Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 6, 2012 · 1:45 am

PRESTO POTS

A few years ago we re-did the back patio.

Lifting all the worn out brick,

Expanding it a bit and

Replacing it with new brick.

At the same time we bought GIANT new pots

Traditional Rolled Rim Italian clay were our choice

Rolled Rim Italian Clay

I think we were on the garden tour that first year.

So I invested in fantastic pink tropical Hibiscus.

Glorious in the green house

Not a bloom on them the weekend of the garden tour!

Thus began my years of problem pots.

I won’t bore you with year by year disaster stories.

Suffice it to say that I’ve had trouble finding the right mix.

Last fall I murdered the mile high purple fountain grass.

Last Year’s Attempt

It was great till it grew so tall I couldn’t see my garden from the breakfast room

And…the wind blew it over onto the flowers.

So out it went.

For lack of a better idea I just planted them to lettuce.

Peg Checking on the Lettuce

Made sense to me.

The pots are close to the kitchen

For easy cutting.

And with the mild winter I had terrific lettuce for months on end.

Now that it’s late spring it’s starting to bolt

And taste a little bitter.

Besides I’m having a luncheon in my garden next week

So I had to do something.

The answer came at my friend Susan’s front door.

Dipladenia Deep Red !

Dipladenia Deep Red

I found it at my favorite local nursery in hanging baskets.

Brought them home and was ready to pull up all the lettuce.

When I stopped.

Let’s try just pulling up only the lettuce I need to make room for the new plants.

Leave the rest for filler.

Great idea.

Along with the Lettuce, Nierembergia survived the winter

And is blooming wildly…more filler.

Winter Survivors: Nierembergia & Lettuce

Next I added True Yellow Lantana, plumbago, Gomphrena, and Purple and White Petunias.

White Cascade Petunia “Short-Term Annual”

I know, I swore off petunias last year.

But they sucked me in so

I did a paradigm shift.

I don’t expect them to survive the whole summer.

I now consider them “short-term annuals”!

Don’t buy very many and tuck them close to something that will live.

And again, I only removed the lettuce that was necessary.

The end result is well, great in my book.

Full & Finished !

The pots look full.

Much fuller than normal for this time of year.

As the plants grow, the lettuce will die.

Nature will take its course.

Love when that happens.

Enjoy the week.

Gail

Saturday Morning Visitor

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Filed under container gardening, Dipladenia, Gardening, Gomphrena, Impatiens, Lantana, Lettuce, Nierembergia, Petunia, Uncategorized

April 30, 2012 · 1:24 am

TAMING THE GREEN MONSTER

Last week I tackled my grossly overgrown Euonymus on the east fence.

It was fitting to tackle my green monster

On the 100th anniversary of the original Green Monster at Fenway Park.

Fenway Park July, 1994

Now you may be saying to yourself

This is a real stretch

Fenway Park to my east fence.

But actually they are connected.

When Elliott was in elementary school

We took a series of “urban vacations”.

Boston on the 4th of July was one of our destinations.

Sailing in Boston Harbor, July, 1994

And even though we are not big baseball fans

We couldn’t go to Boston without going to Fenway Park.

We walked from our Back Bay hotel – the hotel Elliott!

To the ball park.

And along the way

We discovered The Fens

And the Fenway Victory Gardens

Fenway Victory Gardens

Started in 1941 as we entered WWII

The Fenway Victory Garden is the longest continually operating Victory Garden.

Here we are 60+ years later with community gardens returning.

I was enthralled.

Apartment dwellers standing in line to have their own little slice of gardening heaven.

Chatting over the fence

Just like home.

Later on we traveled to Martha’s Vineyard

Where I was introduced to

New Dawn Roses

Rosa New Dawn, Martha's Vineyard, July, 1994

Which now grace my east fence.

So we’ve come full circle

Shortly after we built the fence

John decided it needed a little greenery on the inside.

His shrub of choice for fences is Euonymus

Knowing how well they grow

I was a little dubious

But decided not to die on that sword…or shrub.

After a few years the branches began to grow through to the rose side.

