A Man and His Trees...

Does size matter? Sometimes, in my opinion. When I first saw Ron Dalrymple’s garden in southern Maine, I knew he was a kindred spirit because his garden is full of interesting trees and shrubs–not just interesting but also big. Near his driveway stand some doozies like an old silvery Korean fir (Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’), two Hinoki cypresses (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’ and ‘Reis Dwarf’) and a couple of 20-foot Japanese umbrella pines (Sciadopitys verticillata), quite impressive compared with my Sciadopitys,...

Patio Redux...

I love watching the patio take shape, seeing it reach into our parklike garden of tree and shrub borders. The stonemasons – Dean, Jeremy, and Rolf –  bring hard work, good humor, and creativity to the job. Laying the bluestone was the most exciting day of the project for me: For the first time, my patio existed in time and space. I walk on the hard stone and enjoy its blue, gray, brown, and yellow...

A Lady Who Loved Lady-Slippers...

Lynne, my dear friend and client, died suddenly and peacefully on Memorial Day. Lynne loved her garden and buying plants for it. Yet her favorite plant, which she protected wherever it grew, occurred in wild abundance on her land. The pink lady-slipper (Cyprepedium acaule) is a native orchid that blooms atop a leafless stem in mid to late May. The flower resembles an inflated pink pouch with dark pink veins. A day or so after her passing, I asked her family if I could take one last walk around her cherished garden, and they kindly agreed. I ambled along the wood-chip...