A new look

     In Fall 2016 I rebuilt my corner waterfall, one of three water systems in my water gardens.  The October 27, 2016 post shows the process of rebuilding it.
     The photos show the new system from different viewpoints.  The first is from on top a screen house that overlooks the entire water garden.  The water at the base of the falls splits into two streams, which then drop into small pools, after which it continues into a larger pond containing a pump that feeds the corner falls.  The last photo, taken several years ago, shows the original corner waterfall, built in 2002.

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On the line

     Recently I added a "micro-garden" on my back lot line, which borders a 20-acre (8 hectares for those outside the US) wooded subdivision.  It is along a pathway behind a planting of very tall hostas, so it cannot be readily seen until one is close to it.  It is one of my "surprise gardens" that makes people wonder what is around the next corner.

Worth a repeat visit

     Last year I posted about my favorite shrub, Spiraea fritschiana, or Korean Spirea.  This year I got some better photos, so I thought it deserved a repeat appearance.
     Michael Dirr, the best authority, says it is "virtually unknown in the United States.  Indeed, I have only seen it twice outside my gardens.  I used to grow it when I was in the nursery business many years ago.  Neither of us can figure out why it is not more common.

A little bit of Arizona

     Last December I was visiting my friends in Cottonwood, Arizona, where I picked up about a thousand pounds of beautiful rocks.  As I drove out there with my Tacoma pickup truck, they made it back to Wisconsin, ready to be used in some new garden.  I finally found a spot last week, and the building sequence is shown in photos.  The moss at the base is Thuidium delicatulum, commonly called Fern Moss.

Moss head

     I have over 300 containers with moss, and here is one of my favorites.  The dainty plant with roundish leaves is Thalictrum dioicum, or Early Meadow Rue.