Seems with all the summer color on our landscape we have attracted many people to stroll our gardens. It gives me pleasure that others can enjoy what I have created. There is a sign in log book for visitors which now has signatures from people around the world, and ages from 7 to over 70.

Landscaping seems to bring pleasure to people around the world and of all ages. Nature's beauty can really connect humanity in many ways!!

This morning with my coffee in hand I strolled the gardens to enjoy Spring blooms. Oh, how uplifting to my spirit to see mertensia 'virginia blue bells, trout lily, bloodroot, trillium, and so much more. Ahhh Spring can so revitalize the landscape.

I applied for position of Horticulturist/head gardener at Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I was in consideration for months, but just heard position filled by another.
Thus I will continue to design and create beauty here in Illinois/Wisconsin.

Looking forward to watching our gardens continue to come alive thru the seasons

one of my chores for today has been to attack and remove the garlic mustard that has chosen to make a home in many of the garden beds. i do not want them to go to seed for season 2010.

I cleaned up the prairie garden and pleased to see the new growth 'seedlings'.

As I work in our many gardens I am feeling the rejuvenation of Spring and it's amazing awakening!!

I gave a lecture/workshop this past Thursday Feb. 25th to the Deerpath garden club in Lake Forest, Illinois. There were thirty-eight women in attendance who were a joy, for they also share a passion for gardening. I spoke on building natural trellis and arbors along with vines that could accent the structures.

At the end of talk I built a trellis on site from walnut that I had pre-cut for the workshop. Which was given away to lucky winner of drawing.

Today as I walked the nature trail we created around our landscape I became aware of all the damage to the trees and shrubs. The weight of ice and snow has snapped or cracked many branches. A lot of pruning in the Spring will be necessary on hydrangeas and viburnums to repair damage. Then a year of new growth will get them back into shape.

Also today as I walked our trail which is approximately one-third of a mile each lap I was in awe of how many different animals had left tracks in the snow. I saw deer, raccoon, coyote, rabbit, mice, squirrel, and then our cat's prints.

Nature has many wonders to offer in each and every season.

A Good Life

Yesterday as I was walking the exercise path I created through and around our landscape I took a break to count the rings on a walnut tree just taken down. The tree was right on the fence line of our property and the farm behind us, and since it was rotten about one-third thru it was necessary to take down for safety.
The rings tell so much of the trees life. Their width tells a good year for growth and marks can tell a year that it substained damage. This tree had a life of 137 years, and I so wished it could speak to me about those years past.

Over the past few weeks I have been putting many of our flower beds and island to rest for the winter. The mulched leaves are providing a perfect blanket for the shrubs and flowers. Added benefit is that as they decompose they will provide nutrients in the spring.

The winter brings a whole new look to our landscape, and I have enhanced the arbors and paths with approx. 1,200ft of xmas lights. So as dusk comes our landscape becomes a lighted winter wonderland creating a magical feeling as one strolls about in peaceful wonder.

Our next project will be to install a aerator in the pond so that the Koi will have a sufficient about of oxygen thru the winter as they hibernate.

May your landscape provide you some winter wonder.. for each season has a beauty of it's own!

Today as I am raking and adding to a new 10ft x 15ft compost pile #3 I am becoming well aware of our vast variety of plant material. Over last seven years I have added many different species and genus to our landscape.

Along with the fact that our landscape backs up to a farmers Oak savanna once used as pasture for cows. I miss seeing the cows grazing in the savanna, for it added much charm to our rural setting.

The leaves that I have gathered thus far (common names) come from maples, ash, walnut, oak, butternut, cherry, mulberry, and elm. While the leaves from shrubs include hydrangeas, lilacs, forsythia, viburnums, chokecherry, witch hazel, and dogwoods.

This wide variety along with the evergreens give the birds a natural food source and protection in a natural habitat.

Our pond at present has a tented net over it at , but still there is access to water at the water fall for birds and mammals.

For the past two weeks I have been chipping branches and leaves for compost. The organic material has been added to several of my island beds. I also have two rather large compost bins which have been filling up rather quickly.

My point being is that the natural nutrients from these decomposing plant materials are a great source for the shrubs and herbaceous plant material in my gardens. Thus simulating a rather natural woodland bed.

Fertilizer with man made alternatives is fine to a point, but nothing beats natural decomposition as a nutrient for growth and production of flower.

May your composting efforts be worthy of time spent to gather and let time produce nutrients for your gardens.

Fall is a great time for transplanting , pruning, and dividing. So if you have not already given time to propagating by dividing. Time to take out fork and shovel to help out over crowded beds.

I am working on a site that has river rock as their mulch. After removing two dead shrubs I have suggested replacing them with a hydrangea x paniculata 'limelight' and a hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'.
The concern I have is that the hydrangeas prefer a acid soil and the rocks provide too much alkaline along with heat. I will amend the soil with organic material and fertilizer for acidic plants, however, if given the choice I would much rather mulch them with a hardwood mulch. This would retain moisture and provide them with nutrients needed over the long run.
I use all sorts of rock as accents in my gardens to provide different textures and to stop run off, but given a choice would always lean to use of hardwood mulch for the plants.