The 10th Summer Solstice at 26 Pine Street

In a few weeks, the character of our garden will abruptly change as sweeps of rudbeckia, monarda, betony, and daisies bloom with startling synchronicity. For the moment, though, there are other other stars, no less eye-catching, to be enjoyed. On the sultry morning of the summer solstice, I took these photos to document the garden on the longest day of the year.

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I start with what everyone who comes into the garden during the month of June asks about: Thermopsis villosa, better known as Carolina lupine.  As the name suggests, it is native to the southern Appalachians. Betty acquired two pots of it from the Native Plant Trust's plant shop at Garden in the Wood in Framingham, MA. That was four years ago. Based on the plants we saw in those containers, we expected the full bloom to reach four feet or so. Instead, as the photo shows, it tops out at eight feet; and its footprint has increased to about ten square feet with no intervention from us. Clearly, this southern visitor is at home in New England.  This photo shows it with two yellow companions: Achillea (yarrow) 'Moonshine' and some concurrently flowering sedum. The white blooms to the left of Carolina lupine are Hydrangea quercifolia, better known as oakleaf hydrangea.

In the rear garden, the spotlight belongs to our two Viburnum 'Winterthur', also acquired from Garden in the Wood. Amazingly, these two shrubs are not quite at their peak: in another ten days, their flowers will be almost completely cover the shrubs in white. We had absolutely no idea they would flower in such profusion - especially given they are in, at best, a part-sun environment. Amazingly, the purple-blooming sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), just visible below the base of the triangle in front of the viburnum, was planted at the same time as the now-hulking shrubs behind it.

Out in front of the garden, passers-by always stop to ask about our now-magnificent redbud and the multiple ninebarks adjacent to it. Our Cercis canadensis 'Burgundy Hearts' took about four months to find and was the next-to-the-last specimen tree to go into the ground. Betty had a specific location in mind and, therefore, a specific form factor. The tree has been shaped to fit its triangular site and kept to about an eight-foot height. Its reddish-brown, heart-shaped leaves will not change to green until nighttime temperatures fail to fall below seventy degrees (usually in August). We have multiple specimens of Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark) in the front garden. This one is 'Diabolo', and its purplish-pink flowers are only now starting to fade. The small shrub with white bottle-brush flowers is Itea 'Henry Garnet'. Because it is growing in the shade of a large maple tree, it has remained small.

Finally, looking from the driveway up the front sidewalk, an array of trees, shrubs, and perennials are lush and green. To the right are multiple Pinus 'Nana', which requires an annual removal of its candles to remain even remotely in it place. An array of geraniums - too many cultivars to call out - are in prolific bloom. To the left, the shrub in front is Lindera. Behind it are our Cornus florida (American dogwood), now well past its flowering, Cladrastis kentuckyea (yellowwood), which blooms every other year, and Betula nigra (black birch) which are all jockeying for space, and all looking wonderful.

Digging out the builders' crud in 2015

It is difficult to believe that in June 2015, this was a barren spot of land: nothing grew on it. We had completed construction of our 'dream retirement home' on the site. Left behind was a half acre of what could most politely be described as 'builders' crud'... lifeless dirt and a multitude of rocks compressed into a an airless mass. A landscaping company dug out the top 18 inches of the mess (945 cubic yards), and brought in a like amount of screened loam. We topped that with 80 cubic yards of mulch and began planting (primarily) native trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers. It is still a work in progress.