Tour of my backyard

I asked my brother to take some photos of my backyard. It really doesn't photograph well, but here goes.

This first one is standing about a third of the way back from the house. There is a small strip of grass lawn on the south side running most of the way back. This view is the boundary rail-road tie, with the wild ginger border showing. The red flowers are a rose, and you can also see foliage for some of my perennials: Siberian and Dalmatian bellflowers, pulmonarias, tiarellas, and also the pink bleeding heart blooms. The trees visible are mostly young wild cherry trees, with a couple young oaks.

This next view is walking toward the house a few steps. Still the railroad tie border marks the shade garden. Lots of wild ginger in the foreground. The shrub is a red-twig dogwood. There is a eunomous (sp) 'Harlequin' off to the right. I have cimcifugas, more pulmonarias, and some of my less-rare natives in this bed. Doll's eyes, twin-leaf, hepaticas. There are also a couple hosta, some sweet woodruff, and a pinella lurking somewhere. Another rose is just barely visible, not blooming yet in this photo. Callas are still underground.

You can kind of make out the wooden arch that leads to the bunny trail.

This photo is on the other side of the Bunny Trail, at the front of the garden section. Still the border of Wild Ginger, a big hosta (this one got divided this spring: after pulling off 8 divisions, this is what is left!). An astilbe, 'Erica' is just barely visible. Other things that are planted, but not very visible are Jacob's Ladders. I have blue, white, and apricot-flowering ones in this bed, along with a few assorted foxgloves. A hellebore is just slightly visible to the extreme right. The box has some elephant ear bulbs, just starting to come up. It will be surrounded by caladiums in a few more days. The tree behind the box is an oak. Behind the bed is the ubiquitous English ivy that I am working very hard to eliminate!

The lighting on this one is pretty bad, but this is standing halfway down the Bunny trail, at the newest path. To the front of the new path, where the light is so bright, is a big area that had been mainly hostas. They are greatly reduced in number and size now, and there are many heucheras and heucherellas and tiarellas and a few astrantias in there. Also some hellebores and a couple astilbes, some phlox, and several ferns. On the other side of the new path you can see the foliage of my buckeye bottle brush bush (try saying that fast 3 times!), underplanted with hostas, more foxgloves, primroses, and more astilbes. Ostrich ferns have been turned loose, and they are very well-behaved in this bed. The trees are mostly hickory in this area, a few mature ones, and some sapling elms (I think).

I have to admire you carving a garden into the woods. I bet it's gorgeous! Sounds like have an awesome selection of plants.

This next one is standing in the Secret Garden, looking out toward the house. The fence belongs to my wonderful neighbors. This photo shows my most challenging area. There is an underground stream that only has water in the late winter through the spring. Water stands above ground for weeks at a time here. Ivy has sapped all the humus out of the soil, leaving pure clay. Almost nothing grew for years, not even weeds. I put some natives in here, and they survived, and eventually thrived. There are hostas and ferns and astilbes and other shade-lovers now.

The stepping stones were made by my nieces a few years ago. At the head of the path is a mazus colony.

There is a clump of yucca that marks the boundary of my shade-garden and my newest passion, hardy tropicals. I have hardy hibiscus there now, along with toadlilies. They will be re-located after I have finished amending the soil in this area, creating much better drainage, and palms, bananas, and other hardy tropicals will go in here in a few weeks. The trees are mature oak and hickory in this area, along with a few haw trees.

This one is standing by the white box (above), showing the planting box of the wooden arch. Mostly only sweet woodruff and wild ginger border plants are showing. The trees are hickory. Also visible is my dwarf mock-orange.

Poppysue, it has been an adventure! The yard was covered with English ivy for years, but it is marginally hardy here, and many years would look terrible until August when the new growth would finally cover up the dead stuff.

After I discovered what nasty things it has done to the soil through the years, it made me even more determined to eliminate it, and in the process, make all the beautiful trees healthier! We have lost so many through the years that it just breaks my heart to see any more go...

The stumps that you see in all the photos are mostly logs from our ancient majestic white ash that had to be cut down a few years ago because of soil depletion.

The first photo didn't come through (I guess) so here it is again. This is what I describe in the first frame.

