# Landscape/Garden Design



## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

The following are some of my favorite features from gardens I have built. Some were for me and some for others. I will add photos a few at a time probably by area as not to overwhelm anyone. 
The first garden I will share photos from will be from a garden I built in Massachusetts on the Cape. It was 1/3 acre and contained more than 1200 species/variety of plant material. It was open to the public by appointment. The first photos are of the entrance gates into the side yard which led down a stone step pathway into the back yard. This set of gates came from China. I was told they were circa 1600. I took them when we sold the place and I have them in storage.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 7, 2021)

Nice. Did the new owners keep up the garden?


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## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

Its private now and they kept it but they did not keep it up... if you know what I mean.


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## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

Side yard looking up toward the gates.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 7, 2021)

Holy smokes! I didn't expect that or you as a professional when I asked you to post some photos of your gardens. Thank you so much! I can't wait to see more! .....and please don't mind just a few questions along with it.

Will the Japanese forest grass grow okay in deep shade?


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## Tom-DE (Feb 7, 2021)

The garden gate is a great treasure and I am glad you keep it for yourself. Love those big stones/boulders too.


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## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Holy smokes! I didn't expect that or you as a professional when I asked you to post some photos of your gardens. Thank you so much! I can't wait to see more! .....and please don't mind just a few questions along with it.
> 
> Will the Japanese forest grass grow okay in deep shade?


Hi Tom
Thanks for the compliment. Garden design is a hobby and while I have made some money doing it... it has never been my business.
As for your question... yes Japanese Forest Grass will grow in the deep shade. The newer varieties with red in them need a little more sun to develop good color though. The thing most gardeners don’t realize, and blame on too much shade, is that there is a lot less water in the shady parts of their gardens. Besides the major competition from roots of the trees they plant under the canopy above generally sheds water to the outer part of the canopy which keeps it dryer even in a rainstorm. (That’s why we run under the tree when we get caught in a rain storm right) Take extra time to make sure your shade gardens get enough water. I will frequently water those area after the rain stops to ensure deeper saturation.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 7, 2021)

Thank you for the advice, Phred.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 7, 2021)

What is the yew next to the blooming azalea? And what is the variegated dogwood in the last picture? ( and where did you buy the gate from?)


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## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> What is the yew next to the blooming azalea? And what is the variegated dogwood in the last picture? ( and where did you buy the gate from?)


Hi Linus
The conifer next to the blooming Azalea is a Japanese Hemlock - Tsuga diversifolia.
The variegated Dogwood is Cornus kousa ‘Snow Boy’
The gates came from a shop named Feng Shui near Bellingham MA. The owner would travel to China and buy up as much old stuff as he could as they tore down old homes and courtyards with gates to modernize. At the time they would trash the stuff but at a point the Chinese government decided these items were national treasures and stopped letting him export them. He ended up closing his shop... very sad day. I have other gates and a large number of wood screens from him also.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 7, 2021)

Phred said:


> Hi Linus
> The conifer next to the blooming Azalea is a Japanese Hemlock - Tsuga diversifolia.


Is the T. diversifolia a varietal like Loowit or Minikin?


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## Phred (Feb 7, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> Is the T. diversifolia a varietal like Loowit or Minikin?


It’s a species and it is susceptible to wooly adelgid.


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## abax (Feb 7, 2021)

Wonderful garden that's so tranquil. Looks like a lovely place to take my yoga mat and meditate. Of course, after the
work to maintain that beautiful place.


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## Ozpaph (Feb 8, 2021)

wow!


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## Phred (Feb 8, 2021)

Here’s a couple more pictures of the side yard and then I’ll post on a different area... this photo is through the gates a little further looking toward the back part of the garden. You can see the built in hot tub built in on the right.


This view is looking up towards the gates. The hot tub is sunken into the deck and set on the pad a couple feet below to be as inconspicuous as possible.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 8, 2021)

Love it!
I really love the way you arranged/placed the rocks. 
What is the bamboo that you used for this garden? Is it Fargesia rufa? I am thinking about adding bamboos to my garden, what is your suggestion?


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## Phred (Feb 8, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> What is the bamboo that you used for this garden? Is it Fargesia rufa? I am thinking about adding bamboos to my garden, what is your suggestion?


