ve learned, the ones in the photo below are apparently female and turn to fruit which is filled with seeds desired by many birds – much more to read and research for me):
As the tree leafs out fully, the aforementioned birds begin to inhabit and seek out the seeds?:
While the River birch isn’t known for it’s big blooms or colorful leaves, it still has a fantastic shape (especially while young) that looks great all summer:
The fall color of the River birch, while fleeting, is a fantastic yellow that contrasts well with all of the red fall color from other trees and shrubs:
But once again, when all is said and done, that beautiful peeling bark steals the show:
Some final quick tidbits:
- Reaches an ultimate height in the 40-70 foot range
- Is a native of the eastern US and typically can be found in swampy areas and flood plains
- As you can imagine, prefers wet soil based on it’s native habitat and that is music to my ears
- Prefers and will really only thrive in full sun
- Survives in zones 4-9
- Deciduous tree that seems to lose it’s leaves early in the fall
- Both single and multi-trunk options exist and I definitely prefer the look of multiple trunks
John
The thermometer said 15 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind chill made it feel like it was 0 degrees but that didn’t stop me from taking a walk around the yard. My nose hairs may have been frozen together and I had a difficult time keeping the camera straight but it was all worth it. I felt invigorated. And here’s what I witnessed:
No matter how much damage they cause, I can’t help but love having the deer visit twice a day:
OK, maybe it bothers me a little:
The thought of them jumping into the raised bed is comical:
The birds that have remained are constant entertainment and I love the challenge of trying to snap them before they are off to their next destination:
OK, fine, I doctored this shot a bit but it is pretty cool IMHO:
I could be wrong, but I’ve never seen the sedums have this much growth so early in the winter. Hang in there guys:
That’s all … but it was enough.
John
OK, I have identified my first “must-have” plant for 2012.
While reading the most recent issue of Fine Gardening magazine, I came across one of their plant recommendations for Iris ‘Gerald Darby’.
First off, you had me at “Iris” as this is one of the few plants that absolutely thrives in my wet clay conditions.
Secondly, I was completely reeled in by the color of the spring foliage:
I love that color and already have so many ideas as to what I can pair it with (thinking red foliage).
Thirdly, check out the phenomenal blooms:
Done and done.
To get an incredible write-up on this Iris along with stunning photos, check out this link at Nancy Ondra’s Hayefield website – http://hayefield.com/2011/01/19/one-plant-three-seasons-iris-gerald-darby/. She will sell you on it more than anyone ever could. Hot damn!
For now, I’m about to click on the “Add to cart” link on the Heronswood site.
John
We all know we never fulfill our New Year’s resolutions. NEVER. Just take a look at how I failed miserably with my 2011 gardening resolutions.
I bet if you did your research, you would find that more lettuce is eaten the first week of January than any other week in the year. We convince ourselves THIS will be the year we will stick to our lofty goals. Sure you will.
After saying all that, I cannot resist setting my own gardening “goals” (sounds more attainable than “resolutions”) for the new year. It kick starts my enthusiasm to start planning as we enter the dead of winter. A chance to dream of spring and emerging bulbs.
So without further ado, I give you my five step gardening plan for 2012:
1. Expand, expand, expand – As I’ve mentioned previously, I live on a large lot (2+ acres) that was a blank canvas when we moved in back in 2004. It’s been a slow process to expand the garden out into the yard. I blame it on lack of time, the fear of deer and poorly draining soil. As a result, I have way too much lawn to maintain:
Besides the desire to cut down on the lawn maintenance time, I really want to lure visitors (kind of sounds creepy) further out into the yard. I want to add more paths and “destinations” that will encourage you to want to explore more.
