Call for Cutting Garden Tips

I'm always looking for new gardening ideas. This year, I've settled on planting a cutting garden. The idea of flowers at my fingertips with which I can fashion informal and inexpensive arrangements appeals not only to my creative nature, but also the part of me that hates to spend money when I don't have to.

Currently, I'm researching the basics of planting a cutting garden, but I'd also appreciate a few tips from my readers.  Have you planted a cutting garden before? If so, I'd love to hear from you!

Five Hundred Trees

"Five hundred trees stand in a row,
over the years in the sleet and the snow.

The longer they stand, the older they grow.
The five hundred trees that stand in a row."

I wrote this short poem when I was in elementary school and for some reason, I've never forgotten the verses. I mention it now as Christmas fast approaches and trees, both real and fake, stand tall in family rooms and foyers, delightfully adorned with bulbs, tinsel, and enough lights to create an airstrip for a small plane to land on.

And while I appreciate all of the traditions associated with the Christmas tree, my soul finds its strength in the trees adorned not with decorations but with bird nests, squirrels, and the like - in the five hundred trees that stand in a row.

The Great Escape

When I was a kid, my grandparents lived a mile or so back in the woods, or as they say where I'm from, back in the "holler."

My uncle tells the story of when he was a teenager still living at home and my sister and I came to visit our grandparents.  When our running and playing and overall childishness became too much for him to tolerate, he went to his bedroom, opened the window, crawled out, and made his way down the hill and into the woods for a little peace and quiet.

When I hear this story, I am reminded of why I love the solitude of my garden so much. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for running and playing and overall childishness. However, when I can bear no more, the garden is where I'll be.

Mulching and Rabbits and Cats, Oh My!

After our women's civic group met this weekend, we had a chance to sit and talk and much to my delight, the conversation quickly turned to animals and gardens.

One member was enthralled with a friendly neighborhood cat, while another was mad at a rabbit for nibbling her flowers, but pleased that a fox had been making the rounds nibbling on rabbits.  We all agreed that while deer are magnificent to look at, they are not to be messed with, especially when they are protecting their young. We discussed weather vanes at length, lamented about mulching, wondered how deep groundhog holes really go, and pondered the ancestry of furry chickens.

A productive conversation indeed.

Harping on Houseplants

Over the past month or so, while waiting for the weather to warm up (and stay warmed up), I have given a great deal of attention to my houseplants. As such, most have been repotted, fertilized, and / or repositioned in different areas of the house. The goal? To maximize their health and encourage growth.

Apparently, I'm not just obsessed with my own houseplants. I've also started noticing indoor plants at businesses I visit. Just the other day, for example, I saw a beautiful plant on the counter at the Dr.'s office and suddenly, I had an overwhelming desire to reach over and grab a clipping or two.

Although I left the Dr.'s office empty-handed, I'm not bitter. And I'm sure once I start working in my garden and flower beds, my focus will shift from what is growing inside to what is growing outside. In the meantime, we'll see how the follow up appointment goes in a few weeks.

Return of The Wooden White Duck

He's back! The wooden white duck is once again sitting on the front porch, his long, white neck extended gracefully as he looks at the trees in the front yard and watches the flowers bloom (see blog from 09/12/18 - titled The White Wooden Duck).

Butterflies flit, bees buzz, and birds dart to and fro. Cars drive by, some slowing down ever so slightly. "Are you looking at me?" A rhetorical question? Maybe, maybe not. After all, white wooden ducks and porches are nothing new.

The weather is warm once again and the flowers are getting ready to bloom. And the duck? He sits contentedly on the front porch and watches the cars drive lazily up and down the street.

To Nurture or Not to Nurture

In the book Soar With Your Strengths (copyright 1992), Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson provide insight in regard to the act of nurturing:

"Nurturing is a strength that resembles the best kind of parenting. A manager or teacher gains satisfaction from the growth of employees or students . . .the nurturer can 'see' each increment of growth and expresses heartfelt warmth that enables employees to grow" (144).

