Project A: The lawn conversion

So...
I decided to eliminate the lawn years ago, and spent a lot of time attempting to come up with a design plan before I took action.  Thank goodness I realized, even without a clear idea of what I was going to do next, at least the soil could be prepared. I covered up my last patch of grass last year about this time with about 8” of wood chips.  The lawn was between the 60ft Long Bed, filled with fruit trees and shrubs, and the top terrace, which holds the potager and the gravelled container garden. It was planted, as the designers say, “to allow the eye to rest” between busy plantings and many pots, and also, a spot for my granddaughter to do cartwheels and have fairy picnics.  These many years later, the moles have done their dirty work, and the weeds as well, and my granddaughter is now sweet sixteen and way too cool for cartwheels or fairies.

The trick will be to create a bloom calendar, texture, shape and color palette of plants that will play nicely together, with the surrounding framework already in place. Most of my budget is comprised of “found” materials from other parts of the garden, orphans from the plant ghetto and divisions from existing favorites. This is quite challenging for my also demanding esthetic, but fun!

My strategy to prepare for old age must prevail, no more time for mistakes that might take years to realize, so low growing, low-maintenance interesting shrubs and woody perennials are the order of the day.  I will pull ideas and plants from the existing borders that have performed well to blend with the new areas.  A wonderful golden cistus thriving in the adjacent scree bed can be replicated, as well as the allium senescens ‘Millenium’ and ‘Summer Beauty’ that compliments it.  In the shady area at the other end, near the weeping katsura, where bergenia ciliata and hostas already thrive, I will step out into the new space with more of the same and also the variegated liriope and camassia that lends good texture and color contrast.  The existing sinuous path will also help define the sunny and shady areas.

Once I began planting, the plan on paper began to morph into reality.  Some of the plants I intend to repeat actually do have to be purchased, some accents I don't have at all.  Nurseries I would have visited for the sheer pleasure of plant hunting, let alone for specifics, are either closed or modified for "pick up only".  So far I have planted or transplanted vaccinium erythrinum (not even on the plan, gypsies in pots!), acanthus moved from too much shade), allium senescens, digitalis and anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'.  I found the yarrow I wanted, 'Moonshine', several weeks ago on a foray to a local nursery.  I'm glad I bought five.  Six Spanish lavenders, planned for the deck pots, have been recruited also.  Five very full pots of stachys officinalis 'Hummelo' are waiting to be tucked in near the path. Nearly done.

The yarrow, digitalis, and lavender are blooming now which gives me a lot of enthusiasm for the progress I've made.

Cistus, germander, berberis in the scree behind, vaccinum, digitalis, anthriscus 'Ravenswing' and yarrow 'Moonshine'

Not crazy about bright or acid yellows, but this works for me.

Spring Planning

Having decided to open my garden this year, I very purposefully walked through the entire garden with notebook in hand to list all the chores, pending projects and wish list items I wanted to accomplish before the targeted date.  I made a separate list for my gardener helper, who I can only afford once or twice a month for a few hours at a time.  The lists made the whole thing less overwhelming, and actually pretty exciting.  I would feel a great sense of accomplishment, and have a wonderful garden to share with everyone. Open Garden is scheduled for late July. Given that we are all under shelter-in-place orders due to the pandemic, and we will likely still be practicing social distancing, and I may even have to cancel the open garden, I plan to proceed as if the world will figure out how to be well in the next two months...(this is the outlook of an optimist who listens to birdsong every day now instead of the news.)

No sooner had I begun the list when "opportunities" arose that I couldn't refuse.  Clumps of perennials from friends, continue to arrive,  two tons of basalt flagstone from another friend who was was removing it to install new paths in her garden. Then there was the realization that certain trees and shrubs, long planted in huge pots needed to be re-potted or homed permanently in the garden, or put up for adoption.  When spring growth began, other trees and shrubs and perennials blatantly cried out..."move me too!" or at least, "prune me!". Adding these items to the ever growing do list of course means re-prioritizing. The bottom of the list becomes more remote. When will I ever get to the campground and the wilderness beyond?

Well, every journey begins with the first step.

Project A, three years in the planning, two years in the making, this is installation spring. 

Terrace One: Replace the lawn with shrubs and easy to sustain perennials.

More on this soon.