It was manageable.

Until this spring.

Between the extra early and warm spring.

And the fact that I have been “in my garden” very little

The Euonymus became

The Green Monster

My Green Monster

It pushed through the fence.

Pushed the New Dawn roses away from the fence

They pushed Belinda’s Dream roses forward.

And when they bloomed with those glorious heavy blooms.

Rosa Belinda's Dream

They were on the ground.

Not my best effort

Especially on the most public part of my garden.

So I’ve spent a day reigning in the Euonymus

Filling one entire poly cart with “clippings”!

The tamed monster

Then tieing the New Dawn branches to the fence

With the handy stringing tool John fashioned a few years ago

Rose tying tools

It works perfectly for my fence

Once New Dawn has finished blooming.

Rosa New Dawn

I’ll cut the branches way back

Like I should have done in early March!

And if we have a decent summer

It will bloom again off and on.

So…as you travel the neighborhood

I hope you’ll think of my own Green Monster.

And the time we met the real one!

Take care,

Gail

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Filed under Dead Heading, Euonymus, roses, tools, Uncategorized

April 15, 2012 · 2:44 am

COLUMBINE

One of the things I love about my garden

is shade.

I haven’t always had shade.

But this garden has several areas.

It’s not the deep woodland shade

but rather “partial or dappled shade”.

This means that sometime during the day

a litttle sushine comes through.

The best is morning sun.

The problem with shade is color.

It’s hard to come by on a consistent basis.

Most perennials that bloom in the shade

bloom in the early spring.

Leaving many months in need of a color boost.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Columbine loves dappled shade.

It’s happiest in cool mountain air.

Making it a natural for the state flower of Colorado.

But it also likes living on the Great Plains.

As long as you give it some shade for part of the day.

I’ve grown it both from seed and plants.

Originally I got it started from plants in 3″ pots.

Like most perennials it takes a few year for them to get established.

I didn’t pick any blooms the first few years

That let them go to seed

and make babies.

Then I read that the more you cut the blooms

The more the plant blooms.

So I began to cut these dancing blossoms.

Then near the end of season

I let them go to seed.

After the seed pods dry on the plant

I pick them and crush them

in areas that I would like to have more Columbine.

So far it seems to be working.

Ah Spring!

Gail

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Filed under Columbine, Gardening;Perennials, Perennials, Shade Garden, spring, Uncategorized

April 8, 2012 · 1:18 am

EASTER EGGS

There is a long legacy of eggs in my family.

When I was growing up we raised chickens.

And as a result – eggs.

It was a family effort.

Daddy raised the chickens

Mother, Pat, Ann & I gatherer, cleaned, candeled and sold eggs.

Ann, me, Pat and Mother gathering eggs late 1950's

I still have one of the wire egg baskets from those days

As well as that chicken nest in my garden house.

Perhaps that’s why my mother loved to die Easter eggs.

Every mother does things for their children at holidays.

Creating memories and all.

But I’m pretty sure that Easter egg dying

Was actually for mother.

I just don’t remember any other college students

who came home to die Easter eggs.

I think she did it even if we weren’t there!

So it’s with that heritage in mind that I volunteered

to have the Easter Egg Hunt for the children at my church.

Now granted no child in 2012 would be happy with a hard-boiled egg.

Even if it was died turquoise with their name etched with a wax pencil.

But it’s an Easter Egg Hunt just the same.

And I couldn’t have a bunch of kids in my garden

Without giving them a little gardening lesson.

So we added a lady bug release to the activities.

Aphids attacked my roses right on cue.

So the lady bugs had plenty to eat.

We divided the 20 plus children into 3 groups.

Three adults were strategically placed around the garden.

Each had a watering can full of water.

On cue they and the children watered an area of the garden path.

Then along we came with the bag of lady bugs.

They had been chilling in my refrigerator since the Fed Ex man delivered them on Wednesday.

Thank goodness we didn’t put the eggs on top of them!

Now, I’ve been doing lady bug releases in my garden for years.

Ever since my friend and neighbor Patti discovered Buglogical.com.