When I read this passage, I immediately saw a connection between nurturers and gardeners. I feel that gardeners, like nurturers, experience a certain type of contentment when their gardens thrive, much like the joy an educator or boss feels when their students or employees succeed.

In your opinion:

>What are some similarities between nurturers and gardeners?

>Are nurturers better gardeners than non-nurturers? Why or why not?

Getting Ready to Get Dirty

 "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood

The weather is warming up and I've been walking around outside, inspecting my existing flower beds, contemplating where to put new flower beds, and of course pondering how my gardens will grow.

I am revitalized at the thought of Spring and the idea of being covered in soil, sweat, and maybe even a few bugs. Indeed, your thoughts are duly noted Ms. Atwood.

Water Heaters and Wells

For months now, my water heater has been trying its best to stop working. The main symptoms? Leaking from the bottom of the tank and tepid water, even after we replaced the water heater elements. The solution? Purchase a new water heater.  

This small inconvenience created by my dying water heater brings to mind my grandparents. For most of their adult lives, they did not have indoor plumbing. Consequently, they had to draw water from a well to use for cooking, drinking, washing, and for watering my grandmother's plants and garden.

Their well house stood a few feet away from the gate that led to the main house. Each morning my grandmother would go to said well house and use the pulley to lower the long, metal well bucket down until it hit the surface of the water below. Once it was filled to capacity, she would pull it back up and flip a lever to empty the water from the bucket into the empty metal buckets she had brought with her from the house. The number of trips she made back and forth depended on how much water was needed for the day. When weather permitted, she'd store water on the front porch in huge, silver wash tubs and use it accordingly.

As kids, me and my sister took many a bath in those big wash tubs. Oftentimes, the water was too hot or too cold and we would lament as my grandmother tried her best to scrub us clean. Some mornings, however, when she was too busy or just tired of hearing us grumble, we got lucky and only had to suffer a quick wipe-down using a wash cloth, a bar of soap, and a pan of water she heated up on the stove top.

Did we appreciate the effort it took for her to actually get the water for all of those baths? Probably not. We were kids and we didn't like baths, regardless of where the water came from. Also, we were chronic complainers, which didn't help. But clean or dirty, gripes and all, my grandparents let us visit as often as we wanted and in the process, we created wonderful memories that will never wash away.

A Short Synopsis of a Garden

A garden is a patch of soil or dirt that contains plants in various stages of development. Thus, tomato plants may be propped up by wooden stakes or supported by wire cages. Vining plants such as pole beans, cucumbers, and sugar peas are wrapped around taut twine that runs from one side of the garden to the other, or they cling to a piece of wire fence while they grow. Onions, potatoes, and carrots are temporarily hidden underground, but properly placed plant markers remind the sower where they are. Hot pepper bushes, herbs, and flowers provide much needed patches of color and fragrance, and everything grows accordingly and at its own pace, including the gardener.  

Runners and Gardeners

I am a runner. Regardless of the weather, five days a week, often while it is still dark outside, I climb out of bed, lace up my shoes, and head out the door. I have run on treadmills, trails, tracks, sidewalks, in a parking garage, in the park, in the basement, and around a graveyard.  I've huffed my way up huge hills, fallen down a few smaller ones, and landed face-first on a sidewalk after tripping over a metal weather drain. And although I'm not terribly athletic, I am persistent, which has helped me maintain a running schedule for approximately fifteen years now.

I am also a gardener, and in my opinion, runners and gardeners have several things in common. First, both are committed to completing the task at hand. For runners, this means finishing their run, regardless of circumstances, i.e. inclement weather, schedule changes at work, pain and /or exhaustion. In the case of the gardener, it is a matter of sowing, reaping, and repeating as necessary, often amid the same circumstances.

Second, runners and gardeners always look at the big picture. They realize it takes not just one day of running or working in the garden to achieve their desired goals, but many, many days.

Finally, both the runner and the gardener are life-long learners, which means they are constantly looking for ways to improve their craft, and they learn from their mistakes (after I fell on that sidewalk, I learned to run AROUND the weather drain on subsequent runs). Consequently, they tweak a little here, try something new over there, all in an effort to obtain the best possible outcome.

