The redbud front and center has evolved on the windy slope as a large shrub. To the right is an ash I’ve kept small by pruning. To the left is a burgundy-colored ninebark. Behind that, staghorn sumac and willow. In front is a row of globemaster alliums that I scored at Costco one year. Rocks and lambs’ ears serve as edging.
A large willow branch blew down and I’m leaving it there for now, because it might look interesting to have the red hot poker flowers grow up in between its branches. Behind it is a red maple kept smallish via pruning; it grows up from the rocky rip rap and helps stabilize everything.
Blue, green and yellow spreading junipers on the slope put all worries about erosion in the past. Any area they haven’t filled in yet, lambs’ ears are temporarily doing the job. Behind them, highbush blueberries are also loving the sunny slope. On the right is the red maple, on the left, a willow (perhaps a Bebb willow, not sure). In the back are dappled willow and Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar).
The blue-flowered amsonia in the foreground is actually in a pot. Rose campion foliage provides the silver color here, while there is no mistaking the brilliant purple flowers of salvia (May night). On the left is a tree lilac. Center is one of our pre-existing willows that I think might be a “Bebb” willow, because its new foliage has a reddish tint (though please don’t quote me because willows are notoriously difficult to identify).
Blue spruce, red Japanese maple and dappled willow provide plenty of contrast and interest in the front yard. Hopefully, the young bottlebrush buckeye will eventually fill in that entire empty area.
The curve of the iris bed echoes the shape of the supported red pine. The yellow lantern magnolia now has all its leaves. I left the soft-textured lambs’ ears flowers standing in this area, just for height.
On the other side of the magnolia is a purple smokebush and Scarlet O’Hara andromeda. Dark green rudbeckia foliage contrasts with Rheingold Globe arborvitae, mugo pine and lambs’ ears.
Looking west, we maintain a path that winds along next to the pond, so we can monitor what’s growing there. Alders are easily pruned and bacteria around their roots fix nitrogen in the soil, so they’re generally encouraged. Other fantastic plants that love this area are clethra, joe pye and sweetgale (also a nitrogen fixer). This area was formerly full of invasive phragmites, loosestrife, buckthorn and bittersweet.
Looking east, from the pond, is an area where we removed lots of big old buckthorns, some phragmites and purple loosestrife. There were already some ferns and dogwood there, so I planted more ferns, mostly ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), as this is a very moist area. Just to the left in this shot is where the sweet woodruff has happily spread.
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) and Virginia creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), with an occasional twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) grow in moist, deep shade underneath a large, old oak tree on the pond’s east side.
