Except for a few broken branches all evidence of the giant Deodar Cedar that fell during the snows of February is gond

Contractors ground the stump today. Right foreground toasted Ferns speak to the absence of shade, but curiously, across the path behind the the grinder operator at the left side of the picture, is one of the biggest Kirengeshomas I have ever seen and it seems to be doing fine in this exposed oven of a site. We have made extra efforts to keep it watered but still....

We had a project in the collection today; Ed and Michael worked with Nate, Amanda, Neal, and I to mulch the area past the Red Pagoda. We put ramps over the steps for the wheelbarrows and used fairly coarse wood chips. Neal, of course, scoffed; he feels that nothing but the best mulch is good enough for the Asian Collection. I like this blend though. It isn't a highly visible area and we may not get back there for a few years so we need something that'll stand up.  Anyway we were in great position to observe the stump grinding that took place about 50 feet from where we unloaded our wood chips.