The bamboo next to the gate is Fargesia robusta (Fountain Bamboo). It’s one of the larger growing ones. I also had F. nitida (Blue Fountain Bamboo) and F. rufa (Green Panda Bamboo). Fargesia rufa is much smaller by about a third or half the size (6-8’). If you have room to let them ‘weep’ I whole hartidly recommend Fargesia. You should tie them up in the winter so they don’t get damaged by heavy snow.
I have grown a number of the running bamboo also... love them all.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 9, 2021)

Thank you for the recommendations, Phred. Space is not an issue for me, so I will add a couple more clumps of bamboos to my gardens.


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## Phred (Feb 9, 2021)

This is the upper area outside the gates. I wanted to creat a private sitting area surrounded by plantings. I built a fence from treated lumber and old spruce 1”x12” boards I scavenged from an old auto repair shop in the country. I constructed berms and began to plant. The two Cryptomeria japonica in the second photo are there to block the neighbors view.


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## southernbelle (Feb 9, 2021)

Phred said:


> The bamboo next to the gate is Fargesia robusta (Fountain Bamboo). It’s one of the larger growing ones. I also had F. nitida (Blue Fountain Bamboo) and F. rufa (Green Panda Bamboo). Fargesia rufa is much smaller by about a third or half the size (6-8’). If you have room to let them ‘weep’ I whole hartidly recommend Fargesia. You should tie them up in the winter so they don’t get damaged by heavy snow.
> I have grown a number of the running bamboo also... love them all.


I thought bamboo was horribly invasive.


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## Phred (Feb 9, 2021)

southernbelle said:


> I thought bamboo was horribly invasive.


There are running bamboos and clumping bamboos... the Fargesia we're talking about are clumping.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 9, 2021)

“Running” bamboo can be invasive. “Clumping” bamboo generally is not invasive. 

Phred- were your bamboos from




__





Bamboo Garden Nursery


Bamboo Garden is an Oregon-based nursery specializing in hardy clumping and hardy timber bamboo. We ship high-quality bamboo plants nationwide.




bamboogarden.com


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## Phred (Feb 9, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> “Running” bamboo can be invasive. “Clumping” bamboo generally is not invasive.
> 
> Phred- were your bamboos from
> 
> ...


No... I got them from various nurseries in MA


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## southernbelle (Feb 9, 2021)

Good to know.


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## PeteM (Feb 9, 2021)

Very impressed. Thanks for sharing. I can see how this level of organization and neatness transfers over to your orchid culture just by looking at your orchid pictures. I need to find a way to harness these super powers.


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## Phred (Feb 9, 2021)

The next stage was deciding what kind of material I wanted to use for the ‘patio’. I decided to use deck and dug out the area so it was level with the driveway. I built the joist system to fill in the area to be decked.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 9, 2021)

Phred, this is very inspiring as spring is just around the corner here.
It is very generous of you to show us all of your gardens and the process of making them. Thank you.


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## Phred (Feb 9, 2021)

My favorite thing about gardening is sharing ideas and info... “freely you have received freely give”.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 9, 2021)

Phred said:


> My favorite thing about gardening is sharing ideas and info... “freely you have received freely give”.


So true!


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## Phred (Feb 10, 2021)

Here’s the area after I decked it... still had to trim up the edges of the decking.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 10, 2021)

Beautiful!
Love those rocks! I don't know how expensive those boulders are in MA but it will cost a fortune in southern Delaware(we have no mountain, no rocks but beaches and sands)
What are your top five favorite conifer plants in this garden?


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## Phred (Feb 10, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Beautiful!
> Love those rocks! I don't know how expensive those boulders are in MA but it will cost a fortune in southern Delaware(we have no mountain, no rocks but beaches and sands)
> What are your top five favorite conifer plants in this garden?


I’m not sure... there were 80 different ones I put in. I do love the dwarf Japanese white pines... Pinus parviflora. I had ‘Adcocks Dwarf’, ‘Arnold Arboretum’ and ‘Fuku Zu Mi’. I was also pretty fond of the Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis’ (Dragon’s Eye Pine) on the top of the berm in the last photo. I had several Cryptomeria also and the miniatures are very cool.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 10, 2021)

I love Japanese white pine(P. parviflora) also. I had one in my old house and it was a spectacular specimen with 3 nice branches/multi trunks. The Japanese umbrella pine(Sciadopitys verticillata) is another favorite of mine. I had to leave both of them behind when we sold that house...I finally added the umbrella pine to my current garden two years ago...I am still trying to find a good Japanese white pine locally.
Another conifer that I really like is the Hinoki Cypress(Cham. obtusa) and I have a few varieties in my garden.


