Just a quick note on properly planting a new tree. I’ve seen way too many poorly prepared tree root balls this spring to wait on putting out this post. So many installers (professionals and DIYers) believe that burlap sacks on rootballs should be left on the tree when it is planted. Just the opposite is true — remove that burlap and all the string that is holding it onto the tree.

The string, if left in place, will girdle the tree as it matures. As the tree ages, its trunk will get wider. If the string still wraps around the trunk, the tree will grow over the string. The tree’s transport systems — the part of the tree that transports water up to the leaves and nutrients down to the roots — is just under the bark layer. So, as the tree grows over the string, the string will choke off this system or “girdle” the tree. And, the tree will die.

Also, when planting a new tree, you want to be sure to put the root system below ground and the trunk system above ground. Often a burlap wrap is tied significantly above the point where the trunk enters the soil. So, if you plant your tree in the burlap, odds are you will plant it too deep.

Finally, roots need to be free of the burlap in order to expand into the surrounding soil. This expansion will allow the tree to take root strongly. It will allow the tree to establish itself. If the burlap is left in place, likely the roots will not expand or they will circle in the burlap. Yes, burlap is a natural substance that may decompose over time. However, it may take longer to decompose than it takes for your tree to try to establish itself. And, if the roots start going in circles for years, they likely won’t stop going in circles once the burlap does rot away.

And on staking…really, usually staking isn’t necessary and can ultimately cause a tree to avoid building strong roots that allow it to hold itself up on its own. Stakes can be necessary on very windy sites where the young tree may blow over or used as a training tool for leaning trees. But, more often than not a stake isn’t required. Too, if you are going to stake your tree, use loose ties that are attached to the tree as low as possible. By tieing off low and loose, the tree is allowed to sway and move, which encourages it to root strongly. And, remove stakes after about 6 months and no more than one year. Those ties can also end up girdling your tree over time. And, once established, a tree even in a windy area should be able to support itself stake-free.

So, do yourself a favor and take the burlap off. Take the string off. And plant your tree to a proper depth.

If you don’t believe me or if you would just like more reading on this subject that also covers what to do if your tree comes wrapped in a wire basket or in a plastic container, visit these articles:

• Treesaregood.org, is produced by the International Society of Arboriculture for homeowners: http://www.treesaregood.org/treecare/tree_planting.aspx
• Seattle DOT New Tree Planting Procedures: http://www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/newtreeplanting.htm

 Also, if you’re looking for information to help you with transplanting a large tree or shrub read this two-part post: http://www.gardenhelp.org/uncategorized/garden-coach-on-moving-trees-transplanting-trees-part-i/

I always dreamed of having a peach tree in my garden. When I was a child growing up on a farm, we didn’t have peaches, but I always wanted them. So, just after we bought our first home, I visited a local nursery to buy a tree for the new garden. I bought the tree even before we had moved into the house. We planned to make this tree a celebration of our new life in this house the moment we moved in.

Peaches belong to the genus Prunus. I planted a Prunus persica ‘Frost’ about 9 years ago. It was a very young tree that we sited in a protected location in our back garden. It was placed in a mid-sided bed on the north side of the property, between two buildings. It had plenty of room to spread and grow and received great morning (Easterly) light and mid-day light from the south. The tree was quite lovely — in some respects.

In its first year it developed Peach Leaf Curl. Because I was fairly naive about fruit tree care at the time, I took a sample of the deformed leaves to a Master Gardener Help desk at a local nursery. The rudest MG I’ve ever met scoffed at me saying, “I just don’t understand why home gardeners in Seattle think they should plant these trees here. They’re so disease prone.” She then explained that the tree had leaf curl and I needed to start spraying it regularly to control the disease. What she didn’t realize was that

1. I had purchased the tree at the nursery where she was giving advice
2.  she was horribly rude and insulting
3. The reason I grew the tree was because I love them and was told it would do well in my garden.
4. There are alternative methods to controlling leaf curl!

