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Bzzzz July 12th, 2007

Today’s is a look at the good, the bad and the ugly at a Bumblebee Garden.

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.

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Bzzzz July 8th, 2007

I know it looks like Harry is doing all the work here while I lounge around.

But the truth is, this photo was taken at about 5:30 p.m. I had been working in the 90 degree heat for about eight hours while Harry was in his hidey hole (what we fondly refer to as his home office) doing WORK work stuff. He emerged to help transplant what I thought was a small specimen tree (a willow whose name I really need to write down).

I say “what I thought was a small specimen tree,” because at the end, it actually took THREE of us to hoist the tree over those baby boxwoods without breaking them. (No, the third person was not the little Papillon Sarah.)

I decided to locate this little willow from its big pot on the back patio to the Colonial theme garden after surveying all the other options at the local garden center. It’s a good thing I did because after two years in that pot, it was getting pretty darn crowded. I didn’t realize that the roots had started to grow out of the bottom. Fortunately, it wasn’t pot-bound, so I expect it’ll be happy in its new home.

Now I need to find some small flowers–probably annuals–that won’t overtake the small boxwoods but will spread and add color. I tried violets and that was a total DISASTER. In no time they were bigger than the boxwoods.

Any ideas for something I can still add now that it’s July? Preferably something that can take me through the fall.

But here’s the BIG news…

I ate my SECOND tomato of the season for lunch. I had it with my homemade neufchatel cheese and homemade bread. YUM!

Harry tried to put it into one of his big salads last night. His salads are loaded with cheese and olive oil, so I figured the precious tomato would get lost. Why waste my very own second tomato, especially when we already had tomatoes from the farmer’s market?

I told him in no uncertain terms that the tomato was MINE! He is still wondering when he will get is very own garden tomato.

This tomato is from a hybrid tomato I planted to compare with the heirloom tomatoes I usually grow. So far, this Beefmaster has produced two tomatoes and has more on the way. The plant is LOADED with tomatoes. The Brandywine and Genovese tomatoes are coming along, but it’ll be a while before I’m eating those.

Does anyone else have tomatoes coming in yet? And here’s the real question: When they do, who gets the first one?

–Robin (Bumblebee)

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