Focal Point

Do you have a favorite view of your home? A secret scene that comforts you, your personal focal point. For some it may be the vista you encounter pulling in the drive, or the first glimpse of home as you turn onto your street, or look towards your front door. We each have our own.

The photo above is mine. It's the view of the veranda (can we have piazza's in Mayberry?) taken while standing between the pool house and an overgrown boxwood.

When we moved in, the house had been unoccupied for several years, and had several misadventures in the years before that. The grounds were neglected, in the midst of a drought, unloved and uncared for. My joy is the magnolia. Near death when we arrived now it's happy and thriving, albeit badly pruned.

Magnolia seeds taken 2 winters ago are now sprouting, protected from deer, and awaiting replanting in their new home. Under the magnolia, along the house on both sides of the porch are deep red azaleas. All I need now to complete my "Southern" garden is a bit of Confederate (star) Jasmine. It's unavailable here, can anyone recommend a source?

Looking south from the porch, you see this.

The box hedge (Wintergreen) was inspired by 2 issues of House and Garden, December 2002, and April 2005, and planted from cuttings taken from friend's gardens. There was nothing there when we moved in, just a large slab of white, the ass end of the pool house.

From here it looks a mess, but that is only because I could never figure out if box should be trimmed at one height so all the branches grow together or to pinch each branch when it reaches the desired height and wait for the stragglers to catch up. It seemed a coin toss, so I chose the latter. Also, the ground falls over a foot from right to left, and I failed to take that into account while planting. With 75 running feet of boxwood hedge I've since come to curse the author of "All you need to know about Boxwood", although it's still a tremendous reference.

The neatly trimmed back side offers hope for the future.


Toad

Magnolia at The Park

Mayberry, which resides on the cusp of USDA zones 5b and 5a must be the end of the practical northern range for my favorite tree,the glorious Southern Magnolia Grandiflora. Most here are foundation plantings protected from winter winds by being planted too close to tall brick walls.


The Park has one, which is perhaps 20 years old, is badly pruned and rather spindly. It was my mission this year to take this great specimen under my black growing thumb and store it to glory.






My first task began in early spring. Each month I'd get a 5 gallon bucket of water and Mir Acid and soak the the base of the tree. It had been a glorious spring and summer. Not too hot, not too cool, with plenty of rain. Maggy rewarded my efforts with a provision of pale yellow, highly fragrant flowers, which grew out of harms way from our large rodents.
Since the pool closed for the season, I had not paid attention to it for a while. Until yesterday, when I was raking leaves. There are now a profusion of cones and seeds. I know it hadn't done that the previous 2 falls we have been here.

Keep in mind that I have zero experience with Magnolia trees, but I think Maggy was trying to thank me.

Now if I could just figure out how to propagate the seeds.

Keep smiling!

Toad