I decided to skip the spraying she was recommending and did some additional research on my own. I learned that if I picked the sick leaves off the plant and removed diseased debris from the ground around the tree I might control the disease through manual methods rather than chemical methods. For two growing seasons I followed this approach. I had some fear that I would defoliate the tree so much that it would starve, but the tree survived and as it became established, it no longer had the curled leaves. Occassionally, one or two leaves would exhibit signs of the problem, but it looked like the tree and I won out. (Also, I should note that I did do about 2 seasons of compost tea applications to the tree, which I believe, but cannot prove, helped strengthen the plant.)

After the tree was about 3 years old and had defeated the curl problems, it began to flower nicely and begin producing significant fruit. Before I knew better, I did mal-prune the tree, essentially topping it. Later I was to learn that topping a tree is bad, but in the case of a peach it is sometimes done to encourage new growth on which fruiting occurs. So, a mistake somehow became okay. Over the next couple of years I began better pruning to correct or adjust my mistakes. And, I continued to harvest bumper crops of peaches. Family members came to love the peach jam that came at christmas. And we gorged ourselves on peach tart tatin, peach cobbler, grilled peaches on salads, fresh peaches and so forth. And then the real nasty stuff showed up!

Yes, my peach began showing signs of peach brown rot. Likely, it had the disease long before I knew to look for it. But, when I did learn what to look for, I recognized it right away. Twigs would start to leaf out and then die back, turning brown. Blossoms would cover the tree, and some would wither and turn brown. Brown ooze would show up in the crotches of the tree. And, finally, the fruit was affected by the disease and would mummify on the tree.

I refused to do a lot of spraying on my tree, and I’ve heard that the spray methods often don’t help much anyway. Sure, I could have tried, but being a mostly organic gardener, I had no interest in going this route. So, I tried to pick the fruit a little green and use it before it turned into a mushy, nasty fuzzy grey mass. This worked a bit, but then the situation got even worse — rats decided this tree was their party banquet.

Rats! A sick tree! Inedible fruit! I was done.

The Seattle Times ran a piece on the various issues surrounding growing peaches and other fruit trees in our area. I suggest reading this article for additional information. (I will say here that in my experience ‘Frost’ does produce a very flavorful fruit, but if the fruit must be picked when young, due to disease issues, it gets a bit mealy and flavorless. Cooked or jammed it is just fine!) This article also discusses problems with growing cherries and apricots. Issues with apple and pear are an entirely other discussion.

So what’s next? Well, as you can see from the photos, our peach has been cut down and the stump has been dug out. Some suckers from the tree still exist, but they will be removed as we rework the entire area of the garden. (Yes, peaches sucker, which is another annoying thing about them in the residential garden.) The orange paint you see in the photos is part of our work in determining the flow of a new path we’ll install through the bed.
The perennials will be moved and new trees added to provide them the shade they need. We’ve selected one tree, an Azara microphylla. And, I’ll be moving a Disanthus into this bed, but as for everything else, well I haven’t decided on everything just yet!

I guess I now know more about why the rude Master Gardener scoffed at a naive home gardener growning a peach. There really are better choices to be made. Still, I think the greatest lesson I learned from her attitude was to be kinder in teaching gardening lessons. None of us are born knowing everything, many of us learn through doing, and we look to our teachers for guidance and encouragement not ridicule.

This is just a quick reminder that spring rains in western washington can deceive us into thinking our soils are holding enough water to sustain our plants. It may be gray and drippy for days on end, but the rainfall totals may not be significant enough to keep your soil moisture levels consistent for your plants.

If you’ve got clay or have been amending your sandy soils with organic mulches, your garden will have better moisture holding capacity. But, with lower rainfalls, your moisture may be getting trapped in upper layers of mulch rather than getting down to the deep feeding roots of your plants. And remember, just because your soil is hard to dig in doesn’t mean you have clay. It may just be compacted!

