Spring/Summer 2009
Our garden is four years old this summer and our two maples are getting big enough to shadow a good portion of their beds. Which means we have been re-locating some plants and putting in new ones to accommodate the changes.

Winter was hard enough to kill even our rosemary and mint, two plants I thought never died. However, some plants, like the butterfly bush in the north bed, have made a stand and are clearly here to stay. The rose bushes Jill and I salvaged from a friend's yard last spring--originally planted in 1948--have taken hold and are thriving. I'm amazed at how much abuse old rose bushes can take and still keep going.


Recently, Jill and I went rock hunting with the dogs to bring more texture into the garden. We find rocks, big and small, in Jones Falls valley, about a mile from our house. The Jones Falls is a river that runs through the middle of Baltimore. It used to power the mills, many of which still stand. As always, we use Jill's battered Honda CRV to haul our load.


Placing rocks in in a garden takes some thought. You can't just toss them anywhere. You have to make them look like they belong--usually by burying them partially. We also use boulders around the pond to complement the pond's rocky sides. The honeysuckle is starting to go crazy near the pond, and the hosta beside the pond's filter is monstrous already because it gets all the spillover.

This year we decided to plant the herbs in single location because last year, as the garden grew, we lost track of them. In fact, there were several plants -- like a cluster of chicks and hens -- that disappeared under abundant groundcover. We're learning what thrives and what needs watching.

One frog survived the winter. We called her Lucy, but have found out that she is actually a he. Lou--as we now call him--is croaking his mating croak and decked out in his green and yellow summer regalia. He's a green frog, much more civilized than a bull frog. His croak is loud enough to get your attention but not window-rattling loud like a bull frog's. As Lou works really hard to attract a mate, we feel for him. A few of his tad siblings survived the winter and one looks ready to enter frogdom. Maybe this will be Lucy. The 15 leopard frog tads that Jill ordered this spring are nearing maturity. Two have become frogs. Maybe more. It's hard to tell because very quickly they get into the garden, returning to the pond only to mate.

Our goldfish are getting big too. The fattest--a bulbous fantai--is a handful. These unassuming creatures have to be some of the hardiest fish in the world, living on algae and surviving the worst winters.

Here's a video of our little fish pond: frogs and fishes