Welcome to sakurako77's Member Page

See my Clippings See my Journal See my trade list Send me an email

Although I'd passed my 55th birthday, I bought my first home in Nov., 2002. There were no foundation plantings remaining because the previous owner didn't enjoy gardening. However, my corner lot has an enormous dogwood, which I love, and a huge, abused forsythia whom I named Quasimodo and am teaching to be a weeping forsythia. After planting artemesia, flowering almond and pear trees in May and sunflowers and moonflowers in June, I realized that what grows best on my 100% clay soil are moss and ferns, both of which I love. Since mid-July I've planted over 60 ferns (as well as a hopeful privacy hedge of rose of sharon bushes). On 10/3/03 I made a fern and rock garden on the north side of the addition and then attacked a smug patch of pachysandra. I want to grow ostrich ferns and onoclea there. Onoclea and oak ferns grow happily all over the property and I'm encouraging them, while adding larger specimens from local nurseries. I'm also growing memories: 2 ferns from my father's garden, 2 from my neighbor's (who has gorgeous, mature ostrich ferns) and 1 from Caprilands, a local herb farm where I used to go during the 35 years I lived in an apartment whenever I had a day off and needed to be outdoors. I'm looking forward with some apprehension to the 4th season in my home, wondering how to care for all the ferns, forsythia, dogwood, hydrangeas, rheingolds and other perennials I've brought under my care so they'll be strong and healthy in the spring. I share my home with an extremely intelligent longhaired tuxedo cat named Thorfinn. My pre-garden hobbies are photography, sewing and writing.