This is the view out of the back of my home and for years I’ve planned on creating a woodland garden underneath the only mature tree on my property. I’m thinking benches and deer resistant shrubs and grasses:
So it is time to dedicate myself to moving beyond the garden beds that surround the house:
2. Foliage, foliage, foliage – The reality of my garden situation is that I have clay soil that does not drain well and my yard is infested with deer and rabbits. That does not lend itself to a garden full of flowers. The key is to focus on foliage with contrasting colors, shape and textures. I can strategically utilize flowers where possible (damn you spring plant catalogs and your beautiful flowers), but the focus and theme will be on the foliage:
3. Take advantage of raised beds – This is a simple one. Raised beds eliminate the poor drainage issue and allow me to grow herbs and vegetables I normally could not. Like an idiot, I completely ignored an existing raised bed I’ve had for years and it looked like this most of the year:
No more. I’m imagining rosemary, thyme, cilantro, chives, tomatoes, etc. I mean seriously, my wife is a world class cook and I’m not providing her with the necessary fresh ingredients.
4. Give up on the plants I know will not thrive – It is all about survival of the fittest and if you can’t keep up, you’re gone. So …
Good bye Phlox paniculata:
Good bye Weeping Cherry Tree:
And good bye Geranium ‘Brookside’:
5. Visit more gardens and get my ass inspired – For reasons unknown, I have not taken advantage of all of the public gardens at my disposal and that is a friggin shame. I’m missing out on so much and that needs to change. This past summer, I finally made my way to the New York Botanical Garden and what an experience it was. I felt energized by all of the displays and was immediately inspired to experiment:
So there you go, my 2012 gardening resolutions are out there and now the pressure is on to actually see that I meet these objectives.
Happy new year to you all and we’ll do this again in 2012!
John
And just like that, it’s over:
The stockings are no longer hung by the chimney with care …
We’ve gone from 160 mph to about 5 mph in the course of a few days. I may not even have a pulse right now, that’s how “chill” we all are. And that’s a good thing.
It’s all about riding the new Barbie bike:
And organizing the football cards while looking up their value on the new Kindle Fire:
We had a Christmas for the ages with family (My son will regret agreeing to wear these pajamas in a few years):
The kids are at the absolute perfect age right now (9 and 6) and I dread them getting even a year older.
My son is a non believer in Santa so we plotted a way to get him to believe for one more year. He is an incredibly deep sleeper so we knew we could wake him in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve without him truly waking up. We nudged him a bit and then played the sound of sleigh bells through my phone. He opened his eyes and looked around in terror as we left the room. On Christmas morning, he insisted he heard noises in the middle of the night and looked out his window to see reindeer on the front lawn. Score one for the parents!
On a personal level, my wife gave me a subscription to Fine Gardening and a private lesson with a local photographer. I couldn’t be more fired up about that. Watch out readers, my photography obsession will be taken to new heights.
Speaking of photography obsession, I am off from work the remainder of this week and all I plan on doing is trying to hunt down the birds that have been flocking to the yard like mad:
Hope you had a great holiday and here’s to 2012!
John
I’d like to wish everyone of you (except Alex) a happy and healthy holiday and thank you for reading my nonsense throughout the year. This blog is an incredible creative escape for me and I thank you all for your fantastic comments along the way. I am ready, with your help, to take on yet another winter and will continue with my promise to not complain about a thing.
John
How about a little year in review today?
My staff (of one) has put in countless hours reviewing all of the photos I’ve taken this year and we feel these are the best of the best.
If I’ve learned anything over this past year, it’s snap away with the camera and ask questions later. It’s amazing how many times a throw-away shot ends up being a gem.
In no particular order:
These Summer Snowflakes (Leucojum) seem like light posts illuminating the Heuchera below them:
Love the effect of the ornamental grass in the background. Almost looks like there is a tunnel within it beckoning you to enter:
Nothing says spring like a Viburnum bloom … and dandelions throughout the lawn:
Who knew an individual Spiderwort (Tradescantia) bloom was this interesting?:
After I snapped this shot, I called 911 to let the authorities know the sky was on fire:
Loved the lighting on these Rose of Sharon (Althea) blooms:
The plant colors along with the mist just screamed early autumn:
I swear I didn’t line these deer up before taking the photo:
So simple yet says so much (And yes, I’m that deep):
Goodbye summer:
The anticipation is killing me:
Snow on a Dahlia bloom? Get the hell outta here:
The only bird photo I am sort of proud of:
It is fleeting, but oh so worth it:
The color contrasts are incredible, maybe my favorite shot of the year:
Here’s to more photos in 2012!