She and I would share an order each spring.

Lately, the neighbor children have come to share the fun.

But….

I’ve never done this with quite so many children.

So, I was a little concerned.

You never know how a child will react.

Or adults for that matter.

When lady bugs feel the warmth of your hands

They awake from their sleep and begin crawling.

Usually up your arm.

All of these children loved it.

They were – shall we say – naturals!

Children, parents, grand parents even great grandparents had a splendid time.

A time for friends old and new, children, bugs and all that is ours in nature.

Easter – telling and sharing the good news.

Experiencing life in a garden.

It was a good day.

Happy Easter.

Gail

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Filed under Bugs, Easter Egg Hunt, Gardening Friends, Lady Bugs, spring, Uncategorized

April 1, 2012 · 2:53 am

YUMMY SPRING

I love the progression of Spring.

Each week brings some new spectacular blooms

The colors are so bright – so clear.

The weather allows me to spend hours in the garden

Soaking it all in.

Nothing renews me like the slow progression

of my garden emerging from the earth

or the cracks in the patio bricks.

Slow progression.

Not this year.

It’s as if John Phillip Sousa has come back to town

and is conducting a fast march through the season.

I was planning on writing about a single plant this week

Wisteria

Early in the week I was drooling over my wisteria.

Driving around town taking pictures of wisteria all over town.

Gay discovered this one in our neighborhood.

It’s at least 30 feet high and has attached itself to a tree row between 2 houses.

Then Debra’s gift of OSU tulips began to open as a nice buttery yellow

and ended the week a great orange.

Next the Parrot Tulip Blumex began to open

and open.

I can’t stop taking pictures of them.

It’s all happening way to fast.

After all it’s only the 31st of March.

Roses are budding

actually the first bloomed TODAY!

Iris are also on the fast track with lots of buds popping up.

But the most breathtaking gift of the day is my

Japanese Tree Peony

You may remember it from last year.

Bought it at least 10 years ago.

Tiny, expensive root it was.

Transplanted to two different gardens.

Accidentally sliced it in half at one point.

Waited patiently – most of the time.

This year it has 14 giant buds.

They open at night

So on a spring morning I am surprised .

This morning I was as my mother would say “flabbergasted”

SIX blooms the size of my hand

Absolutely yummy.

Since it’s so very warm I’ve put my green market umbrella over it

To give it shade.

Because the blooms don’t last long.

So…if you want to bask in its glory.

Better come tomorrow!

Gail

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Filed under Iris, Japanese Tree Peony, Parrot Tulips, roses, spring, Spring Flowering Bulbs, tulips, Uncategorized, Wisteria

March 23, 2012 · 9:49 pm

A Re-generating Tree

When we bought this house almost 8 years ago

The backyard had been the domain of one very large labrador retriever

He wasn’t much of a gardener.

More like a plant eater.

As a result there was very little here.

A few straggly bushes of unknown lineage.

Giant arbavidae hedges on the east edge

and dissecting the backyard.

All of these are now history.

But there was one mature Eastern Redbud.

It’s probably 50 – maybe 60 years old.

It’s tall and stately.

Providing shade near the garden house.

It is sadly nearing the end of it’s natural life.

Each spring for the past 3 or so years fewer and fewer branches leaf out.

Big chunks seem to die each winter.

It litters the ground with branches each time the wind blows.

Now, you need to know that we love Redbud trees.

John has planted 6 since we moved into this house.

Knowing that we will not likely see them reach maturity.

Much like whoever planted the original one.

But every spring when they bloom

John seems to find another spot just perfect for a Redbud.

There’s some history for this love in my family.

I remember my parent giving Redbud saplings

As an official gift since it is the official state tree.

They are native here and grow wild along creek and river beds.

Look as you travel the interstates and backroads over the next few weeks.

They are blooming wildly now.

So… back to my dying backyard Redbud.

Just as the big chunks began to die

We noticed a sucker coming from the base of the tree.

The next spring…a few more.

Now, they are almost as tall as I am

Recently I’ve noticed blossoms along the main branches

New life.