 So, this is just a reminder to get out in your gardens as spring goes on to do a little digging and see how deep your soil is moist. If it’s dry a few inches down, sadly, it may be time to turn on your irrigation or begin hand watering. This is especially critical if you have newly installed gardens or gardens that are just a year or two old. As your plants get established, even if they are labelled “drought tolerant”, it is important to water them consistently. If you don’t, you may lose the investment you made to install them. 

And, don’t forget about your lawns. Spring is when they green up and look great, but are their roots continuing to get deeper into the soil profile or are they living with shallow roots that require constant watering. Dig a hidden patch of your lawn to see how deep your living lawn roots are. The deeper you can get them to grow now, the less watering you’ll need to provide in the summer as they’ll have the ability to tap into the deeper water resources you have helped build up for them this spring.

Eventhough I keep waking up to frosty rooftops and occassionally watch snow mixed with rain falling from the sky as storms roll through, now is the time of year to watch for great plant sales. Nurseries begin sending out coupons, various garden club plant sale signs begin popping up on street corners, and the “regular” seasonal sale schedule reminders start showing up in the mail. Following are a few of my favorite spring sales. Consider hitting a few yourself!

• Seattle Tilth Edible Plant Sale, May 3rd from 9am-3pm at Meridian Park in Wallingford
• Lake Washington Technical College Horticulture Sale, April 25th-26th and May 2nd-3rd from 91m-3pm at the Lake Washington Technical College Greenhouses in Kirkland, WA
• Seattle Arboretum Plant Sales, Florabundance, April 26th from 10am-5pm and Sunday, April 27th from 10am-3pm at Magnuson Park in Seattle

If you have a favorite plant sale in the greater Seattle area that isn’t listed here, please let me know, and I will be glad to share it with our readers.

Earlier this year, I had the special opportunity to meet Nori Burnett and get a personal tour of her moss garden in Richmond, Virginia. Over 30 years ago she began the process of incorporating moss into her garden in place of lawn. She had tried to establish lawns, but in her woodland setting it was a losing battle. Taking an “if you can’t beat’m then join’m attitude” she began researching the types of moss in her garden (no small task) and cultivating its growth to create vast swaths of rolling green.

These photos were taken at the end of winter. She shared printed photos and magazine photos of the garden (yes, the garden is somewhat famous!) throughout the year, and take my word for it, the space is stunning. Nori will be the first one to admit that moss doesn’t make a great “lawn” for dogs and children, but in a more adult-oriented space with lots of shade, it makes sense! The birds and squirrels may peck up some patches, but they’re easy to refill. The look of the moss changes throughout the year and provides a quiet, inviting, soft space to tread upon.

 
For more on Nori’s fabulous garden, program your TiVO now to record HGTV’s Gardener’s Diary, which will feature Nori and her garden on Thursday, April 3rd at 7am. Click here for more information.

One of my clients who lives in a woodland setting recently wrote in to ask:

 ”What are the names of the dogwoods you mentioned (when we last met). (The nursery) had a lot, but it was hard to tell if they were the ones you mentioned.”

Response:
Two nice twig dogwoods for you to consider are:

Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’: Yellow branches at the ground graduate up toward reddish-orange tips add brilliant twiggy color in winter. The shrub leaves can range from chartreuse to orangish to green.

Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’: Red twigs with green and cream leaves in summer. The variegated leaves are particularly nice I a dark, shady garden corner as they will add brightness in the summer months while the red twigs will pop out against an evergreen backdrop in winter.

One thing to avoid is planting these two together. It will look polka-dotty. Select one for one area of the garden and another for another area of the garden. Keep in mind they will mature to 6’-8’ tall and suckering in width.

Yesterday I spent most of the morning running to wholesale nurseries for clients. Yes, I hold a retail plant license. Many of my clients have limited time. Some are working moms. Others are world-travelling executives. Some just don’t drive. You get the picture. They might love trips to the retail nursery, but sometimes it just makes sense for them to have me deliver plants to their door.

