It started over at Colleen’s In the Garden Online. Colleen was bold enough to expose the dark side of her garden–the less-than-magazine-picture-perfect shots that every gardener has and doesn’t want others to know about.
I wholeheartedly applaud the motivation behind this thread of discussion. With all our pictorials of bountiful harvests, perfect specimens, rampant foliage and peaceful garden retreats, garden bloggers may sometimes tend to err much the way that the glossy garden magazines have erred–by presenting an ideal that no novice–or even experienced gardener without help–can maintain.
So here goes with my own version of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Weedy corner in the Colonial theme garden
It seems that every year since I began the Colonial theme garden I have had one weedy corner. I tell myself that it’s my tribute to the true laws of mother nature. I rationalize that it’s an acknowledgement of the untamability of our natural environment.
In reality, I usually just don’t know what I’m doing. Take this weedy corner, for example. Last year I planted an obedient plant here. I don’t recall that it did particularly well. I have never before seen an obedient plant, so I don’t remember what it looks like. So when plants started doing what plants do, I didn’t know what was weed and what was obedient plant. I still don’t.
Yes, I know I can go and look it up. And truly, it’s on my list. But I never remember when I actually have the time.
Out of control roses
Not too far from the weedy corner is a pair of out of control climbing roses.They look shabby 11 months out of the year. Weeds grow under them that I cannot get to because the bush is so thick. I could whack at them every week and they would only grow more robust from the abuse. I should take them out, but that would require a crane.
Weed pile with broken down garden cart
I saved the worst for last. I have a 3′-high weed pile. This is where I have thrown weeds that I didn’t want to compost or the profuse quantity of sticks and stickers that just couldn’t be mulched without gumming up my machine. As a result, I have an ugly and, sadly, growing collection of discarded weeds.
The broken down garden cart adds to the scene. I bought it on sale at K-Mart for $40. Stupid. It didn’t last any time before the tires went kaplooey. I haven’t figured out how to have it fixed because I dislike the cart anyway. It has a bar that sticks out under the handle that always manages to jab me in the leg.
Really need to put all this into the pickup truck and take it to the landfill. But the pickup truck is broken down–again.
Now that I’ve exposed the ugly parts. Here is a quick look at some of the Bumblebee Garden that I don’t believe I’ve shared before.
Purple border
I have a lovely little purple border with these fabulous cock’s comb flowers. A friend gave me one of these flower last year and I saved the seeds, sprouting them in my light garden. I had dozens of these, which I dotted around the garden. That’s a volunteer elephant ear that’s coming up underneath the cock’s comb. I forgot that I had put it there last year. They aren’t supposed to overwinter outdoors here in zone 7, but no one told this elephant ear.
Container garden arrangements
I love mixing up different plants in containers. This arrangement of tiny petunias, salvia and dusty miller has been a repeat show stopper on the back deck.
Sky pencil holly arrangement
Similarly, the sky pencil holly arrangement, modeled on one that I saw at the Dixon Gallery and Garden in Memphis, is a bounty of color.
Okay, I have done my duty by showing the dark side of a Bumblebee Garden. And I hope I have somewhat redeemed myself by showing that I’m not a total garden loser.
Like most gardeners, I don’t have any garden help. I mow my own lawn. I do my own weeding. My own planting and such. My husband helps out with some push mowing at the wild edges about once a week or so. My teenage son will occasionally help me with some tote-and-haul work. He is also a good helper during my shopping sprees at the garden center. Otherwise, the garden is mostly mine.
It’s not all pretty. But I hope that the pretty parts distract from the scraggly corners.
Hi! I'm Robin Ripley author of Wisdom for Home Preservers, published by Taunton Press. I am also co-author of Grocery Gardening. Bumblebee is about my life in rural Maryland, my garden and my love of food, my little dogs and pet chickens. You can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. Thank you for visiting!
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Dag nabit, I can’t get the pictures to show up again. I’ll try later. It sure sounds ugly, though!
Okay, the pictures finally came through. The obedient plant is the green stuff in the center of the picture. It is far from obedient and will spread like crazy if you turn your back on it.
Oh my, I love the weed pile. You are right, the cart just adds to it. I think that beats my crappy compost bin area, which I cleaned up this morning! It still looks bad, but not so bad.
And it appears as though you walk by those roses at your own risk!
Your good areas are outstanding, by the way, in my humble opinion.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Robin, you go girl! I mow my own lawn and pull my own weeds too.
Your gardens do look outstanding (compared to mine) and you have many more flowers and pretty arrangements than me also.
My weed piles hide under the sumac in the highway right-of-way where no one ever goes and no one cares what grows. Do you have the option of tucking yours a little farther back into the woods there?
This is amusing stuff, isn’t it?
By the way. I have a nice new 35MM SLR digital camera. It will take me a while to get the hang of it, but I already like it!
–Robin (Bumblebee)
Ruthie – You’re right. SOMEONE could put those weeds in the woods. After all, we do have 15 acres of trees to stash it in. But it isn’t gonna be ME. I just have to tip toe close and I get poison ivy!
–Robin (Bumblebee)
Thanks Carol. You’re right. I seem to have quite a lot of that obedient plant.
By the way, I don’t know if you can tell in the photo, but there are actually a couple of asparagus plants in that weed patch too! This used to be an asparagus bed until I decided it was in the very wrong place.
Robin (Bumblebee)
Robin,
Thanks for doing a good, bad, and ugly. First off, your "goods" are totally gorgeous! And it just shows that even someone as obviously talented at gardening as you are has less-than-perfect areas….it’s very encouraging, I think! The weed pile is awesome 🙂 And those rosebushes look absolutely deadly. I know I wouldn’t want to go near them!
Thanks so much for doing this!
Robin,
Thanks for doing a good, bad, and ugly. First off, your "goods" are totally gorgeous! And it just shows that even someone as obviously talented at gardening as you are has less-than-perfect areas….it’s very encouraging, I think! The weed pile is awesome 🙂 And those rosebushes look absolutely deadly. I know I wouldn’t want to go near them!
Thanks so much for doing this!
I loved seeing your weed pile. On the amount of acres you’re gardening, I say it justifies that pile. I am so jealous of the beautiful cocks comb you grow there: I haven’t seen it here on the West Coast as beautiful as it grows out your way. Such a strange, weird, colorful plant….as for those roses, harumph. Get rid of them. I’m done with underachieving roses. Off with their heads! 😉
Your containers are gorgeous. Have you gotten any rain lately?
Ah, rain. Last week it poured cats and dogs for about 10 minutes and then fizzled to a small drizzle. All told, my rain gauge measured less than 1/2 inch. Still, the plants were happy and I did have to mow the grass yesterday.
–Robin (Bumblebee)
Carol – By the way, I finally looked up the obedient plant. Apparently it’s part of the mint family.
If only I had known!
–Robin (Bumblebee)
Mint family! Eeeeeeevil! I sugest you move it to the weedpile since the plant is pretty goodlooking, and the weeds will probably meet their superiour…
Your container plants are gorgeous! I wish I could hire you for my own gardens :-9
[…] to try and beautify this large pile of sticks and weeds that I shared a while back as one of my True Confessions […]