It's become clear to me through posts and PMs that there are some gardeners here just waiting for the chance to discuss gardening!
So, I was thinking... how do you use gardening, or how does it affect you if you need a break, need some respite, need to relax, need inspiration....how do you use it as a therapy tool in caregiving?
What are your activities: Do you go out and pull weeds, read a magazine, design new beds? Look through garden catalogues? Go to garden stores?
And what interests have you added to your gardening? Visit estate or garden displays? Do you go to garden shows?
Does anyone design and plant Knot Gardens? Raised bed planters? Assistive gardens? Pollinator gardens (and have you thought of ways to help the bees and butterflies?)
Are your gardens primarily for pleasure or food, or a mix of both? Do you grow plants for medicinal purposes? Which ones, how do you harvest and process them? Any suggestions?
Do you grow plants that can be used in crafts, such as grapevines for wreaths and lavender for lavender wands? Do you make herbal products such as creams, lotions, chapstick?
What else can you share about gardening and the means in which it nurtures your soul?
Only one of my chickens went broody, but goodness did she! She was bottom of the pecking order and normally so timid, but the peck she gave me when I reached in to the nesting box left bruises. I transferred her and her clutch to a cat carrier and took her into the house to take extra care of her (and stop her being bullied. Chickens are the original Mean Girls). The books all say that at least once a day you must take the hen off the nest to make sure she has something to eat and drink and does a poo. What they don't say is how. When I tried to lift her, she sort of splayed herself out and hung on like grim death so that the whole bed of straw, eggs and all, came with her.
Did you donate the wreath permanently to the robins? You could hang it somewhere more secluded for her next time, perhaps?
I've always thought there must be a special moment when someone can go out into his/her yard and choose freshly laid eggs from the hen house.
A former neighbor of Dad's got fresh eggs from her grandmother, up north somewhere. She brought the most beautifully colored turquoise and light chocolate brown eggs. They were too pretty to eat!
I know that I took the robin wreath down and put it somewhere in the garden, but don't recall where. I thought about putting in on the fence, but the neighbors that moved in during and after the recession are of the type that would probably report the poor thing to code enforcement, or they'd find some way to dispatch it to the nether world before the little chickies could even hatch.
Interesting question. I don't know what I did with it. Now you've got me thinking; I'm wondering if I should make more and hang them on trees? That might invite squirrel invasions though, as they seem to have first priority on all the trees around here.
Wondering if sawing off the bottom of the pot, placing it in the ground part way, so it looks as if in a planter, not planted....would give it a few more years. I know most real gardeners would throw it away, but maybe I am just a sap for a tree.
(maybe treat it like a bonsai plant?)
And if it's produced cones, you might want to gather the cones, warm them enough that the seeds pop, and then plant them. You could also take tip cuttings and try to root them.
Bonsaiing is a great idea.
I'm curious why you can't plant the pine. Is it considered invasive?
Thank you for that advice, Cwillie and GardenArtist! Much appreciated, and, there is no waiting for an appointment (lol) on "Gardening as therapy".
It was my tree who needed the therapy this time.
You will probably find a dense carpet of roots.
Shave them, ruthlessly. Detangle as you get further in.
Repot in fresh compost.
There's an article about doing this under Lippi Consulting Arborists, though they're talking about preparing nursery grown plants for planting out; the good news is that your tree should recover nicely with a pruned root system and a good long drink.
I haven't checked with the RHS but I'm pretty sure they'd just say stop trying to keep a pine tree in a pot.
Don't bonsais take decades?
Me too, googling is so much more fun than hurting from just moving the pot around.
I read up on the bonsai.
Funny, this tree has never had any pine cones. It is about 6 ft. tall now, very sparse.
Will probably make this happen in the spring.
The tree is not worthy of real bonsai making. I think it is just the concept to learn how to trim it up nicely, as if bonsai expert! I liked reading how trees grow (and we can control it); and to trim up to 1/3 so it won't die.
The pot has limited it's growth, that did take years. If I cut off all the recommended wayward branches, there would be no tree. Not being able to walk from pain today has limited my gardening future. Hubs dropped out early, was just wandering, wishing he could disappear, and I don't blame him. So we both disappeared to In-N-Out.
Next, I will feed the tree. Maybe today.
I'm hopeless at giving up on plants, too. Like my gardenia plant, which I am very very upset about and for months insisted it was just a bit upset about getting sunburnt when I took it outdoors in May for what was supposed to be a treat. Nope. Last month was forced to admit that the technical term for what ails it is "dead." It's awaiting burial in the back porch, while I pretend to myself that I'm not secretly hoping and praying for a miracle.
After buying the house, they died within a year.
Reminds me, the succulent ground cover is dead! Take it out! It looks bad, sitting at the front of the driveway. Who is going to do this? Bwah hooey!
I'm not sure pines even need feeding; they grow so well in the wild, but then there's a natural compost from the falling leaves. Mother Nature's compost is best!
Last Christmas I was given a poinsettia and from neglect most of the leaves fell off so I cut it down to bare stalks. Well a miracle happened and new leaves started to sprout, and finally this week the newist top leaves are starting to turn red
Hooray for plants!
I tried to grow the Bostons in an apartment, but it was just too dry.
In the garden I have ostrich ferns and used to have some other ferns which gradually succumbed to hot weather, dryness, and other causes I haven't identified.
A variety that I really love are the ferns with shades of gold and somewhat of a rust color. They're just sooooo stunning! The VanBourgondien catalogue and especially Wayside Gardens have beautiful fern collections.
Do you take cuttings of your fern? You could create a Fern Garden throughout the house!
Well, the thought was good, but somehow the implementation lacked something...preservatives... I'm not really sure. I think I still have them upstairs in the studio someplace. But your comments on ferns reminded me of how lovely they are and how much I'd love to save that beauty somehow, other than in photographs.
BTW, are you familiar with fractals? Ferns are a good example.
CM, I remember that we had some discussion of fractals sometime ago. Are you still over here in the garden or are you, like many of us, hunkered down for a cold winter?
I'm really glad you enjoyed them!
As to drying out, I've read that anti-desicants can be used but I've never tried any. When I first planted my evergreens, I used burlap to create a protective area and minimize the effect of the westerly winds. Could you do something like that? I'm not sure whether the cemetery rules would allow it though.
Thanks for sharing; I like your idea and think I'll make some wreaths for my mother's and sister's graves.
I used to do a lot of gardening as part of my property maintenance job, till my injury. And I spent 3 summers clearing overgrowth and helping with landscaping, after a friend bought a disused hobby ranch. I had a gorgeous balcony garden and an indoor jungle till I moved my mom up here to care for her. All my plants withered from neglect, and all I have left are empty pots of dirt. So I haven't come in here, because I feel so bad for letting my lovely green friends die....
But I did buy myself a couple of houseplant ivies last week, for my bedroom windowsill at my mom's place. And I decided to pot the cats up some grass to nibble on at the same time. (Just regular grass seed in some dirt - I think the "cat grass" kits are about a 1000% markup for what you get.)
It was soooo lovely to sink my fingers into some nice, clean potting soil. And the smell! I missed it! I want to grow an indoor jungle again....but I'll have to "prove" myself with the ivies first.