I was trying to scan in one more photo, and accidentally logged off here! LOL serves me right!

Anyway, this photo shows a garden party we hosted here a few years ago. Not many of the underplantings show, but it gives a good sense of the woods.

Yes, I am visible in this photo. I am on the right side, walking away from the camera. Long blonde hair (before I got it cut off).

Beautiful yard! You have done a ton of work there, and it shows.

That is no yard it is a park. Great place you have Lupy!

What a lovely backyard. You sure have some shade. Looks just great.

Lupy you must have had a rough time working around tree roots. Did you build the soil up ontop of the roots?

What a lovely place you have!! I love shade gardens, something about them is just so relaxing. Beautiful!

Yes, the backyard is our retreat from the world!

Poppysue, almost all the trees are native. Our land had never been cleared, it was all primary forest when my parents bought it in '68. Fifty trees were marked and preserved when the house was built. Almost all the trees are deep-rooted; thus, very few roots were disturbed by my under-plantings.

That was the problem with the English ivy: it has such dense mats of feeder roots that they prevent moisture and nutrients from getting to the tree roots. Almost all the perennials that I have put in are either native to woodlands or have relatively small root penetration. The ones that might interfere with the trees are put into sunken containers that are filled with extras for those plants so that they don't need to leach the nutrients from the deeper-rooted trees.

Woodlands are not for everyone. "Neat" gardeners would not be able to tolerate all the forest litter that must be allowed to accumulate! Fortunately for me, I am not a "neat" gardener ;D For example: I make sunken compost pits to enrich the soil for the trees.

Kathy I just knew your garden would look like this!! It's so beautiful and relaxing! There is so much I want to do too to create shady retreats in our woods whilst keeping the 'good' trees because I hate to cut anything down. And by the way, I do see you in the last photo (re your email)....the girl with the long, sunlit hair and spotted dress!! Right???

oh Lupi, that is such a pretty yard! It must give you great pleasure to have it looking like this after all your work on it. I love the trees too and I have planted about 80 trees in our yard at last count because we love the shade so much. The birds are starting to come in the yard and enjoy our trees now. Do you also feed the birds? My favorite bird right now is the Western Goldfinch which folks around here call "wild canary". Thanks for sharing.

Kathy,
Lovely space and a lot of work well done.
Having battled the ivy and deep shade I know what a joy it must be to see it develop.
Ah to have that much room!! LOL

BTW: Really enjoy your shots at PDB.
It seems we shade lovers have a thing for succulents.

Ric

Lupi, when you say you make a sunken compost pile.......what do you mean.......how do you do this? Do you dig a hole and start adding stuff or do you just start one on top of the ground.. Then dig the hole where you need it and move the stuff...never heard of this....but it sounds great.....something I could do with all the grass clippings I have.....I compost all I can but I'm running out of room to store them....This may be a great idea for me.....
..And I agree with everyone else it is a beautiful park..and a great retreat...one you should very well be proud of.....:O)

Hi WillowWisp :)

My sunken compost piles are holes that are gouged out of my heavy clay soil, usually about 3' deep and 6' across. The dirt is stored elsewhere, and lots and lots of organic matter is dumped into them. After every 6" or so of it, an inch of soil is sprinkled on top, then more yard and kitchen waste is spread on. Keep going until it is filled in, kind of compressed, but not completely tamped down.

Within a year that area is completely filled with tree feeder-roots, making the trees that much healthier. I can't have a usual compost pile (I am disabled and can't turn it), and doing a cold pile makes tree feeder roots dig upward, which isn't too healthy for them.

Not to mention doing the sunken compost pits helps break up the clay. The benefits seem to last and spread through the rest of the clay.

My only difficulty is finding someone to come and dig the pit!

Thanks, I kinda thought thats what you did but you know some people do stuff different...I'm going to try this for my grass clippings.......thanks again...... My difficulty would be someone to help me dig the pit too.....LOL :0)

I agree with Zany - you have a beautiful park!

I know I'm a bit late with the deserved praise, but I must say what, a beautiful job you've done. I love to garden and have "gardened" just about every possible part of my tiny property (CHicago Bunglow - generally long, narrow plots mine at least with all sorts of situations from hot full sun, to deep, wet shade). I wish I had as much room for a party!
I am a new gardener, eager to learn from all the exciting experiences of the experts here. I have too many hostas...they were here when I moved in - they are so hard to get rid of - I'd like at least to introduce a greater variety of them. Anyway, must wait till spring, as our harsh Chicago winter appears to be on it's way...

