Garden5

In The Grove

The third part of Yngve´s property was lying lowest and generally loked to the North. It was a little grove with wild bushes of several sorts, and even really large trees like Pinus and Oaks - some very large and some small, all of them never planted, they sown themselves in the course of time, even before Yngve had bought the house. Also plenty of rubbish, weeds, piles of large and small stones, but almost no soil. Very many stones were buried down in the ground.

When I started to create at Yngve´s something like a garden, I looked at this and I felt there was the hopeless nuisance, I was certain that it was impossible even to think about to make any change. That seemed to be beyond any human forces, it needed to use machines - and I believed that it could not be possible to arrange it without big money. A pity, I thought - it would be so nice if we could have a woodland there.. unfortunately, Yngve had not means for such big project.

But - never say never.. see on the pictures and click on them to see more and to read the whole Woodland's story.

So it started.. the first raised bed in the Woodland to be - for the Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel', juni 1997

And so that looked like in May 2000

How the

developed

This page was last updated on: 23 August, 2024

Click on the pictures to see them large and more, with description

Almost the first of rised beds we build it was for Magnolia soulengiana (the first picture Above) Next we started s.c. "The Balconies". On the pictures: First Balcony in August 1997 (Left) and the same bed after planting of first plants, September 1997.

Right: Very soon after 'The Second Balcony' has been built, namely behind of Magnolia.

Right: As the next project in Woodland we started to built beds which we called for "Isles".

Second pic to the right shows how it looked like at the beginning, in September 1997.

'The First Isle' ready and already with first plants - October 1997 (right)

Meanwhile 'The Second Isle' was began (below) in September 1997 and continued to November, meanwhile the plants has been already planted.

The second and next "islands" were finished in the spring 1998. In May 1998 has began "The Third Isle", which became really a first terrace below The Second Isle" . Soon after many of plants, like Rhododendrons, trees, shrubs and even bulbs have been planted on the all new beds. Very soon The Woodland, even not quite ready, became a very beautiful and pleasant place, especially in the springtime.

Spring in the Woodland

The first plants which woke in the spring , like mostly in Europe, were Crocus, which I have planted actually too few in Woodland. They have started bloom mostly in April, not in February or Mars, like in Central Europe or even England.

But almost before Crocus, in fact the first plant that came from the ground but started flowering in April as well, was Cardamine enneaphylla (picture on the Left, April 2005), the timid beauty which belongs to Polish mountains Karpaty flora and I was curious how it will feel in Sweden. Very well, I must say! The plant was coming every year since 2002 and apparently spread itself around, probably by underground rhizome. It became my favourite so soon I've seen the first flowers..

Left:Anemone blanda, planted, Left down: Chionodoxa luciliae, April 2005. Right uppers - wild Anemone nemorosa (2 pics) and Right down - Anemone nemorosa double - 'Westalen' which came unexpected only one, I am not sure if planted. Right: Anemone silvestris. More on the Right: Saxifraga (Darmera) peltata (April 2000) only flower which coming first before leaves, and Helleborus sp. in May 2000, which disappeared next years

Next spring flowers appear are daffodils, Narcissus of different sorts.

Left: Probably

'Ice Folies'

Right: Narcissus

poeticus 'Actea',

latest flowering

(6th May 2003); Next Right and Left Below:

Narcissus 'Palmares',

9 May 2003.

Below Right:

Narcissus 'Slim Whitman'.

In the middle the slopping going from the garden part called 'Buskage' with many roses planted. On the top of slopping, which is as well the border of 'Buskage' you can see Narcissus poeticus on two spots (May 2000). On the picture there is also Helleborus, probably foetidus, which in miraculous way "transported" itself to the container on the South Wall of the house, where I have found it and couldn't believe to my eyes. The plant disappeared from Woodland!

Primulas were in the Yngve's garden rather native plant, but on the pics there are planted, mostly even sown by me

Left: Primula acaulis grown from seeds, Primula vulgaris self sown and Primula (pink) from Garden Centre

Right: Primula vialii

Below Right: Primula from Garden Centre, probably hybrid

Tulips have been in Woodland eye-catching spots in the spring. I tried to buy and plant the lower sorts, but not always you get what is written on labels..

Right: Tulips bought with name 'Wild Tulips', probably so called botanical group, means not hybrids. They are short and easy to spread themselves. They have been planted on s.c. Balcony the Second.