Tomorrow I’m coaching a client on putting new plants into her garden. Rather than spend hours and hours shopping with me, she decided to have me buy the plants for her and bring them to our session. This is a great service for her, and its loads of fun for me. As a plant geek, I adore a chance to visit the nurseries and hand-select the best plant options to fit each clients needs — from budget to privacy to anything else.

 After I was finished with my client shopping, I took a few minutes to walk thru the nursery to see what fabulous new plants were in stock. And, I was thrilled to find two trees that I’ve been wanting.

One is an Azara microphylla, which is a broadleaf evergreen with tiny, shiny dark green leaves. It grows fairly vertically, becoming wider with age. In the spring it has tiny yellow flower that are very fragrant, especially on warmer days. In the past I just haven’t found ones large enough for my needs. They aren’t super fast grower, so usually my suppliers only have them at about 2-3′ tall, max. My score was a 7′ tall one with beautiful tree-like form. It was a bit beyond the budget of zero I’d planned to spend, but I knew the opportunity to find a nice one at this size wouldn’t be around for long, so I grabbed it up. (See, if you send me to shop for you, you’ll have the benefit of someone who knows a “must-have” buy!)

The second score is a Clerodendrum trichotomum or Harlequin Glorybower. This sweet little tree/large shrub offers beautiful pinkish white flowers with abundant jasmine-esque fragrance in late summer, followed/overlapped by shiny metalic pink and purple fruit. It is a charming tree when doing its thing, but it is fairly ugly when dormant. It will go in a blended border to help hide its uglier side. I’ll share a photo of this beauty later.

I know it’s taken me a lot of words in part I of this piece on moving trees to get to actually sharing a tree moving experience, but I do think it’s important to discuss why we might move a tree and the variety of caveots associated with tree placement and relocation. Sure, every situation will have a different set of rules applied to it, and I freely admit that I haven’t, and couldn’t possibly, address every tree and every scenario. However, here’s the steps a client and I took in late winter to move a small Stewartia that had been planted in the “wrong” location.

The Stewartia in question had actually been located into a garden bed, away from the house. In many scenarios, it was actually just fine where it was. However, my client needed (wanted) to put in a patio to make their garden more usable. And, the Stewartia was sited in the middle of the best spot for this patio. So, together, we decided to move it this winter before it leafed out but after the chance of a big freeze would limit its ability to root rapidly into its new location. (As I write this, I laugh, thinking of the freezing rain we had last night. Just enough frozen stuff to make me a little bit nervous.) My client had decided it was worth trying to save the tree rather than just cut it down and dispose of it.

To get ready for the job, we evaluated the tree, deciding which side would be the new “front” as it was going from a circular bed to a bed that would give a focal, “front” view to the tree. Then, we dug the new hole for the tree. We wanted the new location ready for the tree as soon as we got it out of the ground. We estimating how much rootball would come with the tree, based on how much rooting area we thought we could handle, and dug the new hole accordingly. To help ensure the heavy new tree wouldn’t sink when planted, we lightly tamped down the base of the new hole and made it quite wide. Then we went back to the tree to begin the process of moving it.

First, we made sure we had the right tools. These included several sharp shovels, several hori-hori knives, a large tarp, several ground shears and a ground saw. The hori-hori knives were to allow us hand digging; you could use your favorite hand tool/trowel if you prefer. The ground shears and saw are tools that I specifically only use underground. Once tools come in contact with soil, they tend to dull up pretty fast. I tend to use my older tools for these tasks, but I keep them sharp! Before we began digging, we cleaned and sterilized all the tools. We used a flame torch on some of the shovels and liquid lysol on all of the hand tools.

Then we began our work. We had a team of four. Three of us did most of the digging. The fourth came in to help with the final part of moving.

