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?
Yes, there is something special about Springtime. It represents new beginnings and we pick up on that energy. I love how ‘life’ literally springs forward out of the ground this time of year.
Animals are born. We do feel rejuvenated in the spring.
As happens every year, the lovely Siberian Squills are spreading again, across the entire 51' wide lot, and equally as deep. They've even moved into the lot next door and created about 50 x 50 foot beds toward the more forested type areas. Good thing my neighbors are also gardeners.
Daffodils are blooming, daylilies are up about 6 -7", peonies about 4", trilliums only about 1.5 - 2". Last year I had around 70 trillium blooms; I stopped counting when I reach that number.
When I was out today, I heard a bird chirping, but couldn't remember which bird made that song. It was almost like an aria!
I saw a stunning male cardinal sitting on the fence, observing the garden. And of course the squirrels were romping around. One I've seen periodically is a black squirrel with a fox squirrel's tale. I think the two species have been getting together and interacting over the last few years.
-11 in Laramie this morning. Yes, minus eleven.
Oh it is going to be a loooong summer. 😓
I've never grown clematis; my sister did, on a trellis which she just placed up against the inside wall of her patio.
Another thought is to grow them on the sides or end of the deck, assuming the trellis would be open at the ground.
Alternately, if you have too much shade, morning glories (probably my favorite flowers) would grow well and bloom longer if they get shade during the day. I know many people consider them invasive, but we grew them as a child, and I've grown them in adulthood and never found them invasive, certainly not like vinca or other plants.
Bindweed, a form of wild morning glory, apparently is, and to my dismay, I discovered some in the garden last year.
Another thought: I don't know how deep clematis roots are, but could you grow them in a pot placed on the deck, perhaps with casters on the bottom so you could roll it around?
I start wilting at 87 or 88. I hope you have a good air conditioner!
I've never known morning glories to be invasive, every year I try to replicate my grandmother's beautiful show of Heavenly Blue but they just don't like it here.
Another thought: buy an already made trellis and insert it into a good sized container pot.
Or make your own trellis:
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/make-simple-garden-fences-and-trellises-zmaz07amzsel
Click on the photo of the woman and the sweet peas, the left side photos, for larger sized photos of the trellises used.
And the good part is that you can use up sticks from your yard. You would need very flexible sticks for the horizontal members though. I would probably use fall grapevines, as they're just the right flexibility for winding at that time. I haven't tried spring grapevines though...or just not yet.
Honeysuckle is another vine that could be used, before it reaches older vine hardness.
I've been thinking about this more seriously now. I could grow bamboo, as I believe there is one variety that isn't invasive.
But right now I can't even get into the garage to get access to my gardening equipment. The darned lock is stuck; I was able to get it to turn, but can't get it into the open position. I have a few more things I can try before hiring a locksmith to change it.
Daughterof1930, lilac and purple flowers, especially in clematis, are such lovely colors. They can be intense, but yet so soft and comforting.
I would love to have citrus fruits in my garden, but they'd never survive in Michigan. There's something special about picking your own fruits, from your own backyard, but I think citrus fruits are special in a way that apples, plums and other northern crops aren't.
When I moved in, a cherry tree was still producing, but in decline as there were insect infestations that hadn't been addressed. Still, for several years I was able to get sour cherries for jam. One year I picked 12 quarts - that was the most the tree ever yielded. I really got tired of pitting cherries!
I like the idea of rocks in fountain for bees.
Sounds like you're a dedicated gardener, with a lot of experience.
... cucumber, zucchini,pod peas,mixed greens,bush beans,tomatoes,peppers,broccoli,chard,potatoes,sweet potatoes,parsnips...
I would need at least 28 containers (minimum 5 gallon size) and optimally more, that's double what I have now. Plus planter mix. And of course I need some pots for a few ornamentals as well. Dream on (sigh).
Golden - if you are reading here I WANT MY WEATHER BACK. 🤣
Not to gloat but we have another beautiful sunny day, today. It is expected to be 20 this afternoon 🌞😎 but, near E'ton, snow is forecast. 😕
I've seen people posting pictures of wildflowers they've spotted on
their woodland hikes - lucky buggers, we're still forbidden to use the
trails 🙁. The summer birds arrived on schedule around the beginning of the month, today despite the cold an oriole has been piping nearby all morning, it's hard to stay melancholy when hearing that.
This morning I hadn't been out there for ten minutes when the neighbor boy came out still in jammies, to help. Then another five neighbor kids came and helped for a bit. That brought over one of the mom's and helped me for two hours got that area done. So sweet of her. Now in have two neighborhood mom's looking out for me and very willing to help.