Mostly I do not know names of these tulips, the labels disappeared, only 2 of them I know. Below last one on the Left there is 'Peach Blossom' and also last one picture to the Right: there is 'Texas Flame'. The orange double tulips appeared in the Woodland unexpected, it should be another sort, but obviously it was wrong bulbs in the package and I have no idea which sort it was.

Shrubs in the spring

The Woodland, as I wrote before, was most beautiful in springtime, not only because of spring flowers but also the spring foliage on the shrubs. I planted namely almost as a rule shrubs with colourfull leaves, contrasting with each other, but most of them changed colour under a season becoming more and more green in the summer - and some of them have got again some colours towards autumn. Below on the picture the landscape of the large part of Woodland seen from the rock of The North Side of the garden. As I wrote before, the Woodland was lying very much lower in relation to the rest of the garden and house.

On the picture to the Right (from the 18th May 2003) you can see shrubs with golden-yellow leaves. They are from the left: in forgrounden Spiraea bumalda 'Godflame'and behind it Philadelphus coronarius Aurea nana, next is conifer Abies koreana and the third "yellow" - Physocarpus opulifolius luteum 'Dart's Gold'. Almost hidden is Cornus alba 'Spaethii', also with yellow leaves.

On the picture first to the Left (from May 2001) there is shown the other side of Woodland, namely the slope of the rock there was the house and the North Side of the garden. In foreground the "yellow" bush Physocarpus opulifolius luteum 'Dart's Gold'. Next pictures from May 1998 shows what was on the top of the rock - the wild self sown Sorbus intermedia and "The First Balcony" on the North Side, there then were only Tulips, but later the beautiful and robust rose, 'Freisinger Morgenrote' was planted.

The third side of Woodland was shown high Above, on the picture of the slope with Narcissus poeticus. It was May 2000, but a little later the plants just planted then grew larger and this side became very decorative. Right: On the picture from May 2002 we can see large ferns, the leaves of Rheum palmatum (which I have grown from seeds), on the right you can see the self sown Papaver nudicaule (green leaves and yellow flowers), which came here from upstairs, i.e. from 'Buskage', there from they "escaped"! One more example for traveling plants.. Below: Rodgersia podophylla on the slope, which became a sort of rockery.. Pictures from May and June 2003 and 2005.

On the pictures Below Spiraea bumalda 'Godflame' in May 1999 and 2001, April 2000 and the 3rd April 2002. You can see how the shrub changes shape and colour from almost autumn yellow-orange to more and more golden green

Two pictures from the 27 May 2005 (Left and Above last Right) show the same shrub (Spiraea bumalda 'Godflame' ) in company of Rodgersia podophylla planted there later.

The "golden" shrubs on the pictures Below: Physocarpus opulifolius luteum 'Dart's Gold', and Spiraea bumalda 'Goldflame'.

On the pictures Above and next door: White flowering

Rhododendron 'GoldsworthYellow' and the Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart'sGold' in May 2000, Spiraea bumalda 'Goldflame'

and the Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart'sGold' and 'Diabolo' in May 2001, 24th May 2002, 18th and 22nd May 2003.

All of them have been planted in 1998.

When I pruned shrubs, often I put the cut twigs in the ground around the pruned shrub. Many of cuttings have got roots and became new shrubs, which I planted somewhere or gave away to my neighbours. On the Left such a 'cutting' already grown to a shrub, May 2001

The Philadelphus coronarium aureum nanum - Japanese shrub, I have bought from a private person as a cutting about 15 cm tall. Unfortunately I have no idea which year it was, but certainly after we started create 'Woodland', it could be 1997. First pictures I have found are from May 2003 (the 2 first Right and the first Below).

Philadelphus has been planted next door to the Rhododendron 'Grace Seabrook' and in the spring it was fantastic colour-combination which our neighbours admired from theirs balcony.. The next picture to the Right is taken in May 2004. You can see the creek. Pictures in the last row have been taken the 27 May 2005.

After the first tree we planted, Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel', next have been conifers, if you can call so the big tree, Cedrus atlantica glauca. We had not idea that it can grow to 30m tall! Hopefully, in the Woodland the soil layer is not deep enough to allow the tree for growing high. Our Cedrus will be a larger bonsai..

On the Right you can see next door to the Cedrus, the Weigela florinda variegated nana, that flowered so abundant the first time (3rd June 2002).

Below Abies koreana, planted simultaneously to the beginning of creating Woodland - you can see the little conifer on the picture from 1997 (high Above), which was planted on the edge of 'The Second Isle', supported and protected from damages while digging by some wooden shelves. This is the shapely "Christmas Tree". Its attraction are the blue cones, that you can see on the picture Below.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides was the second mistake we made. But we did not know it, not before we have seen the same tree in The Botanical Garden in Gothenburg we understood what we have done! The tree was about 25m tall and at least 10-15m or more wide, but the Metasequoia can grow to 60 m (average to 45m) and only the trunk can be 2 m in diameter! What to do, we actually liked the fragile looking sill little tree..

