finding inspiration among the chaos

I know. The rain this spring and summer has been unrelenting and making a major mess of things. My tall perennials have been hammered by buckets of rain and wind through so many storms, I’ve lost track. They flop, then pop up, then flop, then pop up…but not as much as last time, rinse and repeat. It can be so discouraging. I have enlisted my entire inventory of about 200 plant stakes to prop things back up, which helps…but what a pain! The veronicastrum ‘Fascination’ is upright again. For now. Five days ago the weather app showed a stretch of 10 sunny, dry days ahead. Nope. It’s rained at least once every day (except for one), and it’s raining as I write this. Oiy.

the silver lining

The upside to all of the rain is that we have only run our irrigation system twice, I think. And that was back in early June! Some of my plants are really really happy: the moss garden, the ferns & ligularia, the agapanthus, the bee balm, the filipendula, and a few others. The trees that were planted in my garden and for clients late last year and this spring have had a chance to get settled in without drought stress, so that’s something to cheer.

planning ahead ~ Google photos is your friend

While it’s tempting to avert your gaze from the mid-summer chaos, now is the time to take a critical look at your gardens and identify potential adjustments and improvements that can be implemented this fall and early spring. Of course, it’s important to document, document, document. Yes, take photos of everything, even if it seems cruel to create a permanent record of a less than pleasing garden. Garden photos are our most valuable tool, recording the good, the bad and the ugly. Don’t try to commit your garden’s current condition to memory. It’s kind of like child birth…your memory will fog over and you will suddenly believe ‘it wasn’t that bad!’. Riiiiight.

You don’t need to decide at this moment as to exactly how you will remedy current problems. Just document your garden now ~ and later in the fall, when you have a bit more energy, you can refer to your pics and begin the process of improvement. I am a nut about my Google Photos and have a detailed folder system so I can quickly retrieve images from months and even years ago in any section of the garden. Photos taken with my mobile phone are automatically backed up in the cloud and available from any device, making the archiving and planning process so much easier.

we’re talking trees, again!

Now that you have taken your pics, is the bulk of plant material happening mostly below or above the waist? So much of our focus as gardeners seems to be on perennial plantings. When coaching other gardeners, I frequently determine that their perennial borders are beautiful, but lack verticality and structure. This is where trees come in to play. When planting new gardens, I typically begin with the tree layer and become so excited to find nooks where we can tuck small to mid-size ornamental natives. In existing gardens, we sometimes determine that fewer perennials and more small trees are the answer. If you are struggling with perennial-heavy garden beds, consider the benefits of swapping herbaceous plants out for woody trees. I talked previously about how a small tree can give you instant verticality, structure and rhythm in the garden and make all of the supporting cast of perennials look so much better!

Here are a couple of my favorite North America native trees selected for client gardens that I find beyond graceful and magical:

Right: The sourwood tree that we sourced and planted earlier this spring in Carol’s Accidental Garden is thriving and looking like a proper ballerina, sporting her summer floral display. Native to the mid-Atlantic states, oxydendrum arboreum can survive and thrive in our zone 5b. Currently, the bees are loving it, and just wait until you see the fall foliage! This is a young tree and will slowly reach a height of 18-20’ if not pruned. We think it’s the perfect sensibility for this part-sun location and rounds out Carol’s incredible garden dominated by the most amazing trees!

Left: Planted in 2021, this stunning redbud ‘Forest Pansy’ graces the shady corner under the canopy of tall deciduous trees of Pauline & Lorenz’ Garden in Arlington. Similar to my ‘Ruby Falls’, but more upright in habit, it has settled in beautifully in this environment where it receives the perfect amount of dappled sun, moisture, and protection from drying winds. All redbuds sport fantastic pink blooms in spring before pushing out their incredible heart-shaped leaves. ‘Forest Pansy’ produces oodles of captivating foliage all season long, with leaves emerging maroon and maturing to shades of purple/green. This small tree will probably top out at 15’ in this shady understory location. We knew when we planted it in this corner nook that it had found it’s forever home!

If your current garden assessment indicates the need for a graceful tree with stunning foliage and bloom, then I can highly recommend both sourwood and redbud.

clover, clover all over!

Chances are, your lawn is looking pretty healthy and green with all the rain we’ve received. On the other hand, it may be showing signs of stress from too much water. One solution is to transition your turf to white clover and reap the many benefits. We did it and now enjoy a lush, soft lawn that requires no fertilization, is drought tolerant and easily maintained, and distracts the rabbits from my gardens. Creating a clover lawn doesn’t mean removing your existing turf! You can simply overseed this fall with mini clover. Read how we created our clover lawn here!

start plants from seed!

Even in my garden, as jam packed as it is with perennials, shrubs and trees, all jostling ‘cheek to jowl’ as the Brits say, there is the inevitable ‘hole’ that needs filling.

In years past, I would take photos and make lists of potential perennials to fill the gaps. With my easy access to high quality/low cost NH grown perennials, it’s been easy to fuel my plant lust/addiction. But now that I have planted just about every perennial available, I am itching to branch out more into annuals. And, after having a surprising level of success growing plants from seed this year, I am committed to filling the gaps next year with plants like annual poppies, cosmos, nigella, and dara (wild carrot). It is so easy and rewarding to grow your own plants from seed, and I’ve found these ethereal annuals to blend perfectly with perennials in my naturalistic gardens.

Using my photos as reference, I will identify spots for direct seed sowing and/or seedling transplant. It’s a bit premature to sow seeds now, so I will discuss my techniques for starting seeds both indoors and direct sowing outdoors for your 2024 garden in a future post. For now, gaze upon the beauty of my seed-grown plants in the garden this summer! (as always, click the photos for a larger view and description)

finding joy and meaning through community service

As exciting and rewarding as it is to plan and create gardens for myself, family and clients, it’s equally meaningful to help others achieve beautiful surroundings.

I’ve been volunteering for various organizations for a few years now, and 2023 brought a very special opportunity to my doorstep. Through some amazing friends, I have become connected with Home Health & Hospice Care here in southern NH. After a few months of coaching and helping them source plants for their gardens at their Community Hospice House, I have enthusiastically joined their group of amazing garden volunteers. Lead by the dynamic duo of Tanya Prather and Jean Abramson, the garden volunteers collaborate to keep the CHH grounds healthy and beautiful. We plant and prune and weed and offer general garden care on our own schedule, as our own lives and energy levels permit. The photos at left show the before and after results of our collective efforts on the welcoming, front garden beds, barely 2-1/2 months apart.

The Community Hospice House is a local treasure, offering respite and support for patients and their families, and the gardens play a significant role in their end of life journey. Each room opens directly into the gardens, allowing for deep immersion into the beautiful, peaceful surroundings. Whenever I mention the Community Hospice House to others, they immediately share their experience and remark what a phenomenal organization it is, and how all of the staff were just incredible during their loved ones’ final days and hours. They also remark how beautiful the gardens are. Everyone seems to remember the gardens. It’s an honor to be able to contribute to their ongoing care.

If you would like to learn more about volunteer opportunities at the CHH gardens, please email Jean Abramson at jean.abramson@gmail.com. No prior gardening experience is necessary. Tools are provided, if needed. You may also feel free to email me at barb@thebiglittlegarden.com if you would like to learn more about my experience over the past few months. Please consider getting involved. You won’t regret it.

~ Barb