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## Phred (Feb 10, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> I love Japanese white pine(P. parviflora) also. I had one in my old house and it was a spectacular specimen with 3 nice branches/multi trunks. The Japanese umbrella pine(Sciadopitys verticillata) is another favorite of mine. I had to leave both of them behind when we sold that house...I finally added the umbrella pine to my current garden two years ago...I am still trying to find a good Japanese white pine locally.
> Another conifer that I really like is the Hinoki Cypress(Cham. obtusa) and I have a few varieties in my garden.


Hi Tom-DE
I haven’t personally owned a Japanese Umbrella Pine but I do like them. I had a few Hinoki Cypress in this garden though... they’re a great conifer and ‘Nana’ is one of my favorites. I got a Hinoki that was part of a hedge row. It was a twin trunk about 11’ tall when I got it. Below is what I did to it... in 2015 I cleaned it up and the Denver Botanic Garden purchased it from me and it’s still on display in there Japanese garden as far as I know.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 11, 2021)

Nicely done with the Bonsais, Phred. It takes patience and skills!
I only have one large form of Hinoki Cypress, the rest of them are miniatures (mostly from the Nana selection). About 15 years ago, I planted quite a few conifers for my current house, some expensive ones and some common ones...slowly, I lost most of them due to the wet clay/drainage problem in winter, except the Hinoki Cypress--they all live and do quite okay. 
I love fir trees, especially the Korean fir. I want one but I think the climate here is a bit too hot for it.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 11, 2021)

Hi, Phred, Just saw a southern magnolia(assuming) in your landscape. Is it truly hardy in MA.? (not sure what agriculture zone you were in MA).


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## Phred (Feb 11, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Hi, Phred, Just saw a southern magnolia(assuming) in your landscape. Is it truly hardy in MA.? (not sure what agriculture zone you were in MA).


Yes... the Southern Magnolia is hardy where I was. A couple years after that photo we had a very heavy wet snow that broke it off just above the ground and I never got around to planting another.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 11, 2021)

That is amazing!
I saw a few southern magnolias in Staten Island, NY and I thought that was quite remarkable...never imagined they could grow further north than NYC. 
I have 4 southern magnolias(medium or small varieties) in my yard. A few years ago, an ice storm+wet snow broke off the top or branches, they all have recovered from the damages now.


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## Phred (Feb 11, 2021)

The next photos are of this area once it was completed. The plant material is filling in and maturing. You may notice that in some of these photos I have removed the Bamboo hedge and replaced it with Emerald Green Arborvitae. The last two photos are the most recent of them all... and voila privacy. Remember how close the neighbors house was?


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## Tom-DE (Feb 11, 2021)

Wow! Just Wow!

I think it was a good idea to replace the bamboo hedge.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 12, 2021)

what is the "ground cover"? are they all mini-hostas?


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## Phred (Feb 12, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> what is the "ground cover"? are they all mini-hostas?


Hi Linus
It is a stoloniferous Hosta... H. 'Abiqua Ground Cover'. I took one clump and divided it up. Grew them in pots for the summer and then planted the 25 of them on that berm in the fall. Three years later the Hosta covered the area.


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## southernbelle (Feb 12, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> That is amazing!
> I saw a few southern magnolias in Staten Island, NY and I thought that was quite remarkable...never imagined they could grow further north than NYC.
> I have 4 southern magnolias(medium or small varieties) in my yard. A few years ago, an ice storm+wet snow broke off the top or branches, they all have recovered from the damages now.