Metasequoia is an evolution relict ( "living fossil"), something between coniferous and leave trees, found in 1944 in China and identified in 1948. It is deciduous conifer, like the Larix decidua (larch).

Left: Metasequoia glyptostroboides planted in June, here in September 1998. In the left corner the part of Chamaecyperus Lawsoniana columnaris blue can be seen, the first conifer planted about 1997. The conifer was in further year, in wintertime, fallen down by something or somebody and died. On the Right picture there is the Metasequoia in 1999. The tree is very sensitive to drought, must get good supply in water. One year the tree was frozen almost to the ground but did not die, the new shoots came from the roots. It means that to achieve 45 m can be not so easy in Sweden..

As it was said above, the first tree we planted was the Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel'. It was actually the shrub whch I did not prune enough to form a tree, I was a little afraid not to destroy it. When I planted the Magnolia in the Woodland, I hoped it will be less windy place than most of the Yngve's garden - but it occurred the same nasty blow was even there, even thoughth plants should be protected by large oaks and shrubs around. So Magnolia was not really very happy there, but 'Leoard Messel' is more robust, so at least it did not die, even some years ago. I have seen it flowering in May 2008, when secretly visited Woodland.

Above: Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel' in June 1997

Above in the middle: Magnolia and s.c. the second Balcony, August - September 1997

Above Right: The branch of Magnolia 'Leonard Messel' in bloom, early May 2004.

Picture taken with the analog camera Minolta Riva

Left: The flower of Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel' the 9th May 2004

In such woodland like Yngve's could not miss Rhododendrons. I mentioned some of them Above, but there was much more of them. First of them has been planted in autumn 1997, on the 'First Balcony'; it was 'Scarlet Wonder' (Picture below left, not yet flowers). The Rhododendron flowered next spring, in 1998 (next pictures from May, in the middle, is the view from the rock on the North Side of house.

Rhododendrons

All other Rhododendrons have been planted in tact of developing of the Woodland. After the first 'Isle' was built, still in 1997 (September), I planted there small seedlings of Rhododendrons which I've got on the Plant Market for amateurs - it was 2 Azaleas without name, but probably Rhododendron japonicum and R. shlippenbachii - other 2 were also unknown, but they were genuin chinese wild seedlings which nobody knew how they will be, it was exiting too se - but not earlier then in some years! Unfortunately not all of them survived and one which did I have never seen due to my depart from Yngve's garden. After the second 'Isle' was ready, we started build the new, the Third Isle, which was not really isle, but it was not finish before the winter, even not before the next autumn, 1998, and the spring 1999, mostly due to Yngves illness - he had got a stroke.

But in 1998 instead to continue building of The Third Isle, we have to start a very high raised bed, mostly till Rhododendrons, which have been already ordered and could come any day. This bed I called for 'The Peat Bed', because the main material used to build was peat, mixed with soil, but mainly much of acid Sphagnum peat, which you can buy in Sweden everywhere. The bed was thought to be built as a big container using s.c. peat-blocs as 'walls', the very large "bricks" av hard packed peat. It was commonly used in Sweden in building terrasses around the ponds or as a plant growing units, even used as a substrate to plant direct in the peat, especially good for plants requiering much moisture. We started this project the autumn 1998, but it was only very beginning and when Rhododendrons came the same time, it was far to be ready. So we have built only a bit of it in a very cold end of October 1998 and planted half frozen shrubs in warm compost from the Comunal Recicling Station.. The new bed became adjaced to the earlier built The Second Balcony to plant Rhododendrons. It was done not even half of the bed and that half was finish in May the next year, 1999 - and the second half in begin of November 1999.

Using peat-blocks for building high 'walls' of the raised bed occurred to be not quite good idea. Both filling of peat mixed with compost, and roots of plants, pushed too hard on the peat-blocks, which can easy soaking water when raining and becoming too soft and weak. So, I must have after a time reinforced peat walls with piled upp stones, rather large, to keep whole 'planters' together.

Below pictures of The Peat Bed in different years, with planted Rhododendrons and other plants.

Clicking on them you get a separate pages about The Peat Bed with large Pictures and describing.

