Down by the pond

Been thinkin about takin the unmowed area far side of our pond, and putting a pretty garden in front of it. Been thinkin about it for three years. A hedge of Japanese Maples, and in front of that a lawn of these kinda golden Spirea, the first of which came up autonomously (from seed). So, red and gold. Full across the entrance side of the unmowed area, except at the entrance path near the middle, just to the right of that rock that's too big to move. I think it would look real nice.

So I spent three years thinking about it, one year just thinking, one year taking cuttings which turned into half a dozen viable plants (reduced to three survivors after some rodent ate then down to the roots during the winter), and then 36 cuttings early this year and 36 more late this year. 30 of the first 36 survive, and maybe half of the second batch: It's too soon to tell.

Along the way I discovered that Japanese Maples tend to lose their "red" during the summer and, more importantly, one variety that does not (lose its color) is called "Inabe Shidare". Beautiful, beautiful, outstanding red. That's the one you want.

So I planted our new reds down by the pond, along with my Spirea, and mulched it all up nice with black mulch. This is the first time we're using mulch for mulch since the wife came home six years ago with a Honda Pilot full of black mulch, and we spent the afternoon spreading it, and the next morning it was, like, literally all gone, thanks to the wind we had overnight. And that was the last time she bought mulch, till now. We've been buying stone and using that for mulch. The lawn mower doesn't like it; neither does the guy who mows the lawn and writes this blog.

So anyway the wife came home recently with these gold, gold barberry bushes, Aurea they are called, and we planted them down there too. It's gonna be a pretty spot.