Elizabeth and I love to garden. Even after a long day of work, we come home and immediately go out to our landscape beds and begin puttering. About two years ago we opened up our garden to our clients and friends and we were honored by how many were able to attend. We were hoping to do the same thing this summer, but it looks like 2021 is going to be a better year to bring people together. So, I thought I would offer a glimpse into what we have been doing to the Eagleson Landscape Co. family garden since you last saw it.
Note – the recent unexpected cold snap took us by surprise, though it shouldn’t because we are well-aware of what Mother Nature is capable of. The freezing temps damaged some of our Japanese maples, ginkos, hosta and fern, which you will see in the pictures. We tried to cover as much as we could, but when the low hits 26 degrees there is only so much you can do. Gardeners are eternal optimists though, so we are just going to take care of our “ugly” plants so they will have a healthy recovery next year.
New Hosta Beds
We have added two new hosta beds to our collection – Danielle’s and Dinosaurs. The former is in honor of our daughter-in-law, a self-proclaimed princess. We are having a lot of fun finding varieties to fit her theme; we even found one named Slick Chick and another called Sweetest Thing. A sense of humor is required in our family.
The dinosaur theme came from seeing a stone that looks like a triceratops. Elizabeth and I took one look at it and said “we have to have this” so we bought it and now it has inspired a whole new garden filled with dinosaur-named hosta.
New Patio Area
It may come as no surprise to you that Elizabeth and I keep buying new plants that then need a home in our yard. While searching the property for the next development, I noticed that one corner offered a lovely reverse-angle view of our gardens. I like having a lot of places to pause and enjoy the view and this spot offered another gazing opportunity. Another inspiration for the design was a sculpture consisting of three open and three solid circles. I had a lot of left-over pieces from various circle kits perfect for a circle-themed garden. I used the installation as an opportunity to create a tutorial on how to use the Gator Base system, new paver underlayment I am excited about. The plantings are still in progress – more room for our 2020 discoveries!
Orchard Area
Last year we planted new blueberry bushes and fruit trees (apples, pie cherries and pears) to develop an orchard. We were rewarded with a few apples and blueberries last year and it looks like some pie cherries will be coming this year, but we are patient.
Conifer Additions
Our collection of unique conifers is continuing to grow as well. The wildest specimen is a Hupp’s Single Snake. It’s a variety of Norway spruce that has very few branches; it like to grow straight up rather than out. We are looking forward to watching it develop.
While our garden is continuing to grow despite weather challenges, we are clear that our hardships are just an irritant. The real heroes of the plant world are our farmers. We know of one local farmer who lost 500 acres of corn in the last cold snap. While we have to deal with some defoliated plants, farmers have to deal with economic survival. Next time you see a farmer, be sure to thank them for their commitment to feeding our community.
Questions about the plants to you see in our garden? Send us an email or give us a call at (317) 997-4803.
