Welcome to our upstate New York zone 6A garden where we're tackling a project that's been years in the making - expanding our back berm, installing much-needed drip irrigation, and reorganizing plantings that have outgrown their original homes. This is the kind of comprehensive garden renovation that transforms a struggling space into something that can truly thrive.

The Challenge: A Beautiful View Without Water

Our property backs up to open space rather than a fence line - a deliberate choice to feel connected to nature. Eight Green Giant arborvitae planted years ago (when they were small enough to fit all eight in our car) have matured into a privacy screen that anchors this area beautifully.

But there's been one glaring problem: this is the only garden space in our entire property without drip irrigation. While our other borders flourish with lush color and thriving plants, the back berm has been struggling through this exceptionally dry summer - nine inches behind normal rainfall.

The evidence of drought stress is everywhere. Our Little Lime hydrangeas show barely any foliage beneath their blooms. The Steady Eddy viburnum is exhibiting premature fall color from stress rather than seasonal timing. Plants that should be thriving are merely surviving.

The Infrastructure Solution

This spring, we finally installed an additional hose spigot at the back of our property, solving the water pressure concerns that had kept us from irrigating this area. With that infrastructure in place, we can now add drip irrigation throughout the berm - giving these plants the consistent moisture they need to perform like the rest of our garden.

The Reorganization Challenge: A Five-Year Procrastination

Some garden tasks loom for years. Our Storm Cloud Amsonia, planted at the base of the Green Giant arborvitae about six years ago, has been on the "needs dividing and moving" list for at least five years. These plants were now poking out awkwardly from underneath the mature evergreens - functional but far from ideal placement.

Fall presented the perfect opportunity to finally tackle this long-postponed task while also expanding the berm forward to create more planting space.

What's Changing and Why

Moving and Multiplying Amsonia

Storm Cloud Amsonia is one of the most underrated perennials in our garden. It offers multi-season interest: emerging like black asparagus in spring, blooming bright sky blue, transitioning to olive-toned foliage through summer, and finishing with gorgeous golden fall color. It's basically a shrub-sized perennial that performs beautifully season after season.

The challenge? These needed to be dug out from under established arborvitae roots - roots that extended two to three feet into the surrounding soil. With determination and our trusty Root Slayer shovel, we excavated these established clumps and fearlessly divided them by stepping on the center and splitting them in half.

From our original plantings, we created 14 divisions that now form a substantial drift along the berm's new front edge.

Relocating Little Lime Hydrangeas

Five Little Lime hydrangeas were originally planted as a front edge to the berm before the expansion. Now that we've brought the bed forward, these needed to be grouped together into a cohesive mass planting. Their shallow, wide root systems came out easily in the drought-dried soil - a silver lining to the challenging summer conditions.

Once properly irrigated and closely spaced, these five will create a unified drift of flowers next season rather than a spaced-out line.

Transplanting the Mystery Boxwood

Sometimes you just buy things at Costco without tags. This Korean boxwood (we think) has been moderately successful in its original location but will serve better as an end cap to the berm garden, creating structure and year-round interest. The Root Slayer made surprisingly quick work of this transplant, cutting through roots easily in the dry soil.

New Additions: Bringing the Wow Factor

Spigelia 'Apple Slices' - A Hummingbird Magnet

This 2024 introduction from Proven Winners caught our attention despite not typically being "our color." The red tubular flowers are hummingbird magnets, and crucially, this variety can handle extra moisture - perfect for a low spot where water naturally travels during heavy rains.

At 16-18 inches wide and 22 inches tall, these three plants will create substantial presence while providing wildlife value throughout the growing season.

Let's Dance Lovable Hydrangeas

Three more macrophylla hydrangeas bring our garden's total to 209. These compact (4x4 feet) hydrangeas offer more vivid bloom color and darker foliage than our Let's Dance Sky View varieties. While we're planting them in full sun - not traditional macrophylla territory - consistent drip irrigation should prevent the leaf scorch that typically plagues big-leaf hydrangeas in exposed sites.

The tops arrived trimmed for shipping, which is completely normal and actually beneficial for encouraging branching.