One of the real estate companies in town had a contest last week. To enter you were to write about something nice you had done for others. I thought that kind of strange looking for people to pat themselves on the back. So, I broke the rules and nominated next door neighbor that when she found out I was under quarantine she did my grocery shopping for me, even searched for the elusive thermometer. She won one of the $100.00 Amazon gift cards, the neighbor that helpful me weed one of the winners too.
Very thankful for helpful neighbors! Have a pleasant mom's day everyone.
One of the lessons of the last 6 weeks of staying at home has been that many of those appointments that I used to make weren't really very important. I am much happier staying here in my gardens, doing the daily chores of weeding, fencing, and dead-heading is a much more fulfilling life than rushing to meetings and appointments. Perhaps in the future I will consider my week "booked up" when I have 2. For the whole week.
Maybe we need a Weather Czar , or for those familiar with Greek mythology, a Weather goddess, to help protect our crops.
CWillie, do you have enough of a fall season to plant peas, greens and broccoli? I often (well, more than often) miss the Spring planting, and sometimes get some cool weather crops in during Fall....but not always; usually I think about it more than I get it done.
I haven't grown sweet potatoes in some time, but I love to just b/c of their lacy foliage. They're so ornamental. Have you seen the hybrid sweet potatoes apparently grown more for their foliage than as edibles?
Do you have any raised beds you can use? One of the fellows I know has hoops over all his early crops so he can just cover them up when the temps plunge. It's something I've thought about for years.. and thought and thought, and yet the hoops don't seem to appear on their own. I guess I need to get busy and create some.
Glad, sounds like you have some really great neighbors, and some youngsters who are good candidates for learning to garden. Do you have space to create a children's garden for them, not only to encourage gardening but to highlight self sufficiency?
Little Orchid, sounds like a very nice, relaxing Mother's Day. And you're right - some of the things that seemed so important are distanced or put into perspective by a pandemic or other disasters. Although the pandemic creates anxiety, I find that I'm also beginning to relax more as I accept that there are some things I can't do. Unfortunately, house cleaning isn't one of them.
It was a bit chilly here, the wind chill having plunged down to the low 20s (Farenheit), but I enjoyed peeking out the window. The Lunaria are more plentiful than usual; there's a companion plant with similar leaves but smaller white flowers. It appears annually but I haven't figured out what it is.
Something yellow is blooming well; it might be wild mustard. There's also another volunteer plant that's decided to spread its wings and move from the back of the garden to the front. It has lovely little lilac flowers. It looks like a ground cover, but I think it's a wildflower.
My Siberian Squills were mobile this year as well and moved about 250' from my garden to the front yard of the neighbor across the street.
The violets are still blooming, both in white and pale lilac; they're good faithful bloomers.
The peonies have the most intense and deeply burgundy foliage I've ever seen. I don't recall that color intensity of the leaves in past years. There are a little over a dozen, spanning generations: some I planted, some are from Mom's garden and others from my grandmother's garden. The latter are probably a good 40 or more years old.
My mother used to have a whole side of rambling roses which were lost over the years, including when some church people cut them down while alleging cleaning up the yard when Dad was in a series of hospitals. Ramblers have always reminded me of her gardening expertise, so I'm going to start buying and propagating them for my own yard.
My trilliums aren't growing as tall as they usually do, but they do have a lot of buds. The burgundy one has its usual dozen or baker's dozen. So far the rabbits haven't nibbled on them, as they have in the past.
Someone broke off a juniper branch in the front yard; I think it was the lawn service. I wasn't pleased. They aren't going to get tipped this year. But hopefully I can have my own broken mower fixed and get back to mowing my own lawns.
I hope each of you had a pleasant and relaxing day yesterday, despite all the turmoil on the medical front.
GA your comment that "It's something I've thought about for years.. and thought and thought, and yet the hoops don't seem to appear on their own" resonates with me, I do a lot of planning (dreaming) but I tend to fall down on the execution!
Lol....for those 'familiar' or even believing in a weather goddess, it is apparently not working.
There is sun, and mild 76 degrees here today, after a week of disturbing heat in the 90's.
But gardening has gone on twice a week. Hubs is out pulling weeds by hand, has to be reminded, (begged actually), to come inside, out of the heat after several hours out there. Rewarded him with an Amazon gift card so he can order what he needs, this after receiving our stimulus check, made out to both of us. Whew, so relieved! The cactus are blooming! The landscaping is doing fine, except for next door. Weeds along the boundary growing rampant.
Cannot justify asking hubs because he cannot see his chiropractor.
Great way to catch something, face down into the crack of the chiro's table. That paper covering isn't going to do diddly for protection. And 'social distancing' at an office for treatment is non-existent. Maybe I should walk on his back.
Cwillie,
snow. There are times when I would like that environment.
Yeah but.......
I dream of planting orange trees someday.....eating oranges help moods, ya know. And the orange peels help the garbage disposal smell fresh. Also, inhibit bugs?
Getting through today, and another week, staying at home.