If you look at the zones, the Cape of MA is not much different from Northern VA where I am. The proximity to the water affects the temps.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 12, 2021)

southernbelle said:


> If you look at the zones, the Cape of MA is not much different from Northern VA where I am. The proximity to the water affects the temps.


southerbelle, I can't compare without knowing the exact locations. NY to MA is far away....Plants are very sensitive when it comes to the S/N limit. I moved 3 hours away from NJ to DE(Zone 6b to Zone 7b) and I know many of my plants here(DE) just can't grow/grow well in NJ zone 6b....or Vice versa.
Water does affect the temperatures, therefore there might be warmer spots in MA while the majority of MA is in a much colder zone, 5 or 6. The wind and snow affect the plant hardiness too...I don't know where in MA Phred was, so I am not speculating that ..., but I know there are some differences, weatherwise, between Staten Island and the Boston area even though both are near the ocean.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 12, 2021)

Phred said:


> It is a stoloniferous Hosta... H. 'Abiqua Ground Cover'. I took one clump and divided it up. Grew them in pots for the summer and then planted the 25 of them on that berm in the fall. Three years later the Hosta covered the area.


I never heard about stoloniferous Hosta. It can be useful around my pond if it can take part-sun.


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## Phred (Feb 12, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> I never heard about stoloniferous Hosta. It can be useful around my pond if it can take part-sun.


Most Hosta can take more sun but you have to keep them watered. The Host in that photo were in full afternoon sun where/when they weren't shaded by shrubs.


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## southernbelle (Feb 12, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> southerbelle, I can't compare without knowing the exact locations. NY to MA is far away....Plants are very sensitive when it comes to the S/N limit. I moved 3 hours away from NJ to DE(Zone 6b to Zone 7b) and I know many of my plants here(DE) just can't grow/grow well in NJ zone 6b....or Vice versa.
> Water does affect the temperatures, therefore there might be warmer spots in MA while the majority of MA is in a much colder zone, 5 or 6. The wind and snow affect the plant hardiness too...I don't know where in MA Phred was, so I am not speculating that ..., but I know there are some differences, weatherwise, between Staten Island and the Boston area even though both are near the ocean.


Tom, I believe he mentioned in his early comments that the garden was on the Cape. If you look at a USDA hardiness map, Cape Cod ranges from Zone 6B closest to the mainland to 7A farther out. What is considered Northern VA (north and west of DC and southwest to Fredericksburg) has exactly the same range. It was surprising to me when I first realized it, as well, but my sister-in-law lives in Sandwich at the beginning of the Cape and we lived due west of DC (west of Centreville) and the zone for both is 6B.


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## Phred (Feb 12, 2021)

I was in Harwich... about half way out. Most winters the cold temps put me squarely in a zone 8 but about once or twice every third year it got colder.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

southernbelle said:


> Tom, I believe he mentioned in his early comments that the garden was on the Cape. If you look at a USDA hardiness map, Cape Cod ranges from Zone 6B closest to the mainland to 7A farther out...


Yes, he did and I totally missed it.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

Phred, Thank you. Please feel free to amuse us with your other gardens when you have time.


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

This is the sidewalk garden. Lots of interesting plants in these two areas.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 13, 2021)

Interesting stools? Remind me of some of the african stools/seats.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

Phred said:


> This is the sidewalk garden. Lots of interesting plants in these two areas.
> 
> View attachment 25455



Phred, what is that fern in the middle, surrounded by three Hostas? A Japanese tassel fern? I think we do have "more" similar taste for plants in this part of the garden...I got a couple of ferns mounted on my driftwood aka "the log" too.
Thanks, Phred.


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Phred, what is that fern in the middle, surrounded by three Hostas? A Japanese tassel fern? I think we do have "more" similar taste for plants in this part of the garden...I got a couple of ferns mounted on my driftwood aka "the log" too.
> Thanks, Phred.


Hi Tom-DE
Good eye... it’s Polystichum polyblepharum – Tassel Fern. Ferns are one of my favorite plant groups. I had 125 different species/variety of fern in this garden. (The Garden Name was - Fernwood Gardens)
The fern on the log is Polypodium vulgare - Common Polypodium.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

I am warming up with ferns also. Last year, I think I added at least two dozens of them(mostly species) to my gardens. The garden center I have visited frequently has a good supply of ferns but they don't have my next must-have fern yet, called the mossy soft shield fern(Polystichum setiferum "Plumosum Densum").

Epimedium is another favorite of mine.... and I am sure you might have some too. The really good/unusual Epiomedium species are a bit expensive (for me anyway). It is funny we are willing to pay many times more for an orchid but we complain about how expensive it is for garden plants...


