|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2010 11:09:55 GMT
Thread created by casimiraI try to keep a list of things I would like to do in the garden each year.Needless to say, some spill over into the next year,and I try not to accomplish too much in this regard because it defeats the purpose of why I garden.Because one's garden should never be "finished"and must be always evolving. This time of year the garden is in repose.It is a good time for me to take stock of things,an inventory of sorts,and a time to reflect upon the visions I have for new growth,sometimes in places I never thought to look. Hefty metaphors here. My garden has always served as a barometer for my state of mind. Many plants need to be thinned out,areas of clutter opened up for new growth to occur. Getting back to some basics,soil that needs replenishing,areas of neglect that beckon for new life. On the practical side of things,I would like to allow for these aspirations to give way to a calmer,less frenzied pace in my day to day world.Only then,can inspiration take over and provide me with more of a sense of calm. After all,this is why I garden. ADDENDUM: My original intent when I started this thread early this morning,was to list the things that I would like to accomplish in my garden.And in a sense,I did.Somehow,I digressed and the thread took on a life of it's own and I began to blither. With that in mind,please feel free to go whichever way you feel and allow the thread to take on whatever "life" you choose.
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Jan 2, 2010 14:21:50 GMT
You are so right when you say that a garden reflects our state of mind. For many years mine was untidy and rambling but now it is growing into itself and taking shape in a more formal way. Nothing is more calming than sitting on my little terrace with the heat of the sun caressing my upturned face, seeing the birds at the bird-table and stroking the cat at my feet (though sometimes he's on the table). It pleases me to see the life energy in plants that takes hold and endures. Cut them back and they'll put forth again and again, renewing their life and demonstrating hope. I am so fortunate to have a garden when most people have none.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jan 2, 2010 15:10:23 GMT
I agree that we are fortunate to have gardens. Sometimes we talk of selling the house and moving to an apartment, but I realize I am not ready to give up the garden, even though it's often a depressing sight during the heat and drought of the summer months.
I don't have any deep philosophical thoughts about gardens -- I just like to see colour and flowers and am always pleased when something I plant from seed grows. Every year when the roses and peonies bloom, I find them beautiful.
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Jan 2, 2010 15:20:49 GMT
Casimira or bjd - when should I divide my peonies?
|
|
|
Post by imec on Jan 2, 2010 15:29:38 GMT
Maybe I need to start a garden this year.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 2, 2010 16:05:23 GMT
My garden has always served as a barometer for my state of mind. You are so right when you say that a garden reflects our state of mind. I am not ready to give up the garden, even though it's often a depressing sight during the heat and drought of the summer months. I think I'm in trouble! Added to the general aspect described by Bjd (except in reverse, as dry season here is winter & spring) and to my concurring with Spindrift and Casimira about our gardens being a reflection of ourselves, I was away for a week and a half. Actually, I had deep-watered enough that everything was okay during my absence. What is distressing is that the #@%&*! chickens on this property got into my garden and my compost heap and tossed everything about, made holes, broke plants, etc. It really looks terrible, and I haven't dealt with it yet. Some of you may know that I recently had to abandon a wonderful garden I'd made from scratch. That whole sequence of events put me into one of those glum why-bother states of mind that is so emotionally debilitating. My garden aspiration for this year is to learn how to manage the garden despite water shortage and to regain enthusiasm for this erstwhile passion.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jan 2, 2010 16:11:15 GMT
I just found this, Spindrift:
" Planting, transplanting and dividing peonies are best done in early fall but may be done in spring as soon as soils are workable. Each plant requires an area about three feet in diameter. Dig a generous hole, large enough to accommodate the roots and incorporate aged organic matter in the bottom. Place the peony in the prepared hole so that the eyes (small, red-colored buds) are one to two inches below the soil's surface. Backfill and water well.