So, whether you're a runner, a gardener, or a runner who gardens, actively pursue what you love to do. And remember, although pathways and gardens are frequently rough and rocky, they are also rewarding for those who have committed to finish the race.

 

The Gardener's Touch

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my grandmother was born and raised in a traditional Christian home in South Carolina. As such, I never saw her stray from the rules of her conservative upbringing. She attended church on a regular basis, worked hard during the week, and rested on Sundays. She was kind, a little opinionated now and then, and one of the most prolific gardeners I've ever known.

Once in awhile however, she became angry. And on more than one occasion, I was the cause of her agitated state. Most of our disagreements occurred when I was a kid, usually when she caught me doing something stupid, like using all of her tinfoil to roll my hair before going to Bible school.

On these occasions, she'd take a deep breath, put her hands on her hips, and just stare at me for a few seconds. Then, in a voice infused with a southern accent, she informed me why my behavior was foolish and encouraged me not to do it again. She never cursed or spanked me, although there were times she had every reason to.

To this day, I truly believe her patience and her gentle spirit contributed to the success she had in her garden year after year. She could grow anything green, including grandchildren. And for that, I'm most grateful.




 

Crissy Can't Grow Hair Anymore

When I was kid, I had a Crissy Grow Hair doll with auburn hair. To make her hair "grow" from short to long, or to change the length from long to short, you just turned a knob on her back. I soon found out, however, that if you actually cut Crissy's hair with scissors, all of the knob turning in the world would not restore her luscious locks. So it was, after a couple of left-handed haircuts by yours truly, my Crissy doll became a less attractive version of herself who spent most of her time at the bottom of my toy box. 

As a gardener, especially during the Winter months when I cannot work outside, there are days I feel like a Crissy doll with a bad haircut. I become a little less animated, my smile is superficial, and honestly, I'm not much fun to be around. 

On these days, a magic knob would be nice. Just a few clicks to the right or left and presto chango! I'm back on track and my hair looks fabulous! A fascinating concept if you think about it, and a real time-saver. But until that knob is invented, I'll comfort myself with the thought that Spring is just around the corner. And I'll leave the haircuts to the professionals!

Expect the Unexpected

Several years ago, I visited an old farmhouse that is perched atop a hill. As I drove up the dirt and gravel driveway, I thought I saw a white mushroom stuck in the muddy embankment. After exploring the farmhouse, I walked back down the driveway to take a picture of the mushroom. When I leaned over the ditch to view my discovery, I was both surprised and delighted to find the object I thought was a mushroom was actually an old porcelain doorknob! Using my hands, I freed it from the soil and wrapped it in a tissue.

The takeaway? When possible, allow yourself a little extra time to investigate the world around you, ditches and all.  You never know what you might find!

My latest treasure - the porcelain doorknob.

Three Things I Love About February

As months of the year go, February often gets a bad rap. It is difficult to spell and harder to say (is that extra "r" supposed to be silent or stressed?). And by the time you buy a dozen roses, a half dozen gourmet chocolate covered strawberries, a heart-shaped box of candy, jewelry, and a Hallmark card expressing your enduring love for your significant other, chances are your wallet and your patience will be thinner than Oprah was in the late 1980's. 


Even though it can be expensive, February is still one of my favorite months.  Here are three reasons why:


>Classroom Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in February - as a kid, I used to love to exchange these cards with my classmates and as an adult, I still like to give them out to my friends. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and often with goodies attached, such as candy, stickers, or tattoos. What type of classroom Valentine's Day card would I like to receive? A garden themed card with a packet of seeds attached would be awesome!

>My birthday is in February - actually, I was born the day before Valentine's Day, so over the years I've received many Valentine's Day themed presents from family and friends. In fact, I have collected so many gifts - hearts, cherubs, bears, and roses just to name a few -  I'll never have to buy another Valentine's decoration, ever.

