The invitation went out for Open Garden Days at Blue Note Garden on Sunday, 26 May from 4-6pm and on Monday, 27 May from 9-11am. It included the following message:

Some of you may remember the unfinished Giant’s Staircase that Kenneth started but that was still not finished when his Memorial was held here in November 2017. Last winter, the marble sculptor, Bruce Bennett, and his assistant Charlie, enabled the moving of many large boulders from our rocky terrain into place down-hill—we never move anything up-hill—for steps like those in the Smokies. It’s taken me many, many months longer than it would have taken had Kenneth done it, but I finally laid the last few concrete, terracing blocks a couple of weeks ago, and planted the big stone crevices, and we are ready for visitors. 

It has been an exceptional spring this year with light rain and many cool days—making for plenty of good, full days for working outside. The two young men who live in Blue Note Garden North and help to caretake the property have been a big help, resulting in a couple of new gardens as well as a great deal of landscape maintenance. Kenneth’s friend and fellow contractor, Russell Kear, finished the indoor work on new doors, the utility room and east balcony this winter. My brother Paul André Pepin is scheduled to bring in a slab of live-edge wood for the top of a modified cabinet in the hallway.

Wear sunglasses to keep the midges out of your eyes and sturdy shoes. Rain or shine.

All photos on this post are by my neighbor Jeff Slavin taken during Open Garden Days.

Dear Friends,

I loved seeing many friends I’ve lost touch with in the last, difficult two years. It always feels good to see many people enthusiastically connect with others in gardens. The drawback is that I do not get a chance to speak nearly as long with each person as I would like—chatterbox that I can be when it comes to gardens.

Many of you asked for additional information on a number of plants at the Open Garden Days but, of course, with failing faculties and other concerns pressing in during the last week, I am not remembering exact association of name with the plant information requested. Perhaps the most frequently asked question had to do with the coir mat we use on the trails of our precipitous slopes. I found out about the material from Knox County Stormwater Engineering; we order large rolls from Walt Tappan, Jen Hill Construction Materials. There may be other sources on the web. I like that the material is critter-friendly and completely (but slowly) biodegradable. Much of ours has been down on the ground for five years. Not cheap but good.

The window boxes have heucheras intermixed with the Bounce Violet interspecific impatiens (the best alternative to the disease-prone walleriana) and Torenia Summer Wave Large Blue. Both are healthy and grow vigorously all summer long (summers so far).

There are a number of varieties of Carolina allspice here (Calycanthus/Sinocalycanthus) and they all come from J. C. Raulston. Fragrance is variable even within a particular variety. The ones that got the most attention last weekend were C. “Hartlage Wine” and “Aphrodite,” the latter probably the best of all and a champion repeat bloomer once it attains a good size. These two are grown here side by side in the garden downslope near Carriage Lane. I have several “Athens” with wildly varying scents that are just beginning to put out their yellow blooms as well as the white “Venus.” If they get high shade in woodland conditions they all grow well and easily.

The two exquisite hydrangeas that always elicit comments are what I call Japanese hydrangeas and, if I recall correctly, in Japan they often call “mountain” hydrangeas: Hydrangea serrata Shichidanka Nishiki (paler colors) and H. s. Miyama Yae-murasaki. All of the hydrangeas will likely be in fullest bloom by this weekend coming up.