On the Left you can see The Second Balcony, Magnolia Raised Bed and on the left of beds , the empty place at the large oak, in September 1997, there The Peat Bed will be built since October1997 to November 1999

On the Right - the same spot (without other raised beds) the 22 May 2002

Left, Right and Below: The other Pictures of The Peat Bed in May years 2002, 2004 and in June 2005

There were other Rhododendrons planted in the Woodland, even in the same time like in The Peat Bed or nearly. Already in 1997 the first Rhododendron in Woodland it was 'Scarlet Wonder', planted in the 'First Balcony', but it later died. Later (possibly in 1998 autumn) it was the 'Cunningham White' planted there.

In September 1998 the Rhododendron 'Goldsworth Yellow' was moved from 'Behind the Cherry Tree' to the Woodland and planted on the terrace which was at the beginning called 'The Third Isle', but the bed was not the same raised like the other 'Isles'. In the same year the 'Ben Moseley' was planted near the 'Goldsworth Yellow' and later, not far away, the 'Grace Seabrook', incredible showy flowering with deep red, very large bolls of flowers. On the 'First Ile' small seedlings of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, Schlippenbachii and japonica have been planted.

Meanwhile, when only we started to build of The Peat Bed, several Rhododendrons and later Azaleas have been planted there, and also an Acer japonica. Most of them you can see on the pictures Above. They were planted: 'Simona', 'Fantastica', Azalea 'Kermesina' and 'Cecil' (both moved from the North Side), 'Koihiro Wada', Rh. variegata 'Goldflimmer' and even Rhododendron fargesi, which was not happy there and after 2 years died.

Left: The Rhododendron 'Goldsworth Yellow' just moved in there and next door the new planted Rh. 'Ben Moseley', September 1998

Right - the same spot but seen from the oposite site - 'Goldsworth Yellow' in bloom but 'Ben Moseley' (to see only a part) has only buds - late May 2000

Left: When Rhododendron 'BenMoseley'

(pink) was in full bloom, the 'Goldsworth Yellow' was finishing flowering, pity, I wanted them look nice together!

Right - Rhododendron' 'Grace Seabrook', planted probably in 2000 or 2001, first flowers in April 2002. This wonderful Rhododendron flowered always very early, most of Rhododendrons flower in Gotheburg in June.

Left: Rhododendron 'Fantastica', planted when started The Peat Bed Project, autumn 1998. Picture from end of May 2001

Right: 'Fantastica' the 16th June 2003

Left: Rhododendron 'Koichiro Wada', planted in The Peat Bed in autumn 1998. Picture from the middle of May 2002

Right: Later flowering Rhododendron variegata 'Guldflimmer' in June 2001

Left: First the Rhododendron 'Goldsworth Yellow' - White flowers, next: pink-salmon

'Ben Moseley', both in 2000.

Right, lower on the pic:

Rhododendrons 'Daydream' and higher -

'Cunningham White', both on the extention in form of terraces, built from peat-blocks on

the 'First Balcony' .

On the picture the 'Daydream' is new planted, the 27th May 2005

Left: Rhododendron 'Cunningham White' the 12th May 2004. It has been moved to the Woodland from 'Under Cherry Tree' in 1999

Right: Rhododendron yakushimanum

'Daydream' new planted, the 27th May 2005

Rhododendrons on The Peat Bed

From Left to Right: Rhododendron yakushimanum 'Daydream', planted on The Peat Bed in 1999. On the first Picture it is in the pot, not yet planted, May - June 1999, on the second and the third - in May 2000, on the last - the 13th May 2004

Left: Rhododendron japonicum

(Azalea) planted as a unknown seedling in The Peat Bed probaby in 1998 without any information about colour. I waited 5 years for first flowers! They came in 2003, photo taken the 1st June.

Right, 2 pics: Azalea Rhododendron schlippenbachii with tulips, the 11th May 2005. Also planted as unknown on the First Isle, flowered first in 2003

Flowers in Woodland

They were very different sorts of flowers in Woodland - flowering bulb-plants, flowering shrubs, flowering perenials and even some summer plants, which I in princip never sew there, but they sometimes came themselves from other parts of the garden. Some of them I showed on my Woodland pages.

I showed most of flowering shrubs, like Magnolia, Rhododendrons and Azaleas, but there have been some more - like Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' and Deutzia scabra, wrong labelled as Deutzia rosea, which I really wanted, and Weigela florida variegata nana. And the climber, Hydrangea anomala ssp.petiolaris. It was even not missing roses - not really IN the woodland, but on its edge, and they were even several! Last but not least, flowering plants like Aquilegias, which obviousely loved Woodland, Papaver nudicaule.