Imagine giving birth at 60!

We are coddling this new growth

In hopes that the intersection of death and new life

Will fill the void.

As is often the case this cycle repeats itself in nature

And in life.

Endings mark new beginnings.

And so it will be with our Redbud tree.

We hope.

Gail

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Filed under Garden House, Redbud Trees, spring, Uncategorized

March 17, 2012 · 8:27 pm

Lenten Compost

Probably the most asked gardening question this time of year

is how soon can I start.

We all get spring fever.

Wanting to dig up something

or plant something.

I have followed the same schedule for years

decades really.

“If by the middle of March the 15 day forecast looks good

Let the fun begin.”

And it’s worked.

I’ve saved myself from doing lots of damage over the years

Until this year.

After this remarkably warm winter

Everything is ahead

way ahead.

I have tulips blooming on St. Patty’s day ahead!

St. Patty's Day Tulips

Which I guess means I’m behind.

But I’m not going to think like that.

I’m going to pace myself

So today I broke out my friendly leaf sucker and began.

John had placed the blanket of chopped leaves and grass

on my garden last fall.

Now it must come off

and head to the compost pile.

But first I dug up the end of last year’s leaves fully composted and

spread them around my little “hill”.

This rich remnant of leaves has been home to worms the size of small snakes.

Three wheel barrows full are now enriching the heretofore ignored east end of my garden.

The hole this created has been filled with the contents of one side of my composter

and an endless pile of chopped leaves.

The beginning of the next batch.

A friend sent me a Lenten devotional about composting.

It says that the metaphor of compost is fitting for Lent.

From death comes life.

It’s true .

In gardening.

In life.

Gail

P.S. The Redbuds are lighting up this part of the world.

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Filed under Compost, Forsythia, Redbud Trees, tulips, Uncategorized, Violets

February 19, 2012 · 1:29 am

Winter Garden

February 2011

There’s a stillness about the winter garden.

A slower pace.

Quiet.

I love that

I need that

So on a recent sunny January day I spent some time strolling

It’s a hopeful journey.

Daffodils sticking their noses up.

Larkspur running amuck

Greening up everywhere.

My mystery perennial fern bigger and greener

than it ever was last summer.

But the brightest sign of hope…

The first bud on Helleborus

An amazing plant that is always the first to show new life in my garden.

It’s still time for the garden to rest.

For this gardener to rest.

To stroll quietly through the garden

To putter in the garden house

To contemplate the season to come

Time to study OK drool over the catalogs clogging my mailbox

For now…

Quiet time

Hopeful time of things to come.

Gail

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Filed under Daffodils, Ferns, Hellebores, Larkspur, patience, Uncategorized, Winter Garden

December 2, 2011 · 2:11 am

Good Night Garden

We’ve come to the end of the season.

True, I’ll likely find a way to spend some hours puttering away over the next few months.

But for the most part gardening season is over.

There are a few end of the year tasks that create the ritual I call

“Putting the garden to bed.”

In the perfect garden universe

I would have time to do a complete weeding sweep through the garden.

Ha!

Next would come a car load of manure

15 or 20 bags.

I’d cover the crown of each and every rose bush.

Providing winter warmth and slow release fertilizer.

The reward is new spring growth from the roots.

Hydrangea, Hosta and Hardy Hibiscus all get a good dose as well.

Next comes a “blanket” of leaves.

Remember the leaf rule.

Never…never…never put them on the curb.

Instead of raking them up

Mow them up.

This chops them into a perfect winter mulch for

Everything!

John did this for me this fall as he mowed his fescue.

Makes sense

Fescue is a shade grass so the leaves fall …on the fescue.

What a gift this was.

Thank you John.

Cassidy & William helped too!

It’s also a good time for review.

I often make notes of what did and didn’t work.

What I’ve learned

How I’ll do it differently next time.

But this year the review feels more like

“What I learned during my 1st season of blogging.”

Technically, I’ve learned a lot – though I’ve got miles to go.

I think most of what I’ve learned is about myself.

