A New Flower

Yesterday, I celebrated my first day of summer break by spending  dawn to dusk working in the garden.  What's disappointing is that one really can't tell.  So many are the layers that the removal of a couple of 15 - 20 foot shrubs isn't noticeable except for the leaf-strewn path to the yard waste bins.  One  of victims was a Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' which has great color, leaf form, and blooms but it was casting too much shade on more favored plants so it was cut down to four feet, and a hanging basket of calibrachoa, a gift from work,  was placed between the upright naked trunks.  The elderberry will regrow in time, they always do, but for now it's just sticks.  Next, out came the Deutzia × hybrida 'Strawberry Fields.'  It was a difficult decision as it's such a glorious thing when in bloom.  However, the rest of the summer, it's just a big green blob and isn't at all interesting in the winter. In addition, the petals fall all over everything in the area.  It was a good choice for the spot when I put it in but then a Trachycarpus fortunei went in nearby. Now the palm has attained a nice size but couldn't be fully appreciated with the Deutzia hanging all over it.  The removal left space for a few refugees from the pot ghetto to get planted tomorrow.    Not really the kinds of projects that should be done just a couple of weeks before an open garden but now's when I have time.   There were lots of other tasks that got started  but those two were actually completed.  The result?  There are tools strewn throughout the garden, pots, yard waste piles, bags of manure to add to the soil are everywhere, half of the topiary tree has a haircut, and it looks as if a tornado ravaged the place.