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> I am warming up with ferns also. Last year, I think I added at least two dozens of them(mostly species) to my gardens. The garden center I have visited frequently has a good supply of ferns but they don't have my next must-have fern yet, called the mossy soft shield fern(Polystichum setiferum "Plumosum Densum").


I had several of the soft shield ferns. I thought ‘Plumosum Multilobum’ was the Mossy Soft Shield Fern... or at least it used to be.
Polystichum setiferum ‘Barfords Dwarf’
Polystichum setiferum ‘Bevis’ – Soft Needle Fern
Polystichum setiferum ‘Congestum Cristatum’ – Dwarf Crested Soft Shield Fern
Polystichum setiferum ‘Congestum’ - Dwarf Soft Shield Fern
Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum Cristatum’
Polystichum setiferum ‘Divisilobum Mossy Mama’
Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Bevis’- Soft Shield Fern
Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Densum’
Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Multilobum’ – Mossy Soft Shield Fern
Check out Far Reaches Farm... I used to get lots of ferns from a guy in Oregon but he’s long retired. You could try Fancy Fronds Nursery 





Ferns — Fancy Fronds Nursery







www.fancyfrondsnursery.com


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

Phred said:


> I had several of the soft shield ferns. I thought ‘Plumosum Multilobum’ was the Mossy Soft Shield Fern... or at least it used to be.
> Polystichum setiferum ‘Barfords Dwarf’
> Polystichum setiferum ‘Bevis’ – Soft Needle Fern
> Polystichum setiferum ‘Congestum Cristatum’ – Dwarf Crested Soft Shield Fern
> ...


I think moss fern has several clones. If memory doesn't fail me, I believe "Plumosum Densum" is the original one found in Scotland... I actually like "Plumosum Multilobum" better. Which one is your favorite?
Thank you for the source/recommendation. I will check on them.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 13, 2021)

For epimediums, Garden Vision Epimediums:





Garden Vision Epimediums


choice perennials for the shade garden




www.epimediums.com





for ferns and epimediums, Sebright (OR)





Sebright Gardens - Oregon's Premier Selection of Hostas and Epimediums


Specializing in Hostas, Ferns, Epimediums and shade tolerant perennials.



sebrightgardens.com


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## Tom-DE (Feb 13, 2021)

Know about Sebright... will check on the other, Thanks.


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> I think moss fern has several clones. If memory doesn't fail me, I believe "Plumosum Densum" is the original one found in Scotland... I actually like "Plumosum Multilobum" better. Which one is your favorite?
> Thank you for the source/recommendation. I will check on them.


Lol... I never met a fern I didnt love. The ‘Mossy Mama’ are cool because they produce little platelets on their fronds. Another great place to buy ferns and rare/unusual plants is in British Columbia Canada and they used to ship to me... Fraser’s Thimble Farms.





Fraser's Thimble Farms - Rare and Native Plant Nursery


Thimble Farms is a mail order nursery that specializes in rare, unusual and native plants. Hardy Orchids, Cypripediums, Ferns,Perennial and More.



thimblefarms.com


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 13, 2021)

I'm starting to get in to ardisia and aspidistra; anyone have experience with them and suggested vendors?


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> I'm starting to get in to ardisia and aspidistra; anyone have experience with them and suggested vendors?


Hi Linus
Plant Delights Nursery has had the best selection of Aspidistra I’ve ever seen for sale. They also sell Ardisia.








Perennial Garden Plants, Online Nursery | Plant Delights Nursery


Buy perennial garden plants at our online nursery. Best place to buy plants online! Our mail order catalog has 1000s of new flowering perennials for sale.




www.plantdelights.com


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 13, 2021)

Phred said:


> Hi Linus
> Plant Delights Nursery has had the best selection of Aspidistra I’ve ever seen for sale. They also sell Ardisia.
> 
> 
> ...


Already got Aspidistra from PD. Nurseries Carolinia is also a great source: Nurseries Caroliniana


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## Phred (Feb 13, 2021)

Here’s a few shots of the gardens in the front of the property. I even had a tiny little lawn.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 14, 2021)

What is the yellow-chartreuse plant in the foreground of the last photo (growing with the lambs ear)?