>February is a short month - there are twenty-eight days in February (twenty-nine when it is a Leap Year), which makes it the shortest month of the year. And once February is over, we transition into March, and March means we are closer to Spring, and Spring means we are closer to getting outside to work in our gardens!

 So, there you have it. Three things I love about February. How about you? What are some of your favorite things about this short but heart-felt month?

The Historic Gardener

Two of my passions in life are researching history and gardening. Consequently, the more time I spend with my nose in a book or digging in the dirt, the happier I am.

For me, studying the past and tending a garden are related activities. For one cannot plant a new garden without incorporating basic techniques practiced in the olden days. And in order to find and employ these methods, a reasonable amount of research must be done. Thus, in my mind, gardeners make excellent historians.

Herb Garden #3

For the past couple of years, I've planted an herb garden, separate from my regular garden. The first year I planted rosemary and basil, herbs that are familiar to most gardeners. The second year, I successfully added lavender, stevia, cilantro, and sage to the mix.

This year, if I can find them and if they'll grown in my planting zone, I'd like to add the following herbs to garden #3:

>Tansy - also called bitter buttons or golden buttons. Can be used for medicinal purposes as well as culinary purposes. It is also used as an insect repellent.

>Dill - commonly used when making pickles and to flavor soups.

>Catnip - repels certain bugs in the garden, but attracts butterflies. Is also used to make tea and poultices.

>Peppermint - used to flavor candy, and for tea.

>Coriander - leaves, seeds, and roots are used for flavoring food.

What herbs do you plan to grow in your garden this year? 

The Garden: Beauty Versus Usefulness

Several years ago, I had one of those fancy side-by-side refrigerators with a water and ice dispenser located on the outside of the door. It was big, the doors were smudge-proof, and I could fit a ton of stuff inside. As refrigerators go, it was top-tier.

One morning, I walked into the kitchen to find a stream of water silently flowing from the water dispenser and puddling on the floor. After checking to make sure the doors were closed and all of the buttons were in the "off" position, I pulled the refrigerator away from the wall, turned off the corresponding spigot, and unhooked the water supply line. And although I continued to use the refrigerator without any further problems, it gave me no aesthetic pleasure as it had before.

Now, if you subscribe to the notion that beauty is at best a fleeting quality, and usefulness a necessity, you may appreciate the similarities I've found between my broken refrigerator and a garden.

In the beginning, a newly planted garden, like a newly purchased appliance, is attractive and well-ordered. The plants are green, the rows are uniform, and the weeds are barely, if at all, visible. Butterflies visit regularly and nature's critters observe the goings-on from a distance. But, as Spring turns to Summer, the plants get bigger, their foliage gets a little yellow or brown, perfect rows become muddled, and for every weed you pull, two more appear. To make matters worse, a plethora of bugs, some identifiable and some not, join the butterflies, and an assortment of nasty little varmints move in and declare war on anything they can stuff into their furry faces. 

Even so, all is not lost. Although our gardens may no longer look perfect, like my refrigerator, they still  work. Our plants are growing and producing, we're helping the environment, and we're saving money. So cheer up. Gardens don't have to be beautiful to be successful.

 

Release Your Creativity

To touch it or not to touch it? That was the question. Conflicted in my creative persona, I stood in front of the interactive museum exhibit, gaping. Mouth closed of course, but gaping nonetheless. Comprised of at least a thousand round, uniformed lights in shades of blue, red, green, and purple on a black background, the display took up over half of the wall space it was attached to and resembled a Lite-Brite toy I used to have as a kid.

Bathed in the brilliance of it's glow, I glanced left, then right and moved in a little closer. Slowly, I reached out my hand and touched a blue light, which in turn remained blue. Refusing to be detoured, I turned the blue lamp half an inch to the right and poof! The coloration changed from dark blue to light blue. Without hesitation, I began rotating lights this way and that, constructing my own pattern on the board until my vision was complete.

The takeaway? Whether you're working in the garden, writing a blog post, or constructing a masterpiece with your own hands, don't curb your creativity. Instead, let your light shine!