Two of the team used sharp shovels to begin digging a perimeter around the base of the tree. My rule of thumb on moving a tree is to “dig as big a root ball as you think you’ll be able to move”. Yes, that’s vague. If you’ve never moved a tree before, you might want to do it with a professional the first time! Once the main perimeter cuts were made with the shovels, we got in with hand tools and began a merry-go-round working our way around the perimeter. As one person dug, another would follow with sharp shears and saws to clean cut any large roots. Remember: the small “hairy roots” in the first 18″ of the soil are the feeder roots. You want a lot of these. The bigger roots are mostly scaffolding roots, which hold up the tree and give it stability and nutrient storage. Clean cuts on these are very important.

As we worked our way around and around the tree, it became apparent that the tree hadn’t been planted well in the first place. I wasn’t surprised. Based on the age of the tree, it should have been much larger than it was. When we found the original wire tree basket still attached to the tree roots, which had kinked around the metal, I knew this was part of the reason the tree’s growth was stunted. As well, nearly all of the scaffolding roots were growing on one side (the north side) the tree. So, we did what we could to remove the dangerous metal pieces as we dug.

Eventually, we had a good depth around the perimeter of the tree. Now, we had to cut it from the bottom. I knew we wouldn’t have much to deal with in scaffolding roots since they seemed to run more laterally than downward in this tree’s case. Gently, one of our team tipped the tree sideways as another cut the bottom of the tree.

Once the tree was seperated from the ground, we gently tipped the tree to one side and slipped a large tarp under it. We tipped the tree the opposite way and pulled the tarp through. Yes, easier said than done, but it is do-able with patience.

Then, with four people working on the tree, we pulled, tugged and pushed to get the tree on the tarp out of the hole. Again, easier said than done, but it is doable. And, again, don’t tug by the trunk or limbs of the tree.

With the tree out of the hole, we could now see the root ball in its entirety. One team member returned to the new location hole and dug some more to accomodate our large rootball. As he did this, I evaluated all the roots and corrected any torn ones by cutting them cleanly.

Then, we worked together to spin the tree, on the tarp, so we could drag it to the new hole and easily drop it into place. Yes, you’re right, “easier said than done”. But we did it. We took care not to smack each other with limbs. We laughed. One of us gave the “1-2-3-heave!” count, and away we went. Soon we had the tree in its new home.

We planted the tree in, taking care to bury it only as deep as it was planted originally. And, we put a hose on the new planting on a slow drip to water it in. (My client continued to do this for a few days to help supplement the light rains and give the tree a chance to root in well.) As the water ran, I trimmed out broken branches only. We’ll let the tree decide which limbs it wants to release this spring. There’s no need to try to trim it to match the top to the trimmed roots on the bottom. Also, we trimmed branches off a large tree beside this tree’s location. Eventually this larger tree will be removed as it is in the wrong place, but for now it is staying as we watch and see how the Stewartia takes root.

When we moved the Stewartia, its buds were beginning to swell, but they hadn’t opened. Much of the energy a deciduous tree uses to open spring buds is stored in the stem near the bud. So, the root system doesn’t get tapped much for this process. This is why sometimes a plant will bud out in spring only to die right after. Its stems had energy, but its roots did not in this case. (Again, I’m generalizing here.) Once the bud opens, the leaf begins photosynthesizing, feeding the plant. So far, several weeks later, the buds have opened and the tree seems to be doing well. My client and I look forward to seeing how the tree progresses into the spring. When the ground gets warmer, I’ll probably recommend a mycorhizzae application. For now, I just hope the ground doesn’t freeze!

Oh, and the patio space is filling in nicely. It has been excavated, and the crushed base material will be laid in this weekend.

Any questions?!

Quite often my clients struggle with inherited gardens that include desirable plants that are just in the wrong location. What was once a small shrub near a foundation may have grown into a small tree that now encroaches on windows and building sidings becoming access paths for rats to rooftops. A random tree may be growing in the middle a lawn where its bark is suceptible to the wrath of the lawnmower. Really the list goes on. So the question becomes what to do about these issues?

