Weeding Is Fundamental

/ Kevin / 32 Comments

I love a good weed.  It’s when I feel that I am most in my head, when I do my best thinking, when my imagination wanders up and down and sideways.

That’s the way it was this weekend when I knelt down to begin weeding the bed that’s wedged between a blue stone patio and a row of white pines growing in a bed of ivy behind a low stone wall.  In truth, I began working on this bed weeks ago, when I cleaned it, weeded it, and planted the Gomphrena “Strawberry Fields” that I had started from seed.

And that’s where the work ended.  Now all I see is the Gomphrena swallowed up by a new flush of weeds because I never had the chance or the time to place mulch.  It’s uncanny how the driest stretch of my yard, heated by the surrounding stonework, is the perfect home for weeds.   

As I pulled and yanked, my green world became black and white and I imagined myself in a 1940s film noir flick.  In it, I’m in a chair, a beam of light aimed at me and throwing the far corners of the room into shadows.  There’s a detective hovering above me, hair slicked back, hands on his waste so I can see his gun holstered under his jacket.

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To Garden Or To Blog, That Is The Question

/ Kevin / 38 Comments

And what a question it is.  In fact, it’s a question that has been weighing on my mind very much lately.

Since beginning this garden blog, gardening has become an oxymoron of sorts – an entirely new pastime.  What was once a simple task – something that I could take care of with little thought – has now become, well, post material.  Everything is fair game.  Weeding is no longer an act of pulling and discarding.  It’s now an opportunity to write, to inform, to be witty.  It’s a photo op – and how many of you have tried to garden with one hand while holding a camera in the other?

And so my dilemma.  Do blogging and the need for content take away from gardening or does gardening interfere with blogging time?  Does one need to suffer for the good of the other, or can both activities find a balanced and peaceful coexistence?

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Bloomin’ Update 25: A Weekend To Remember

/ Kevin / 29 Comments

Welcome to the holiday weekend.  For many, it’s a time for sales and sand, barbecues and beaches.  For me, it’s a time of marathon gardening.  I still have so many plants that have to get into the ground — and I’m never quite sure how I end up in this position each year.  I try to pace myself, but inevitably, I fall behind.  

So, here is my whirlwind.

First, there is the issue of the May curse — better known as Oak pollen.  It assaults me as soon as I step outside.  When the wind blows, it looks like it’s raining worms — and when enough of it gathers on the ground, it looks like tumbleweeds.  Actually, I’m okay with pollen when it’s on the ground.  It’s when it’s in the air, in my throat, and in my eyes that I have an issue that requires a tissue.  Ahhhhchooooo!

Then the Liriope needs a haircut.  Last year’s growth is a little worn from the winter, but emerging in the nest are fresh green spears.  With my grandmother’s scissors, which are small enough to maneuver so I don’t cut the new growth, I snip a little here and snip a little there.

Voila!

Time to plant the Dahlias.  If you have Dahlias that will grow tall enough to require staking, here’s a quick tip.  Plant the stake at the same time that you plant the Dahlia.  This will prevent any accidental spearing of the Dahlia tuber if you place the stake later on in the season.

Joe calls me to the front yard.  We have a robin’s nest in the tree, and there is a clear view of the three hatchlings.  So I pulled out a ladder, climbed up, and snapped a few photos — all the while staying alert for any adult robins that might attack me.  I’m a little jumpy when it comes to birds since my head has been targeted three times.  But the baby robins are cute, and we are both hoping that they survive.

At last, it’s time to take a look at the reds . . .

Rose.

Gerbera Daisy.

the whites . . .

Peony.

Rhodendron.

and the blues . . .

Spiderwort.

Dive in.

and to remember that this holiday isn’t about sales and sand, barbecues and beaches, nor plantings and pollen.

Happy Memorial Day. 

Terracotta Love: Now That’s Amore!

/ Kevin / 26 Comments

I’m in love with a terracotta pot.  I’m not sure if that’s even possible, but the truth is there is one pot in my collection of which I’m especially fond – and each spring when I remove it from its winter storage, it’s like reuniting with a long lost love.  I know its curves and warm tones and textures.  I accept all of it, even the irregular sizes of its pockets.  Yes, the terracotta pot of my dreams is the three-foot tall strawberry pot.  And today is the day that I am going to demonstrate my love for it.  It’s planting day.

The pot holds a place of honor in the garden, nestled among ferns and hostas and bleeding hearts.  It’s tall enough that it provides not only a focal point, but some vertical color in an area of the garden that is heavy with foliage.