Peonies may be left undisturbed for many years. A decline in flower production usually indicates overcrowding and the need for division. Carefully lift the clump and wash away the soil to expose the eyes. Using a clean, sharp tool, divide the clump into sections, each with three to five eyes and good roots. Replant immediately."
|
|
|
Post by Jazz on Jan 2, 2010 16:44:49 GMT
....Because one's garden should never be "finished"and must be always evolving... This time of year the garden is in repose.... My garden has always served as a barometer for my state of mind.... On the practical side of things,I would like to allow for these aspirations to give way to a calmer,less frenzied pace in my day to day world.Only then,can inspiration take over and provide me with more of a sense of calm. After all,this is why I garden Today the high is -9 (very cold) and it is sunny. My garden rests in lovely repose...little snow, the garden chairs are patiently waiting to be brought into the house, the squirrels and cats explore and leap and my stone statues are regal in their winter beauty. I share your idea that one's garden is never finished and is always evolving. Like you, it always reflects my state of mind, perhaps more than anything else in my life. You have inspired me to start mulling over its next 'look'. It's only 12 weeks to April 1st, 84 days...until I can be having coffee in the garden. mmm...I need to plant more in the ground, perhaps take out a few more square feet of brick patio and have fewer potted plants. Invest in some beautiful plants for the long term. As my garden has grown up, I have more and more shade from the oak tree and thus have to think of plants that will flourish and be happy with less light and a relatively short growing season. A creative challenge will be to find plants, vines, and trees that will have a longer season and be content in the shade. The fence needs to be dressed with vine robes, I think.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2010 18:01:28 GMT
One of the more valuable insights I have gained about planning out something in my head,a vision as it were, of a "look" I would like to achieve,is to look at the space you are wanting to cultivate from different optical angles. More recently for me,is to look out the upstairs balcony, out onto the back garden, and try to visualize how something is going to look both in the short term and the long. (bearing in mind also that you can always move it). I spend a lot of time working in the garden but I spend more time looking at it from this vantage point.
|
|
|
Post by Jazz on Jan 2, 2010 18:11:14 GMT
Good ideas. I just ran upstairs to the apartment (tenants are away ) to peek. Do you recognize this plant? This beauty lived and died on my brother's patio at their cottage. They bought it at the nearest village, but no one knew its name. It is a succulent and its leaves are thick, but not quite as lush as a jadeplant. I think it is beautiful.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 2, 2010 18:28:04 GMT
Jazz, I'm pretty sure that is a peperomia. I have tried to identify that particular one on several occasions, with no luck. There is a nearby nursery which always has them in stock. They're kept in the shade section, seem to receive frequent watering, and thrive. Alas, I've had terrible luck with them.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2010 20:11:38 GMT
Is indeed a Peperomia (familyPIPERACEAE) of which there are 2,300 or more species of,not to mention hybrids and crosses.I don't know this specific one but I have seen it. 'Tis a beaut and seems very happy. They are native to South America. Good rescue! and the pot it is in is particularly lovely as well.
|
|
|
Post by Jazz on Jan 3, 2010 2:01:50 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2010 11:54:16 GMT
Another of my aspirations for the garden is to try to plant more things that are edible or useful in some way outside of the landscape. So often,I go on job sites and see vast areas of empty space that could be used to grow food. I'm not talking rows of tomatoes or the like ,but,citrus trees in lieu of something that is purely ornamental. Gorgeous herbs that can be woven into a flower border.Vines that bear fruit woven into an old rose that can enhance the overall aesthetic of the arbor or trellis.The possibilities are endless.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 3, 2010 16:36:40 GMT
That is so true. It can work both ways, and on a smaller scale as well. For people wanting to grow herbs, but with no space for either a formal herb garden or a homelier plot near the kitchen door, integrating herbs into the ornamental garden is a fun and productive challenge.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2010 16:43:40 GMT
I went and did a consult this morning with a lovely woman whom I have known peripherally for a good number of years. The job at hand is a total cleanup,prune,weed,eradicate and installation.I talked over with her this notion for some of the flower beds and she was very receptive to the idea. Got the job and hope to begin this week. I am going to try and document the whole thing for here. Stay tuned!!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2010 17:42:42 GMT