In some cases inappropriate pruning has been the solution. More than once I’ve visited a new client with overgrown trees near foundations. Rather than know they have the power to move the tree to a new location, the client (or the client’s mow-blow-go gardener) whacks away at the tree trying to “make it smaller”. This, as any of my clients who have taken pruning lessons knows, results in more problems than solutions. Random whacking removes one limb, replacing it with countless others that are weaker than the original. It doesn’t solve the problem. The rats can still use the ladder. The roots of the tree can continue to hump against the foundation. Surrounding walkways continue to heave. Siding continues to be compromised. Again, what should be done?

Ideally, in the first place, the garden designer should have selected an appropriate plant for an appropriate place. Too often longterm plant growth (along with exposure requirements and more) are ignored by designers (or installers). Since we’re looking at situations where the problem is already in place, the ideal solution is to move the wrong plant to the right place.

Moving a tree can be a daunting task. They’re heavy. They’re alive. They’re fragile. Still, they’re movable. In some cases moving a tree means removing it altogether. If it’s been damaged significantly it may require more renovation work than you’re likely to perform. As well, it may never recover from past damage. If it is in a location where hardscape makes it impossible to remove the rootball, then realistically it won’t survive transplanting. However, if the tree is in decent shape and you have the right tools for the job, moving it to a new location is possible. Don’t have a new location for it yourself? Consider donating it on craigslist or to a local park instead. Remember, this is a living being that contributes to the overall well-being of the planet!

In some cases a tree is just too big to move by hand. But, if access is available, there are tree services that can safely and effectively move your tree for you. Companies like Washington-state-based Big Tree Supply specialize in supplying and moving big trees.

In other cases trees can be moved by hand using the right tools, enough people and doing it at the right time of year. In most cases the right time of year means moving a tree in winter, but late enough in the winter that the ground isn’t frozen. Deciduous trees are dormant this time of year. Evergreens are photosynthesizing, but their growth is significantly curtailed in winter. Yes, finding the balance between moving a plant while it is dormant but while the ground is not frozen can be tenuous. But it is possible. Too, it is possible to move trees after they break bud in spring, but it is harder on the plant.

If a tree is a late winter/early spring bloomer, finding the right time to transplant has another obstacle to overcome — flower buds. Flowering takes an enormous amount of energy from a plant. Too, it uses many of the same nutrients that the plant uses to maintain overall health and to establish new root growth. So, it may behoove you to move a late winter blooming tree, like a star magnolia, right after flowering but before the spring growth surge begins. If the tree is forming fruit, consider knocking them off to encourage the plant to focus its growth underground.

Now that you’ve read a variety of caveots around transplanting your tree, you must be anxious to actually find out how to make the move. Well, tune in soon for part two: Garden Coach on Moving a Dormant Stewartia Tree. I promise, it’s coming soon!

Last summer my husband and I built a small water feature in a decorative container for our back patio. It was the first one either of us had constructed, and it was a great learning experience. About a month after it was built, my mom came to visit and fell in love with the bamboo spigot idea. She and I shopped together for alternative ideas for her space, and she came to love the deer scarer (also known as a deer chaser or ‘shishi odoshi’) style of bamboo waterfeature. And, this style really made sense for her woodland setting in Virginia.

(Aside: Mom doesn’t have deer in her garden, which is kind of surprising given where she lives. And, I’m not sure if these chasers would really scare a deer away given how tame they often become in residential settings. Still, I imagine the first few times a deer encountered a ‘chaser’ they’d bolt. We did have fun watching the squirrels come to investigate, lose track of what they were investigating and then flip out when the spigot clunked!)

While Mom was visiting last summer, we didn’t purchase the fixtures for her Shishi odoshi. I meant to go back and get one to send her for Christmas, but by the time I got around to it, the nursery was out of stock for the season. Fortunately, I was able to order an even nicer one that arrived before my visit to her house a few weeks ago.