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## Phred (Feb 14, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> What is the yellow-chartreuse plant in the foreground of the last photo (growing with the lambs ear)?


Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' (Creeping Golden Marjoram)


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## Phred (Feb 14, 2021)

These are the last photos I’m going to post on this garden. As you know from some of the photos I had a Bamboo hedge separating the garden from the road. The Bamboo was Phyllostachys aureosulcata (Yellow Groove Bamboo). It’s a running Bamboo but was kept from entering into the garden by a 2’ wall buried into the ground between it and the garden. I had no issues keeping it contained. I only removed it because each winter when we got a heavy snow it would bend over into the road (it was about 17’ tall) and the snow plow would come by and smash the tops off. It made a real mess and added a lot of work to my spring cleanup. I removed the bamboo and replaced it with a hedge of Emerald Green Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’). I got a great deal on 50 and bought them before I was ready to them... has anyone else ever done that? I wanted to plant them on a berm to give the hedge more height but I couldn’t decide what kind of wall I wanted on the outside. I did the only thing I could think of... I built a wall out of cheap lumber, built the berm and planted the hedge. I planted the Arborvitae 2’ apart on center so they would grow together and block the view as completely and quickly as possible. By spring I had decided to use the artificial blue stone blocks pictured. I removed the wooden wall and replaced it with the block. The total length of the wall is 100’ not counting the driveway.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 14, 2021)

Was it difficult to remove the bamboo?


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## Tom-DE (Feb 14, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> Nurseries Carolinia is also a great source: Nurseries Caroliniana



Just bookmarked this... hopefully they will have Magnolia sieboldii again.


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## Phred (Feb 14, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Was it difficult to remove the bamboo?


Absolutely not. Bamboo roots need oxygen therefore their root system is shallow. I dug up some clumps with 3-5 culms each and sold them. The rest I lifted in 4x4' sections with a Bobcat and transplanted them to a friends garden.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 14, 2021)

Good to know. With the right equipment, the job will be easier....


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 14, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Just bookmarked this... hopefully they will have Magnolia sieboldii again.



I’m waiting on some variegated camellias from nurcar...
Maybe camforest will have some in the future M. sieboldii? They are supposedly propagating Magnolia eternal spring for fall sales. 
And as long as I’ve shared vendors, I’ll recommend issimaworks- $12 flat shipping!


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## Tom-DE (Feb 14, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> I’m waiting on some variegated camellias from nurcar...
> Maybe camforest will have some in the future M. sieboldii? They are supposedly propagating Magnolia eternal spring for fall sales.
> And as long as I’ve shared vendors, I’ll recommend issimaworks- $12 flat shipping!


Hi Linus, who is camforest? issimaworks?


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 14, 2021)

Camellia Forest Nursery: Camellia Forest Nursery

Issima Gardens:








issima







www.issimaworks.com


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## Tom-DE (Feb 14, 2021)

Thank you, Linus.


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## abax (Feb 14, 2021)

Phred, can you give a rough estimate of the total cost of this garden?


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## Phred (Feb 15, 2021)

abax said:


> Phred, can you give a rough estimate of the total cost of this garden?


Including hardscape (decks, fences and wall) about 10K a year over 10 years... 100K


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## shariea (Feb 15, 2021)

It looks fabulous! My garden budget is WAY shoestring in comparison! Lots of fieldstone drug home from piles at the corners of farm fields, and salvaged items. And that us why I love gardening so much. Every person's individual vision translated into plants and hardscape!


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## Phred (Feb 15, 2021)

Time for a new garden... the owners of this property visited my garden late one summer and asked if I would do some work for them. I don’t design/build gardens for a living so I can afford to work on my own terms more-so than the average landscaper. There are two things I require if I’m going to do this kind of work. The first, I would only take the project on if I could find the right stone (boulder) material for the hardscape. The second was that they understood that I don't work off of a plan. As I walk around a property I decide, based on the property, what I think would be best. I let them know I would explain to them what I had in mind beforehand but that it could change if my vision changed as the project progressed and they had to be okay with that. I don’t want to sound arrogant but if you like what I do then let me do it. If you want to decide the details of the garden there are thousands of others in the business you can hire. These are always my conditions if I’m going to spend so much time away from my own projects to work on theirs. It took me until the next summer to find stone I liked in a large enough quantity (45 ton) and once they agreed to my conditions I started their project. 
This property had an approximate 45,000 gal pond built by the home owners some 10 years previous to my getting involved. The pond was ordinary and they wanted a Japanese ‘type’ garden around the pond. The only request they had was they wanted a better waterfalls... theirs was more like a slow trickling stream. 
The following is that feature from start to finish. In the first photo you can see the large oak tree on the left. Their waterfall/stream where the cattails are growing and the pump ‘hidden’ behind the lattice.