Reminiscent Yellow Roses

Our first truly bright yellow roses! While we grow Vanessa Bell (a soft whitish-yellow) and Nye Bevan (creamy yellow), Reminiscent Yellow will be our first venture into vibrant yellow territory.

These arrived in two shipments with dramatically different experiences - the first box delivered beautifully healthy plants, while the second sat in a UPS warehouse for an entire week without light or water. Remarkably, even the delayed shipment looked decent considering the ordeal, though without blooms to show for this 2026 release.

The Art of Fall Rose Planting

Landscape roses like the Reminiscent series from Proven Winners couldn't be simpler to plant. Unlike grafted David Austin roses that require specific techniques:

• No special soil amendments needed
• No extra-deep planting required
• No fall fertilization (that would be like giving yourself coffee right before bed)
• Just plant, water well, and let roots establish before winter

Fall timing is ideal - milder sun, cooler temperatures, and (usually) more consistent rainfall. Roots can establish for months before winter dormancy, waking up ready to perform in spring. Our goal is planting six weeks before the ground freezes, with roots continuing to develop almost until Thanksgiving or even late December.

Understanding Hydrangea Root Systems

Working with these hydrangeas provided a perfect teaching moment about their shallow, wide-spreading root systems. While container confinement forces roots downward, hydrangeas naturally spread their roots laterally near the surface. This makes consistent surface moisture and good mulching critical for success.

We use locally-sourced manure-based compost as mulch, delivered in bulk each spring. This feeds the shallow roots while retaining moisture where hydrangeas need it most.

The Reality of Fall Transplanting Broadleaf Evergreens

Moving that boxwood in fall isn't ideal timing - broadleaf evergreens transpire heavily through their foliage and can desiccate during winter. But this is real-life gardening, and sometimes you do things outside the optimal window. Our solution? A slow trickle from the hose on the transplanted boxwood while we worked on the rest of the space, giving it maximum water to offset transplant stress.

Dividing Perennials: The Fearless Approach

There's no gentle way to divide massive Amsonia clumps. Find the approximate center, step on it with conviction, and let it split. These tough perennials handle aggressive division remarkably well.

After dividing, we cut all foliage back to about six inches (or even ground level). This allows roots to focus on establishing rather than supporting top growth. The tradeoff? We'll miss this year's spectacular fall color. But with 14 new divisions creating a substantial drift, next year's display will be worth the sacrifice.

Creating Future Color: The Annual Pocket

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this renovation is the large central area we're intentionally leaving empty for next season's annual display. Imagine a giant pocket of gorgeous seasonal color in the dead center of our backyard view - hundreds of blooms creating a focal point that changes with each planting season.

This strategic empty space transforms the berm from a struggling edge planting into a dynamic feature that will command attention and provide maximum seasonal impact.

The Bee Incident: Real Gardening Moments

Mid-planting, a bee somehow got inside a shirt and stung twice before being discovered and (accidentally) crushed during the struggle. Garden injuries happen - it's part of working closely with nature. Ice, determination, and a bit of humor got us through to project completion.

Looking at the Complete Picture

What did we accomplish in one intensive fall planting day?

• Korean boxwood relocated as structural end cap
• Three Spigelia 'Apple Slices' adding hummingbird-attracting color
• 14 Storm Cloud Amsonia divisions creating a substantial drift
• Five Little Lime hydrangeas regrouped into cohesive mass
• Three Let's Dance Lovable hydrangeas (bringing total to 209)
• Three Reminiscent Yellow roses introducing bright yellow to the garden
• Large annual pocket reserved for next season's color explosion
• Drip irrigation infrastructure ready for installation

The Investment in Irrigation

Adding drip irrigation to this space will be transformational. The difference between our irrigated borders and this dry berm is dramatic - lush, colorful thriving plants versus stressed survivors merely hanging on. Consistent moisture will allow these new additions and relocated plants to reach their full potential.

Faith Planting: The Fall Paradox

Fall planting requires a particular kind of gardening faith. We're planting sticks and divisions - nothing that looks particularly impressive in the moment. But this "faith planting" or "hope planting" means waking up next spring to established plants ready to perform from day one rather than spending the entire season just getting established.

What garden tasks have you been procrastinating for years? Have you tackled any major reorganizations or expansion projects this fall?

Thanks for growing with us!