Raked white pea gravel surrounds the wide walkway of pink and chocolate stepping stones.
Jean and Ray.
barberry shrubs and occasional groupings of attractive rocks under an artfully pruned pine set a tone of seren- ity. Still this does not prepare the visitor for what’s on
the other side of the house. The pink and chocolate walkway continues past a white side-boarded garage bordered by green on the right side and more green set off by a chocolate wall on the left side. It’s not a straight wall; it zigs then zags around some statuesque rocks and steps down at the end as it approaches a Japanese style gate. Nor is the wall tall; it is about waist high, seven squared off four-by-fours tall. It holds in a moun- tain of fill, partly excavated from where the ponds now flow into one another, a number of very large rocks, a forest of skinny lilacs pruned to look exotic and a wall of cedars and tower birches. Cleverly hidden lights peep out from underneath low
growing shrubs and more of the Japanese spurge. Ray is an electrical engineer after all and he put his genius to work on creating a magical scene after the sun set. What strikes the fancy, though, is the pea green
carpet of what appears to be moss but is not moss. “It’s a plant that arrived from Turkey,” explains Ray. It was growing on the packages that held some tatami mats that came through Pakistan. A patch grew up under the packing case and when I asked a botanist about it, he said, “No, no. It’s not moss, but it will spread if you put it in patches.” Ray followed his instructions and today the low growing ground cover even fills in the crack between the paving stones. But that is not all. The garden could be lifted and set
down on the tiny island of Japan and not feel a bit out of place, although some of the plant material might be a bit exotic over there. It all came about as the result of Mounds of Japanese spurge are everywhere.
www.localgardener.net Summer 2014 • 9 A pea green carpet surrounds the stepping stone pathways.
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