A Woodland Garden in Eastern Tennessee

While many of his neighbors had opted to remove most of the large trees that grew on their properties, in favor of grass lawns and decorative gardens of non-native plants, my father had opted to keep most of his trees. For over two decades, their leaves were allowed to gather beneath them like a true forest floor. Over time, volunteers crept in and some were favorably fortuitous.

When I arrived, the wilderness needed some taming. I removed a number of invasive trees and shrubs. I pulled up endless tangles of poison ivy and honeysuckle. I unearthed a number of grasses and wild flowers that had secretly set down roots. Eventually, I began to introduce some woodland plants that are native to the area.

I had been wanting to keep track of all the plants in my backyard simply because I’m a nerd who loves each one of them dearly. As I also love the wilderness of the web, designing a website to house this beloved data made the most sense. The woods have always been my favorite natural place to explore. The haphazard nature of their beauty is more suited to my tastes than any perfectly manicured plot, so a woodland garden was always likely to elicit my devotion. It has also been a much needed reprieve from the screen time that my job as a web designer requires.

This page is actively under construction. Most of the photographs are currently stock. I will eventually replace them with my own.

[April 9, 2025]