Buddha had to leave his home on our deck last year when we had the old deck ripped out and replaced. While he was resting quietly under the Arborvitae tree, he got barricaded in with all the construction debris Mark wanted to keep on hand for this summer's pond project.
Sunday two huge piles of concrete blobs and blocks all went into the bottom of the now empty pond. Buddha can come out now, but I am not sure if it's really safe for him to venture into this ongoing construction zone.
Readers of this blog likely know that many of the elements of our garden design were influenced by Japanese gardens. Thus, for the last twenty years, I've planted many treasures from Asia. But climate change and habitat loss have all gardeners looking at their garden with new eyes.
I'm happy to be able to say that I've composted kitchen and garden debris, mulched with chopped leaves and haven't sprayed or used many chemicals over the years. I have an old Bur Oak tree and a crop of seedlings that I'm nurturing (below), along with every fern native to Wisconsin happily romping around my garden.
But I am not a native plant aficionado nor do I want to give up all the lovely non-natives I've planted over the years. That's why I was thrilled with the information that Fergus Garrett, head gardener at the famed Great Dixter estate in the UK, shared with those of us who signed up for his webinar as part of Olbrich Botanical Gardens spring lecture series, "A Gardener's Call."
The "call" refers to the idea that gardeners need to "recognize and respect all beings’ contributions to healthy garden ecosystems." If we do that, then we will be able to support all life in the garden. I totally agree with that concept which is why I sat up and took notice when Garrett showed us that ornamental horticulture does that very well.
Photo by Andrew Montgomery/Gardens Illustrated magazine
Garrett decided that Great Dixter needed a comprehensive biodiversity audit that would then provide the knowledge that he felt was critical to managing Dixter in the best way. It wasn't really news, he noted, when the survey showed the meadows, ponds, pastures and woodlands on this old estate were extremely rich.
Photo by Andrew Montgomery/Gardens Illustrated magazine
The big surprise — and what excited me — was the fact that the survey found the richest part of all was the ornamental garden (above). The survey clearly showed the garden, even with its fancy floral displays, supported an extraordinary amount of wildlife. Though Garrett hadn't specifically gardened with biodiversity at the forefront, it was there as a by-product.
That means I don't have to tear up my garden and start over. I can leave my non-natives in place and add more if I want. The big lesson is having as much diversity as possible. The things I've ordered online, or plan to buy locally, range from grasses to shrubs to bulbs and perennial plants; all of which means I am moving in the right direction for diversity. Add in the fact that almost half of them are native and I no longer have to feel guilty for wanting a garden that showcases non-native plants.
When I last posted about replacing our deck, the very old deck had been ripped out, along with a lot of buried concrete, the substructure was is place and the wood for the deck surface had just been delivered. The top edge of the substructure boards were all covered with tape (below) to help keep them dry. If this edge gets wet and is covered with the deck surface wood, they would stay wet and lead to rot.
Rabbit proof wire was put all around the deck and down into the ground.
Tim Quigley, who owns the deck company, created a curved framework to join the two squared off sections of the deck where they circle the big tree at the edge.
Adding this curve was the only real change we made in the design of the deck, other than getting rid of the step down from the back door to the deck surface.
Bringing the boards into the back garden to begin work on the deck surface. This is Ipe, a sustainable Brazilian hardwood.
There are three boards that run parallel against the house. The yellow gizmos keep the space between the boards even.
The surface boards are all screwed rather than nailed in place. Screws are inserted from both sides, which makes them almost invisible when looking at the deck.
Tim cuts the boards to length along the front edge of the deck.
Along the front and back edge of the deck, there is a row of boards that run perpendicular to the rest of the deck boards, creating this beautiful finished corner and edge. I have to say that this elegant touch is typical of Tim Quigley's work. He put the kind of time and thought into every aspect of the design and construction of the deck that is common on the best indoor projects.
When I saw Tim arranging short pieces of wood along the edge of the deck it took me a while to figure out what he was doing. Rather than leave the substructure edge board visible, he covered it with deck boards matched to the thick and thin top boards. They are screwed in, rather than nailed, as well.
The straight edge of the deck meets the curve around the tree.
At Mark's request they finished the curved edge with matching short pieces the same as the long straight edge. This was not easy as I watched Travis almost flat on the deck, trying to get each piece in place and then screwed in. The new deck is a bit higher than the old one, so the first stepping stone down will need to be raised. That's on next summer's project list.
While Mark got out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the completion of the deck, Travis took a small piece of the Ipe wood to try a science experiment.
Ipe wood is so dense it sinks and does not float — which is just what happened when Travis let go of the board.
The last day Tim and Travis did all the finishing work was sunny and beautiful, perfect for an impromptu celebration.
Mark opening a bottle of Proseco while I do my Vanna White imitation. Can you tell which of us is the person who is always cold?