I cut down the tree, removed all the other plant material in the area and the waterfalls.


I started to place the boulders one at a time starting in the water and worked my way to the top. It’s trial and error with a little starting over, here and there, until you get the look and function you want.


Once I had the look I wanted I made sure water actually ‘fell’ and landscaped around it.


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## Phred (Feb 19, 2021)

This next feature is a favorite of mine. Because the shape of this pond was ordinary I wanted to obscure the shoreline wherever I could. I built this zigzag bridge that is on the land then cantilevered over the water then back on the land then cantilevered over the water again and then back onto the land. The deck boards were put on in a pattern that makes it look like the bridge is ‘snaking’ along the shore. The layout of this feature left me plenty of space to plant various species of water Iris on the shore and in the water... over 300 plants in all.
First are the area before photos.


The next photos show the building of the bridge. The last photo was taken one year latter just after the Iris bloom season but you can see how well everything has filled in. The second to the last photo shows the retaining wall I built from repurposed treated lumber dock pillings.


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## Tom-DE (Feb 19, 2021)

I like that bridge very much.


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## Linus_Cello (Feb 19, 2021)

What are the grasses in the flat, liriope?


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## Tom-DE (Feb 19, 2021)

looks like mondo grass to me...I also like liriope.


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## Phred (Feb 19, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> What are the grasses in the flat, liriope?


Liriope spicata... for another area of the garden.


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## Phred (Mar 3, 2021)

I found the pictures of the other set of gates I got from China. I have them in storage for a future project.


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## cnycharles (Mar 4, 2021)

Very nice


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## abax (Mar 4, 2021)

Beautiful wood for a rustic setting. I like the simplicity of the design. The wood grain is really lovely.


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 5, 2021)

Any thoughts on vendors with these Asian items? Any that participate in “trade secrets”? (I’d love to get the carved dragon)









VENDORS — TRADE SECRETS







www.tradesecretsct.com


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## Tom-DE (Mar 5, 2021)

Linus, Any opinions on Hirt's Garden(for perennials)?


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 5, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Linus, Any opinions on Hirt's Garden(for perennials)?



Sorry, never heard of them.

JC Raulston had a great episode on numerous plant vendors that ship: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJXZ5-_f9Jo

If you send me your email address, I can send you the list of plants vendors mentioned in the video (the same list mentioned at the end of the video).


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## Tom-DE (Mar 5, 2021)

Thank you, Linus. I love JCR videos too and I watch them mostly in the wintertime. Very informative.

About Hirt's Gardens, I have never ordered anything from them either. The prices seem good compared to others. so I will order few (cheap) things from them when I'm ready.


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## Tom-DE (Mar 10, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> JC Raulston had a great episode on numerous plant vendors that ship: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJXZ5-_f9Jo


Per JC R recommendations, I placed a small order from Mr. Maple this past weekend and I got them today! That is fast!!!! Plants are nice and healthy.
I got Ginkgo biloba "Troll" and Acer palmatum "Mikawa Yatsubusa". Both are a dwarf variety. Thank you, Linus.


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 10, 2021)

Tom-DE said:


> Per JC R recommendations, I placed a small order from Mr. Maple this past weekend and I got them today! That is fast!!!! Plants are nice and healthy.
> I got Ginkgo biloba "Troll" and Acer palmatum "Mikawa Yatsubusa". Both are a dwarf variety. Thank you, Linus.


As a fellow gardener said, I tithe to them regularly (especially subscribing to their 10 plant special emails they send Tuesday morning). If you’re on the east coast their shipping prices are really good.


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## Tom-DE (Mar 20, 2021)

Since I mentioned Hirts Gardens here, I have to give my 2 cents. If I have to grade them, I will give them 6.5 or 7 (scales of 1 to 10). No need for an explanation....


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