Reinforced by the notion that the capricious forces of nature are in control here,not me,I look out the upstairs balcony at the war zone,last week a tropical paradise. I am now very excited as I begin to envision a whole new layout for late spring. I most certainly am going to replace all the ornamental bananas with all edible varieties.I am already perusing my catalogues and the internet for different cultivars. Thanks to HW and Spindrift and their gorgeous displays of tropical fruit that I know will grow here,I am very enthusiastic indeed.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 9, 2010 17:57:02 GMT
I'm passing on this link because I know you will enjoy it as a reference while checking out catalogues for tropical fruit. Make sure you look at all the links in the sidebar -- they're fascinating. However, I think this link also has a place in "garden aspirations" for people like Spindrift, with her interest in finding ways to help in Nepal. I have visited ECHO, and it's absolutely fascinating and inspiring. The grounds are full of extremely low tech solutions to agricultural problems in less "developed" countries, such as irrigation systems built entirely from bamboo. Here is just one example of the kind of information to be found on the ECHO site: THE MORINGA TREE, MORINGA OLEIFERA, IS CALLED MOTHER'S BEST FRIEND. That is one way they sometimes refer to this tree in the Philippines where the leaves of the malunggay, as they call it, are cooked and fed to babies. Other names for it include horseradish tree and drumstick tree (India) and benzolive (Haiti). Moringa is one of the most successful plants in ECHO's seedbank. Moringa tree leaves, pods, and roots are eaten; flowers are loved by bees; and seeds are powdered and used to purify water from murky rivers. I believe it is one of the most exciting and versatile plants that we have in our seedbank of tropical plants. The leaflets can be stripped from the feathery, fern-like leaves and used in any spinach recipe. Small trees can be pulled up after a few months and the taproot ground, mixed with vinegar and salt and used in place of horseradish. Very young plants can be used as a tender vegetable. After about 8 months the tree begins to flower and continues year round. The flowers can be eaten or used to make a tea. They are also good for beekeepers. The young pods can be cooked and have a taste reminiscent of asparagus. The green peas and surrounding white material can be removed from larger pods and cooked in various ways. Seeds from mature pods (which can be 2 feet long) can be browned in a skillet, mashed and placed in boiling water, which causes an excellent cooking or lubricating oil to float to the surface. The oil reportedly does not become rancid and was once sold as "ben oil." The wood is very, very soft, though the tree is a good living fencepost. It makes acceptable firewood but poor charcoal. www.echonet.org/content/fruitInformation/620
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2010 22:10:53 GMT
I've had some experience with the ECHO people,they do some truly great things and I applaud their efforts,but I found them to be soooo aggressive,to the point of being obnoxious and even militant in some of their writings. Not what gardening is about for me. I do have some shared views with them on the use of harmful chemicals but,I think there is a different approach that can be used in educating people about.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 9, 2010 22:19:22 GMT
Oh ~~ I am surprised! I wonder if that is something relatively new. When I had contact with them in the early nineties, it was all about helping and developing self-sustaining agriculture and relied heavily on testimonials from people in the field -- people really from whichever region.
I still say the consolidated body of information on tropical food-producting plants, as shown above, is extremely valuable.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2010 22:31:31 GMT
Oh ~~ I am surprised! I wonder if that is something relatively new. When I had contact with them in the early nineties, it was all about helping and developing self-sustaining agriculture and relied heavily on testimonials from people in the field -- people really from whichever region. I still say the consolidated body of information on tropical food-producting plants, as shown above, is extremely valuable. Someone took over who reeks of misery and control. I've seen this happen in other organizations. We had a woman here who was head of the Parkway Partners and singlehandedly ran off more good gardeners interested in community gardening than you could imagine. Fortunately,she is long gone. Yes,the tropical fruit info is most helpful. Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2010 0:31:48 GMT
Despite the frigid temperatures last night and early this morning,as the sun warmed things up a bit today and the wind died down,I was able to get out into the garden and begin the long,laborious process of cleaning up all the dead foliage from our hard freeze of a couple of weeks ago. While I prematurely mourn what may not return to life back there,I have a sense of rejuvenation at what I see in my mind's eye as a calmer,perhaps, less chaotic space. As I machetied(?) away for a few hours, I found myself thinking and at one point saying aloud to a small grove of dead bananas,"you have taken advantage of this space for too long now..."(A sure sign of the machete weary gardener when one starts talking to dead plants... ).
|
|
|
Post by lola on Feb 1, 2010 17:39:32 GMT
I'm tired of babying my spoiled brat rose garden, want to go more native anyway. Last year I put a lot of peppers and onions among and around it, supposedly companion benefit, and everyone did well.