Above from Left to Right: Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora', Deutzia scabra (because of the wrong label, it was planted in a very wrong location - in front of the rose 'Aïcha' and I had to prune it hard rather often, because the shrub wants to grow to about 3 m tall..), Weigela florida variegata nana, which grew unexpected (maybe only for me..) widely, interfering other plants around, and - the climber, Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolata, which I planted at the high trunk, but not high enough for this very vigorous plant..

As I mentioned before, the flowers which thrived really well in Woodland was Aquilegias, which came themselves from the garden upper part, hybridized with each other and gave me pleasure to watch every year different colours and shapes. I planted in Woodland only two sorts, Aquilegia variegated 'Woodland Side' and A. alpina. Aquilegia 'Woodland Side' (Below, first on the left) grew by myself and planted about year 2000, spread itself enormously.

Trees in Woodland

Probably in autumn 1998 I have planted 2 small roted cuttings of Laburnum x watereri, thinking of the gold-yellow hanging clusters of flowers lightening the Woodland.. But I will never see it.. Anyway, one of them died, but another grew rather well, in 2003 was already about 2 m tall! Another tree, which at least grows extremely slowly, was purchased in 1999 - Acer shirasawanum Aureum, which really lightened The Peat Bed. It is describing on selling sites as a bush-formed, but I sow it in Göteborgs Trädgårdföreningen as a tree about 6 m tall. Unfortunately, this beautiful tree is not much hardy, some sources named zon 1, as in Gothenburg, other - zon 1-4. I wonder if somebody has it in the garden in Sweden in zon 4? I just read on one website that the tree of the size which it was in the Yngve's Woodland in 2005 (about 1 m) costed 2195 sek in June 2013 in the same Garden Centre I have bought it for 300 sek! Do not go och dig it up, please!

I planted in Woodland also small seedlings of the Sorbus cashmeriana and a whole hedge of Caragana, they are not really trees, but can be rather tall as well.. These plants have still been small when I went out from the garden for ever..

Left: The Laburnum alpinum, the 22nd May 2003, only 4 years old and already ca 2 m tall.

Right: The Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', 6 years old (in the Woodland, but I don't know how many years before!), the 23rd June 2005. Looking very Japanese to me!

Above: Dicentra Formosa, the 5th June 2005

Above: Hydrangea macrophyla cutting, the 14th August 2005

Above: Hydrangea lacecup cutting, the 14th August 2005

Above: Papaver nudicaule the 22nd May 2002

Apart of natural, self sown but old trees like the oaks (it was from beginning 7 of them) and Sorbus aucuparia self sown as well, I planted some of other, yung and more decorative - but it was not always wise choice!

Roses in Woodland

Roses in Woodland had been not really IN, but nearby the street, on the edge of woodland. The first rose planted there (1996) was the 'Lykkefund', climber. Next was planted 'Compassion' (1997), labelled as a climber, and it was tall, but not very much for climbing really. But flowers of 'Compassion' are very beautiful, in early stage they are looking as s.c. 'nobel' rose. In the spring 1998 the adorable rose 'Emeli' was planted and in June - Rosa mulligani, which let to wait for its flowers a long time. In the same year I planted Rosa rugosa 'Rugelda', which is a little alike to the fameouse rose 'Peace', fantastic colours and shape! In 1999 I have at last got the charming 'Aicha' which I have waited long time for planting - but I was aworded with flowers already in July the same year! The last rose I planted there, almost in front of the 'Rugelda', was 'Comte de Chambord' in the spring 1999. The rose was planted on the not the best spot, but I have not any better, so it never became tall, but has got flowers anyway.

But it was one more rose which I bred from seeds, one of 2 which had grown, namely Rosa multiflora, and I planted one on Northside of house and second just at the rock in Woodland, which was a part of the north part of the garden. That rose climbed upp so much that it grows horisontally on the rock out of Woodland! Lowest of page there is the picture of it.

'Lykkefund' - it began finast blooming in 1999, first picture left, taken with analog camera. Next pctures are from about 5th juli 2002, juli 2003 and last one - 17th juli 2004

'Compassion' - first pic left: 1999 - analog picture, next - 7th juli 2002 and last one taken 17th juli 2004

'Emeli' - first picture left - it is the first flower after planting taken in October 1998, next - i juli 2001, next 2 pictures from 5th juli 2002

Above 'Rugelda' - first pic left taken in 1998 - analog picture, next - September 1999, also analog pic, next taken the 5th juli 2002, last one - 17th juli 2004