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Every border of the yard has some sort of
vegetation. A perennial and herb garden
stretches from the Mock Orange Bush, along the
neighbor's chain link fence, to the shade of a rapidly
growing Mulberry Tree located at the eastern corner of
the yard. In this garden, you will find. Liatrus,
Wild Sweet Williams, Rosemary, Sage, Ginger, Basil,
Gloriosa Daisies, Pineapple Mint, Miniature Tea,
Deep Red Christian Dior and Pink Perfume Roses,
Greek Oregano, Asparagus, Pear-Tomatoes, Columbine,
French Lavender, Peppermint, Orange Mint, Thyme,
Spearmint, Garlic Mustard, Turnip-Volunteers, Chives,
Dill and three small trees, a Black Oak, a Red Oak and
Pink Dogwood . This bed is also mulched with
shredded pine bark. The mulching is heavy near
the front, and gradually transitions to bare dirt, by
the time the bed reaches the Mulberry Tree.
Maintenance on this bed is intentionally sporadic, as
frequently, this is the place that we find gifts from
the birds, in the form of new plants to adopt.
On the other side of the fence, Clematis, Hollyhock,
Hosta, Arbor Vitae and Eastern Yew bushes and Tree
Peonies provide a backdrop to much of the perennial
bed. My compost pile is under and behind the
Mulberry Tree. It is hidden from view by a
Wooden "Porch" Swing and by Ostrich Ferns
and other plants that have been transferred from other
parts of the yard. The compost pile is an ironic
sort of Siberia, where overly aggressive plants are banished
from open view, till they either disappear or get
moved into a new projects plantings,
Near the back edge of the yard, you will find our
largest formal garden, The Windmill Garden.
This is the only plot that is too large to maintain
without stepping into the cultivated area. We
almost always plant it with an assortment of
Marigolds and Dusty Miller. The effect is
striking, especially in the fall, when the plants
have reached their maximum size. The bed has a
red brick border and is mulched with shredded pine
bark. In the spring Daffodils and Tulips grow
in this bed. They are planted deep, so as not
to be disturbed by the more shallowly planted
annuals.
A selection of shrubs and trees forms a combination
privacy screen / wildlife habitat along the back
fence Here you will find Viburnum Dentaria,
Spice Bush, Red Osier Dogwood, Lilac, White Birch,
Peach, Sycamore, Rhododendron, Azalea, Pokeberry, and
Black Raspberries. There are also a few Dafodils
and Chrysanthemums beneath the trees and bushes.
As you approach the eastern corner of the yard, the
screen is less established, due to the fact that we
recently removed a poorly chosen Grape vine from this
area. There used to be a compost pile here also,
but we removed it last spring, in preparation of
building a small patio with a bench on it. We
started building the patio, but did not finish it as
Volunteer Pumpkin and Gourd plants appeared and
quickly took over the area. Right now, there are
at least a dozen pumpkins and countless gourds growing
on the vines. There is even a large pumpkin
growing about ten feet up the neighbors Blue Spruce
tree, at the corner of the yard. Poke and
Raspberry bushes form a temporary screen in this area
and provide wildlife food..
As the fence turns the corner, it supports Bittersweet
Nightshade and leans against a tall row of Rose of
Sharon as it slips past the pool , meeting the
driveway under a medium sized White Pine tree.
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Perrenials and Herbs
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