For instance over Memorial Day I wrote of garden mentors.

About the “gumption” my mother gave me for gardening and for life.

What an incredible gift.

Courage to try everything.

She never read the instructions to anything.

I’m guilty of the same.

Just jump in and see where it takes you.

I’ve also learned that I have a low threshold for “weather whining”.

I know

This is an historically bad weather year in about 9 different categories.

But really, folks.

Get over it.

I couldn’t end this first season without thanking many people.

So many of you have been encouraging with your compliments.

I love life in a small town.

It suits me.

Running into you around town

Sharing stories of our gardens

And our lives.

It warms my soul.

You may recall that I began blogging at the suggestion of a friend.

Amy grew up next door.

I’ve known her almost her entire life.

Recently, she came to lunch.

No longer the child I’ve watched grow.

She is a woman…wife…mother.

We have much in common as women.

We had lunch in the garden house.

Sharing stories of our current lives

And memories of her mother, Patti.

Thanks Amy, for the idea

And the encouragement.

And the friendship.

So…this will wrap up the first season of “In My Garden…tales from deep in my soil.”

I’ll be back in late winter.

Till then know that I’ve all ready seen the hope of spring.

Larkspur is sprouting everywhere!

Take care,

Gail

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Filed under Compost, Garden House, Garden Planning, Gardening, Gardening Mentors, Hardy Hibiscus, Hosta, Hydrangea, Larkspur, roses, spring, Uncategorized

November 18, 2011 · 5:34 pm

AMARYLLIS

My first memory of Amaryllis is from early marriage.

I walked into my mother-in-laws kitchen on Christmas

There atop her refrigerator

Sat the biggest flower I had ever seen.

It was tall

Really tall

Almost touching the ceiling.

And the blooms were ENORMOUS

Five or six inches across.

Now…John’s mother was a great gardener.

But really….this was ridiculously impressive.

Which of course, meant I had to have one.

Her’s had come as a boxed kit.

Pot – soil and bulb in a simple cardboard box.

You will see them everywhere this time of year.

There are many varieties

Single, doubles and my favorite Hybrid Dutch Amaryllis

Once again, my source is k.van Bourgondien

For years I only ordered a soft pink called Apple Blossom.

The last few Christmases my choice has been Black Pearl

It’s a velvety deep red.

This year I’m on to Moonlight.

We’ll see.

But really they are all glorious.

Pinks, reds, white, salmon and lime green.

Endless choices.

The cardinal bulb rule applies here, too.

The bigger the bulb the bigger the bloom.

Hybrid Dutch Amaryllis are big.

As big as my hand.

They are simple to plant.

Choose a pot that is just slightly bigger than the bulb.

I use 6″ clay pots.

This plant is top-heavy so the clay helps to stabilize it.

Hydrate everything before planting.

Soak the pots

And just the roots of the bulb

For a bit

Put a couple of inches of soil in the bottom of the pot.

Then the bulb.

The stem and the tip 1/3 of the bulb should be above soil level

So….I usually have to play with it a bit to get the right amount of soil in the bottom.

Pack the soil around the edge of the bulb.

If possible water from the bottom by using a saucer or tray.

These bulbs have several “layers”

You want to make sure that you don’t get water inside those layers.

Or your bulb will rot!

Place in a location where it will get some sun.

But not all day.

Over the course of the next several weeks it will begin to grow.

And grow.

When Elliott was little we always put a yard stick in the pot.

Each day we would check to see how much it had grown.

Most days it was an inch or so.

You should get between 1 and 3 stems spread over a month or more.

Each stem will have 4 or 5 blooms.

Once they start to bloom move them away from the sun

The blooms will last longer that way.

Some will bloom as late as Valentine’s Day

Depending upon when they are planted.

Though Amaryllis are thought of as a Christmas plant.

I really like them to start blooming after the holidays.

That way when all the decorations are gone

And the house feels a bit naked.

Flowers appear.

One more thing

This is a splendid plant to share

They bring JOY!

Take care,

Gail

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Filed under Amaryllis, Uncategorized

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