Now that their leaves have dropped, the “Heritage” river birches are showing off their beautiful bark. We planted these in 2012, if I remember correctly. They sit right over where some of the densest knotweed rhizomes were.
In the foreground is viburnum, bayberry, sweetfern and a dogwood. The dogwood and two of its buddies have had their roots pruned in anticipation of being transplanted next spring.
This may not look like much, but it’s important. The plants immediately bordering the pond (dogwoods, pussy willows, elm) remain unmowed for the winter. A strip that contained some wildflowers (milkweeds, asters, daisies, goldenrods, etc.) yet also some invasives (mainly field bindweed, or mile-a-minute) benefits from being mowed.
Over on the other end of the pond, a bunch of existing dogwood shrubs needed dividing, so we transplanted them here, to back up the milkweeds. In front of the milkweeds are little bluestem, big bluestem, aster and fern divisions. A young Princeton elm anchors the far end of the “river.”
On the left, variegated red-twig dogwood backed by white pine, in turn backed by quaking aspen. In center are yellow leaves of river birch. Moving right, a shrubby green magnolia contrasts with the brilliant red leaves of Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac). Above the sumac in the background, branches of a Princeton elm can be seen reaching toward the blue sky.
A line of red pines had been suffering for a while. Now there’s no question; they are dead. While they await being felled, they happen to pick up on the color of a brilliant purple smokebush. To the left of the smokebush is a gray dogwood in flower; to its left is a Yellow Lantern magnolia. Bearberry, red knockout roses, purple blooms of catmint, yellow flowers of rue and white spikes of lambs’ ears all provide for plenty of contrast in the front yard.