Also every fall I surreptitiously cover another few feet of yard with newspaper and mulch to expand the veg garden into sunny part of the yard. I transplanted a volunteer peach tree last year to a more likely spot, and have hopes for it; it's taller than me already.
Fruit trees have a hard time here, I think because of the humidity.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2010 11:01:47 GMT
Lola,I know what you mean about wanting to go native,I have felt this way many times and have done the same here. But,somehow,these tropicals that flourish around here,(who can resist a giant banana tree outside one's balcony?) always seduce me... Companion planting does work well and perhaps we could start a thread on the topic? Ideas? (A great book on the topic is "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte) Fruit trees in Saint Louis,I can't say I recall.I do recall lots and lots of berries,blueberries in particular. I did not do much gardening in my days there. I was young,stupid,and in love... But why would Ella Fitzgerald in "Saint Louis Blues" sing."If you don't like my peaches,why do you shake my tree"?
|
|
|
Post by lola on Feb 2, 2010 18:45:02 GMT
Gooseberries grow wild in the woods, so I keep looking for a spot for a couple of bushes. Blackberries thrive, but I can't handle another thug plant in the yard, even if productive of yummy fruit. We have a stand of bamboo that has taken up way more than its share of space, time and energy. I did use it to make a grape arbor/carport, in a style I call Lil Abner meets the Seven Samurai.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 2, 2010 23:03:53 GMT
*SNORK!*
It is undoubtedly beautiful, but your description!!
Will fig trees grow there, if pruned and protected in the winter, Lola? Or maybe that's just another version of pampering the roses?
Not to throw cold water on any endeavor, but my grandmother had a lush peach tree that volunteered from a pit she'd thrown off the back porch. She took it personally that it wouldn't bear, despite knowing that the piece of fruit where she got the pit may have come from a completely different climate. The tree had its burst of beauty, then went where disappointing trees go when they die.
I would think that there are peaches tailor-made for your climate, though. I used to sell herbs for a wholesale grower friend of mine at the Wilmington, NC farmers' market. The space next to me belonged to a farm family who ate and generously shared all the fruit they felt too fragile to be carried away from the market at the end of the day. The one I remember the most was something called a "Dixie Belle" peach. It was white, obviously an old variety not suited for "shipping", and each one practically glowed in your hand with peach aroma, flavor, and juicyness. Heaven knows, Wilmington is hot & humid in the summers.
|
|
|
Post by lola on Feb 4, 2010 4:41:42 GMT
Thanks, bixa. I've seen figs only in greenhouses here.
My peach may be a spiritual cousin of your grandmother's. I only buy peaches that are fairly local, though, being kind of a peach snob, so maybe this one will work. There's an area called Crowley's Ridge in SE MO that has great peaches, and I got spoiled on them at an early age. They have a Peach Festival every year. Something about that terrain, maybe.
I'd love one of those Dixie Belles. Will watch for them. Maybe I should just buy a nursery verified tree.
|
|
|
Post by spindrift on Feb 4, 2010 21:52:29 GMT
What is a 'volunteer peach tree'?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2010 23:14:14 GMT
What is a 'volunteer peach tree'? A "volunteer" is a seed that sprouted where it fell and grew. In this case a peach pit it seems, had fallen and sprouted in Lola's garden. I think there's a thread on the topic in here,will have to go look.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2010 11:34:14 GMT
I have a couple of pots with bulbs in them at the back of a cupboard. I think I'll put them on the windowsill and see if anything happens.
|
|