Thanks for sharing! Always nice to see what others are up to.

Very Beautiful! I have a shady spot I'm converting into a shade garden next Spring. It will take a couple of years for it to really get going (hostas, etc). I'm also looking forward to this spot because I'm going to work at "blocking" the view of our back neighbors who don't take care of their yard have have at least 4 big dogs back there all of the time. One nice thing about the spot I'm using is that the sun does hit part of it for quite awhile, so I can plant other plants as well, like a Rose of Sharon perhaps, something large for blocking that hideous smelly view. :-)

Lupinelover, i will use your photos as my guide as i am working on a shade garden too. I have a place out beside my dog yard that is wooded and i am cleaning it out to make a shade garden in. I have most of it cleaned out now and have planted some hostas and a few other things but i am waiting to see how it will look in the spring time. We are not thru cleaning it out yet as we have some more to do where a hog pen used to be before we moved here. We are taking out the fencing now and it takes time. Thanks for sharing your photos with us. Robbie

I'm not really back yet (I am still deeply buried in Chemistry for another month) but I have some deeply disturbing news about my shady woodland yard.

Many of my big trees are ash. With the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer in our county, it is probable that within 2 years all our ash trees will be ordered cut down and burned.

I am just beginning to accept this, and am doing some very preliminary musings about what to do to help keep my woodland sanctuary still a woodland.

Sadly, Kathy lupinelover

What a shame. It seems you have a great love of your trees...and have done all you can to keep them healthy.

Seeing your white box filled with earth is giving me ideas...
old boxes could be planters.
I have part of my garden under apple trees...and I could just tuck a rustic old box filled with impatiens to brighten things up a little.
What do you plant in your box?

Cheers,
Hope to see you back with us this season.

Is there anything you can do to prevent the borers from getting into the trees and killing them? I am not familiar with this but would like to know. Robbie

Lupi, when we moved into this home there were some 38 or so ash trees that we took out due to ash borers. I left two ash trees in our driveway so we would have some shade till the new trees grew up some and have put a product that is systemic around their base for four years now and haven't noticed any problem with the borers. It is Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control Concentrate and it is used once a year as per label instructions. I hate using chemicals but I hate more losing my shade trees so I am willing to sacrifice one for the other as long as my vegies aren't growing under the tree. I don't know if your county would accept this but you might give it a try. I also use it for my lilac shrubs because the same borer is the lilac borer too and I certainly don't want to lose those shrubs.

Missin' ya around here but I know you are heavy into helping your brother with his studies. Talk to you soon, I hope.

Alas, the Emerald Ash Borers are a brand-new pest accidentally brought here from China. They are insignificant in their native area, but have completely devastated the parts of Michigan and northern Ohio (especially around Toledo) where they have landed. It was first identified in 2001.

The government policy is the same as when Dutch Elm Disease became recognized: all trees of the type liable to damage MUST be removed within a certain area (5 miles). Foresters mark all ash trees and cut them down, grind them up then burn the wood. No recourse.

The borers have been positively identified in my county, although so far none within the 5 mile radius. It seems highly probable that they will though; the infested trees came from a nursery in Michigan and at the same time a lot of trees were sent to a new housing development in Grove City. So far our Urban Forester hasn't seen any damage, but it can't be far off. The estimates of the professionals is that within 10 years, all ash trees in the Northern Hemisphere will be virtually extinct, like the American chestnut and the American elm.

When I get time I will post links, but if anyone wants to know more, do a browser search (Google or something) under Emerald Ash Borer.

gad I hate to think of that possiblity of extinction happening. The elm trees here are thus far doing alright as are any American Chestnuts but I know that with the transfer of plants cross country it is only a matter of time before we have problems with them here too. I will look up your Emerald stinker so I will know what it looks like if we ever see one at the extension office here. Thanks for clerifying for me. Although now that I reread your post I see you specified that before. I guess I need to bone up on my reading skills again. lol

Hah! I found you ..... HI Lupi =-)