Travis (left) and Tim ready to relax a moment. I was surprised to see Tim, who owns the company, here working most days. He has certain rules for his business, including no smoking on the job and no music. We also discovered that everyone we dealt with, in addition to Tim, were all pleasant and willing to answer all our questions. And Mark was out there constantly asking questions and watching them work.
The deck all done and ready for a party; hopefully next summer that will be possible again. When I stand out there, I feel like I am on the porch of a garden pavilion in Japan. Travis said he thought the simplicity of the deck suited our garden.
Mark and I could not be more pleased with the look and the quality of the new deck; it's worthy of being part of our garden. Thanks Tim and everyone on your team.
My neighbor's beautiful Clematis is growing through the fence that separates our gardens.
It was too beautiful to resist cutting what was growing on my side.
I'd been looking at one of my Ikebana books and saw an arrangement with a piece of bark. Since I'd just found such an item in the garden, it all came together quickly and rather nicely to my eye.
I was one of a busload of gardeners from the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society who visited this estate garden last summer on a very hot, very sunny day. I am including a few images you've already seen of the entrance courtyard and the Japanese Tea House to put the entire property in context.
Our bus dropped us off at the street end of this expansive driveway. We turned left at the garage . . .
and walked along a covered portico to enter the garden. That sliding shoji-style door on the right was a restroom that the hosts opened for us. You can imagine how thankful and surprised we were at this unexpected gesture.
We continued along the wooden walkway, getting enticing glimpses of what awaited us.
We turned left at the end of the walkway where it skirted the house before opening into the garden.
This large piece of sculptural wood marked the corner.
This was the view as we left the covered walkway.
This stream was on the other side of the shrubs that edged the walkway.
It curved out into this water feature.
You could walk up this slope using the rocks as stepping stones between these beautiful swaths of weeping Blue Spruce.
The folks walking through this shady spot give you a sense of the size of this specimen rock.
A cloudy and misty day must make these lichens glow.
This garden was big enough to include large sculptures and to let you enjoy them in long views as well as close-up.
The Tea House was in this woodsy area on the far side of the garden from the house as well.
This is the view along the side of the house and garage where we entered the garden — but looking in the opposite direction.
This little path took you to the back side of the water feature.
Both ends of this long walkway had unusual natural sculptures.
A beautiful garden, beautifully maintained.
Since we have a Japanese-style Tea House in our garden, I was quite excited when I looked across this Illinois garden last summer on our WHPS tour and saw a familiar structure nestled in the trees.
Like our Tea House, it was stucco.
I was quite taken with this narrow "veranda" and the beautiful textiles blowing in the breeze.
Flowers and a scroll in the Tokonoma, a display area in a Tea House.
Every detail in this little building was beautifully done.
It is not often that one visits a private garden with its own Tea House. I was excited to have the chance to see it up close; definitely impressive. I went home very happy with our Tea House which is a more rustic style but equally impressive, if I do say so myself.
Last summer I visited what can only be called an estate garden in Lake Forest, Illinois with a members of the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society. Our bus dropped us off on a quiet, densely wooded street with impressive houses at every turn. Though we did not see the inside of this house, the garden suggests it was equally beautiful. But what was most memorable about this garden was the charm and friendliness of the owners.
The front courtyard garden is the entry area to the house. The garage is to the left and the front door is through the opening on the right.
The rocks and weeping trees offer a hint to the Japanese influences that are to be found throughout this garden.
The subtle house materials and the dark entrance let the greenery shine.
The ground cover evergreen shrubs offer a textural contrast to the rock work, whether stone pathways or sculpture.
You can't tell from these views but the house is situated on the edge of a ravine.
Winter solitude —
In a world of one color
the sound of wind.
— Matsuo Basho, translated by Robert Haas
"Artist Rumi O’Brien’s quilts are intimate narratives of her life. Whether set in her everyday world of Madison, Wisconsin or in an imaginary landscape, the quilts are always deeply personal.
Rumi O’Brien grew up in Tokyo, Japan, the daughter of seminal manga (comic book) artist Katsuji Matsumoto. Later, she moved to the United States to train as a watercolorist. For the past 50 years she has lived in Madison, where, several decades ago, she also began making quilts."
— Text from the website of the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Multi-talented artist Rumi O'Brien will be at the Middleton Public Library Thursday evening, Nov. 14th, with her biographer Bobbie Malone. The two will be talking about Rumi's work and Bobbie's book that showcases O'Brien's quilts, paintings and paper creations. This is the first book devoted to O'Brien and you will be able to purchase a copy at the event. You must sign up in advance.
O'Brien's work is currently on display at the International Quilt Museum University of Nebraska-Lincoln until April 2020.
Note: I am friends with both the artist and the author and own work by Rumi O'Brien, some of which is in the book. My husband also took the photos that illustrate the book. I am a big fan of both women (and the photographer!) and am looking forward to an entertaining and informative evening. Those of us who know Rumi Obrien's work have been waiting for this book for a long time.
I received no remuneration for this post nor was I asked to write it.