While I was visiting, she and I set out to install the waterfeature. She had some old pond liner under her deck that she’d saved after tearing out a nasty, swampy pond that came with her house. Fortunately, there was a large enough section of liner without holes that we were able to recycle it for our purposes.

Mom had originally thought to put the spigot feature in an area of her garden that blends into her neighbor’s somewhat romantic setting. The whimsical gazebo backdrop didn’t feel quite right to me. So, I suggested she consider the opposite side of the house, outside her painting studio. Turns out she liked the idea. Her plan to site it near the gazebo really stemmed from the fact that her outdoor plug is on that side of the house and she’d gotten used to having a beautiful bird bath in the space I suggested for the new waterfeature. When I explained that we could easily get electricity to the location and that the birdbath made more sense tied with the gazebo while the spigot made more sense in a wilder setting, she was sold. So, we went to it!

The first thing we had to do was dig out a pond space where we would place the spigot and recirculating pump. Fortunately, amid a winter with not much rain, we tackled this job on a sunny morning after a long drenching rain. So, digging wasn’t too bad. Her soil is very rocky and filled with lots of true clay.

Here in Seattle so many people believe they have clay when what they really have is compacted soil. True clay is hard to dig and is incredibly slippery. So, we had our work cut out for us. As we washed rocks and prepped the site we did quite a bit of damage to the soil structure in the garden bed surrounding the scarer. I did my best to limit the damage and move plants before working in their area. Still, it will be interesting to see what doesn’t fare particularly well after our installation. Fortunately, it was fairly early in the season when we did the work, so our hope is that the plants will have the energy to withstand the compaction and that the rains will continue to come and improve the drainage and aeration before the full spring surge.

While I was digging out the space, Mom began gathering larger, decorative stones from around her garden. As I dug out rocks, I set them aside to re-use in the waterfeature. Together we trimmed up the pond liner using scissors, despite my begging that she find a box cutter to use instead. Still, we managed to get a piece that fit our space. We washed it well,  lined the hole, set the spigot in place and filled the liner after holding it down with some stones. And, it worked!

To be honest, we did spend several hours the next day fine tuning everything. For instance, we’d put the pieces together wrong in the first place. Sleeping on the problem of it not knocking correctly helped us see the problem and fix it quickly the next day. As well, I realized I wanted a bigger splash pool, so we pulled out the rocks and did some additional digging. Fortunately, we hadn’t done a final cut on the liner, which we’d cut oversize the day before, so we had wiggle room to make the splash zone larger. And then I did the final cut, using a box cutter, which was such a better tool for the job than the scissors we used the day before. Once again: use the right tool, and life will be easier!

As we closed in on finishing our installation during our second day, my nephew showed up to help us. He prowled through the woods and creek to find more interesting stones, moss and branches to create a dry stream heading downhill from the spigot and pool. He found a mossy old log that he used to hide the electrical cord. Plus, he helped me uncover plants hidden under piles of leaves in the wilder parts of Mom’s garden, which we added alongside the dry stream he created with us. We added native ferns and wild ginger, knowing that hydrangea, hosta, toad lily, and dogwoods would soon surround our new addition to the garden. I had hoped to take Mom shopping for a dwarf Japanese Maple to add to the mix, but we ran out of time. Maybe next time!

Now my Mom has a beautiful waterfeature in her garden bed to provide inspiration as she paints. The birds, squirrels and chipmunks have a new water source near the bird feeders — and this water moves! Unfortunately, my nephew got a bad case of poison oak after I left, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he contracted it helping us. Perhaps he’ll find some solace as he suffers knowing that his pain will always be rewarded when he visits the beautiful stream he helped create.

Getting to work with my young nephew and my young-at-heart mom was a real joy. Both of them are enthusiastic about the outdoors. Both are inspired and inspiring artists. Together we built something lasting, something that will bring joy to the birds and other wildlife that visit the garden, something that they will be able to share and develop for years to come. I learned from each of them, as I do from all of my clients, how to be a better gardener and a better garden mentor.