Gardening Archives - Page 15 of 82

Bzzzz March 12th, 2012

It could be that I have a truly horrid memory. But it’s also quite possible that nature is just messing with me.

See, it seems every spring something out there in my garden takes on a life of its own and just grows. In particular, nature really likes messing with my container plantings. I have a habit of just letting them go to ruin in the fall because the architecture of the foliage acts as nature’s artwork when there isn’t much else to look at except the leaves I haven’t yet raked.

A few years ago nature surprised me with some self-seeded pansies and a sunflower in one of those containers. Lookee here! I did not do that. I don’t even think I’m capable of thinking like that.

Here’s nature’s little surprise for me this year.

Okay, nature didn’t stick those pussywillow branches into the decay of last summer’s container plantings. But I’m pretty sure she put the hyacinths there. I think I would have remembered digging down into rock hard soil under dead plants to plant bulbs.

Kathy Jentz at Washington Gardener magazine calls this squirrel-scaping. It’s just as good a name as any for nature’s little jokes. Now that I think about it, I could use more of this type of humor in my life.

Posted In: Flowers, Gardening, Gardening Life

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Bzzzz January 21st, 2012

For most folks, when friends come to visit for a couple of days they’ll send a little note of thanks when they get home. When your friend is a garden blogger, they’ll blog about your garden.

My friend and English garden tour travel partner, Layanee, did just that, posting about my garden here on her lovely blog Ledge and Gardens.

The Woodland Garden and, we hope, future Moss Garden

It’s very interesting to see someone else tell the story of your garden through their eyes with their camera. It was Layanee’s first visit here, although she has seen many photos of my garden over the years on this blog. As we walked around the winter devastation she said more than once, “I haven’t seen this view!”

I particularly appreciated Layanee’s view of what we are currently calling the Woodland Garden. Our hope is that over the years moss will cover this area to create a serene and green woodland setting. On Layanee’s advice, we cleared the underbrush and hauled in and spread about 10 tons of stone dust. (Well, “we” didn’t do it. My 6’4, 180 lb 20-year-old son did it.) The stone dust will keep down the weeds and provide a surface for the moss to grow.

It’s nice to have friends in the horticulture business who can give you free advice! By the way, you can get your own free advice from Layanee and her radio partner, Sam, by calling into their Sunday morning radio show, “Garden Guys.” You’ll have to find your own strong 20-year-old to do the heavy lifting.

Winter is not the best time to visit my garden, but Layanee kept reassuring me that she could see the “bones.” I do hope that she returns when things are growing and green. Better yet, come visit around July or August when I could use an extra pair of hands weeding it all!

There Goes That Spring Surprise Again

When Friends Come to Visit