Oh this gardener is tired! I will sleep well tonight! It’s so basic but I feel so much better living in the coronavirus world every time I get out and dig in the dirt. It’s very primal, but you can’t help but feel the positive connection with Mother Earth.

I planted Acer Palmatum Sangokaku, the coral bark Japanese Maple. I also planted a Conversation Piece Azalea and two Karl Rosenfield red peonies.

My left knee is technically still in rehab status so it takes me a lot longer to plant things right now and I have to take breaks in between.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to put the peonies in the back but I was watching the light this morning and realized I had enough light for them back there. The peonies and the coral bark Japanese maple came from Somerset Nursery in Glenmoore.

All of the plants I planted were well rooted and not pot bound. I did tease the roots in everything I planted today and the azalea especially. I think it’s good to break the roots up a little bit because you want the roots to spread out and not go around in a circle and choke the plant.

I also re-located some ostrich ferns and put down some more wood chips in this big perennial bed.

I really like what I see when I look out back now. It’s really taking shape. The unique Japanese maples I have chosen back there I think especially make a difference.

This part of the garden was inspired by a few things and a few people. I also have to give credit to the British gardeners I follow on social media and Gardeners’ World on BBC because we, as US gardeners, don’t always look to see how shade and woodland gardens fit together. The British just do this so well.

Every bed in my gardens evolves over time. These shade and woodland garden beds are no exception. I don’t think any of them are exactly what I originally envisioned. But truthfully, I like them better now

Don’t be afraid to reassess and even move plants around. And look at other gardens, and gardening magazines and gardening programs available on streaming.

Some thing I am still noticing with all the people gardening because we have so much time right now living the coronavirus life, is people still look I think sometimes too much to others to decide how their garden is going to take shape.

If you are going to garden get involved with all aspects of it. It’s OK to ask for advice but you have to remember it’s like a room in your house, you are the one that’s going to have to live with it. So the more you can learn under your own steam, the better.

Just get out and dig in the dirt and try. I have had plenty trial and error situations over the years throughout many gardens.

Sometimes stuff works and sometimes it just doesn’t. Like sometimes no matter how well you take care of a plant it dies. Or as is the case with a couple of roses I’ve planted in this garden in particular, I move them to a new location, I think they’re dead, and then all of a sudden they’re three times their original size!

Happy gardening!