Day 27, Thursday, June 25, 2026: Racing Against The Rain

The team was ready and going early yet again – this time to speed up planting and other activities before the showers arrived for some days potentially starting Friday. P2 continued his pruning around the big ash tree. P continued to meticulously place the tumbled slate rocks over the North path one at a time, measuring and leveling with full concentration. E and Y got down to the task of planting all the shrubs and grasses they had bought the previous day. They needed to get them in the ground so the rains, if they came, could help establish them more firmly, and provide free water!

E and Y started by planting the two bamboo plants. To the group’s surprise, the bamboo plants could grow up to 10 feet and not 4 feet, unlike what they previously assumed. This resulted in a change of plans for where the bamboo would go – in the new East terrace, with nothing else. So, the team would need to alter our plans to put the thorny barbie or cotoneaster there!

After planting the bamboo bushes, E and Y moved on to adjusting the soil around the Eastern side of the upper pond and above the path to plant the new climbing Hydrangea Vine they had bought the previous day. Some rocks in the wall needed to be adjusted. And, did we say that the day was hot?

E bringing over potting soil from the far end to amend the dirt and gravel in this area. Photo credit: YS

The sun was blazing at 10 am and some folks decided it was time to bring in a tent to shade P2 and P who were laboring away in the sunniest part where they were working on connected portions of the path at this time.

P2 came around to help E and Y extract the Japanese Hydrangea Vine from its large pot and on to the raised terrace. After regrouping for a little bit, P returned to his station to level the rocks once again.

Y and E posing with the Hydrangea Vine. It smelled great! P looks on in the far back. Photo credit: YS

P back at his painstaking process of balancing each rock along the path. Photo credit: YS

After breakfast, the crew discussed the placement of some future plants and trees, and then returned to the garden and picked up where they’d left off. E and Y went to plant an Astilbe japonica ‘Europa’, and a group of three Beyond Blue Fescue grasses lining the upper pond edge. Unfortunately when they started trying to wash off the aquatic plants and marginals, they realized how prolific the spread of the fairy fern was along the top, bottom, sides of the plants and basically everywhere. This foiled their plans to plant six more pond and bog filter plants. Some Mare’s Tails were put out to quarantine in a separate container after they had manually combed through all the fronds and roots bottoms to try to get rid of the small fern.

P and E standing where we plan to put a Weeping Cherry tree that would cascade over the side of the lower pond. Photo credit: YS

D wading bravely into the lower pond to shift our very hefty basket of Japanese Irises over to the other end of the pond’s plant shelf. Photo credit: YS

In the evening, P and Y wrapped up planting the new bamboo that E had just purchased from Bylands. Y also placed the Sedge in the spot P had identified for it atop the stream curve, although the solid there had to be updated to make it more nutritious to the Sedge. P and D wrapped up another segment of the path. Overall, the crew was happy with the progress we’d made this day, especially if rain arrives and stays for the next few days!