Four or five years ago I lugged this baby tree home (with only one perfect blossom) from Timber Ridge Nursery near Elizabeth, Illinois. I had never seen a yellow magnolia & I had to have it. It has grown really fast making precious shade in bed #12. In early spring it puts on a glorious show of bright yellow butterfly blossoms.

Last spring I bought my friend, Connie, a yellow magnolia at Earl May in Des Moines, IA. It's so fun!

This planting area began in March 2000. It was mostly completed by Sept. that year. But this year it is being slightly enlarged again. It is in sections A, B, & C.

Section A started with a platform birdfeeder & a single Japanese Maple 'Bloodgood'. It looked lonely. I had to plant it some hosta friends. And the second Japanese Maple was really cheap at Wal Mart & no one was taking care of it & I had to save it from a terrible end.

Section B was began with the wonderful yellow magnolia.

Section C was a vision of a beautiful border bed that is always "WORK" in progress. It started with that log planter Ron hollowed out for me. I put in a dwarf Sergeant crab tree to create some shade for hostas. And then that dwarf lilac; Miss Kim. And so it evolves.

Last year 2003; Ron built a log arbor to connect bed #11 & bed #12. Then he put in a flagstone pathway that flows from bed #5 out to the arbor. It beckons visitors to take a leisurely stroll in the gardens.

Japanese Maple / Acer / palmatum "Bloodgood"
Acer is Latin for Maple
p-palmatum which is the species

I have 2 of these little trees. They are wonderfully red. Their spring color dazzled me every time I looked at them this spring. They always make me smile. The leaves hold their color well throughout the summer in my shade garden. They are hardy in zone 5-8 so need protection from cold north winds during our Iowa winters. Otherwise it is a vigorous tree growing 20' - 25' tall: but only grows 10 or 12 inches each year. These trees can be pruned to stay smaller & used for bonsai plantings also.

Hosta 'Grey Ghost' rising in early spring. It's easy to see how this hosta got it's name. It turns green as the spring progresses. It's so fun to see in very early spring.

The fence was the neighbors idea.

Hosta 'Northern Exposure' / My Favorite