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Bloomin’ Update 24: May Day And Night

/ Kevin / 26 Comments

May days are a wonder in the garden.  It seems that each day there is something else budding, blooming, or fading away.

A few posts ago, I featured the gradual blooming of the first peony.

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Book Review: Wicked Bugs

/ Kevin / 28 Comments

I’m good when it comes to bugs.  For the most part.

I mean, I generally do not become hysterical when I cross paths with a 6- or 8-legged creature.  In fact, there are some bugs I actually enjoy.  I’m captivated by a trail of ants going about its journey; I love the sultry summer chirp of cicadas; I’m totally in love with praying mantis; I’m mesmerized by the flicker of lightning bugs; I’m completely overjoyed by the arrival of a butterfly (which is why it received top billing);  and when it comes to bees, we have a firm understanding.  I’ll let them do their work, if they let me do mine.

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Celebrating Mother’s Day — The Hydrangea Way

/ Kevin / 32 Comments

It’s Mother’s Day, and in my part of the world, it’s the day when every homeowner is given the nod to go ahead and start planting.  In honor of the day, I thought I would make some Hydrangea babies that would make any mother — including the mother plant — proud.

 

1. In addition to a mother plant, you’ll need the following items (left to right): a dish with rooting powder, clippers, water, sandy soil, and a stick of some sort.

 

2. You’ll next have to select what parts of the mother plant you’d like to root.  Tender green stems, preferably ones that are not ending in a bloom, work best.

 

3.  Once cut, immediately place the stem in water.  You can continue collecting stems for rooting — but always place them in water right away.

 

4. At this point, get the root starting cells ready.  Sandy soil tends to work best because it’s not heavy, which is easier for developing roots.  Use a stick (a chopstick or a pencil works great) to make a hole where the stem will be inserted.

 

5.  Remove a stem from the water and trim off the larger leaves. 

 

6.  You will be left with something that looks like this. 

 

7.  Dredge the cutting, which is still damp with water, in the rooting hormone. 

 

8.  The rooting hormone should stick nicely because of the water.  Make sure that the stem is as covered as possible.

 

9.  Place the stem into the prepared soil, being very careful not to brush off the rooting hormone as you insert the stem into the hole.  Once placed, gently tamp down the soil.

 

10.  When all of your stems are planted, water them in and leave them in a sheltered location.  I usually keep them along the back of the house, sheltered by the eave.  Hydrangeas are fine with shade, but it’s important to protect these babies as best as you can — you know, like a good mother.

 

In a few weeks, you should be able to see which of your transplants has survived.  When roots have developed, the baby Hydrangeas can be potted up.  They may even be ready for planting, in a somewhat sheltered area, by fall so they can overwinter.  In the spring, you’ll be able to transplant them to a permanent location or re-pot them to giveaway as, well, Mother’s Day gifts.

And on that note, I’d like to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!

Bloomin’ Update 23: Peony Power

/ Kevin / 38 Comments

Call me a geek, but when I look at a peony, I can’t help but think that I’m watching the garden equivalent of the Big Bang.  It’s stellar.  It’s creation.  It’s a miracle.

 

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And The Giveaway Winner Is . . .

/ Kevin / 14 Comments

Not so fast.  Did you really think I would just announce the winner of the garden tools/seed embedded products giveaway without some sort of build up?  If all of these home/garden/fashion makeover shows can drag on for an hour until the big reveal, I’m sure I can come up with a few hundred words.

Actually, I want to thank everyone who participated by adding their advice.  That was, after all,  the goal of the giveway — the chance to plant a seed and hope that it would germinate, take root, and grow.  Thanks to all of you, there is now a garden of information.

Some of the best gardening advice was instructional: “I ‘plant’ a milk jug beside each tomato plant.  Each jug has three small holes in the bottom side, aiming at the tomato plant’s roots.  Each jug is filled with water every day – at any time of day – to let the water seep in at the root zone.  Keep the caps to keep bugs and debris out of the jugs, but don’t screw them down tight, or you’ll stop the flow of water.” Cindyricksgers

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Bloomin’ Update 22: Making Love To The Camera

/ Kevin / 32 Comments

There are days when I no longer feel like a gardener.  There are days when I feel more like a fashion photographer, coordinating colors, waiting for the perfect light, and soothing the tender egos.  As I take out the camera, they’re on — strutting and seductive as they all aim to get the cover of Vogue or Elle or Better Homes and Gardens.

“Yes.  That’s the shot.”

Bleeding Heart

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