
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?
Losing an evergreen is upsetting though; to me they're very special trees.
The grass really needed a good soaking!🛀🛀🚿🚿🚿
On the bright side, some of the cornflower seed I just tossed into the yard are coming up. Quite nice.🌿
Sometimes I don't know why I even bother.
I have lots and lots of tomatoes of course. Herbs, Brocolli, Cucumbers and onions.
Lots of peppers and squash/zuchinni outside.
We are getting 24 hives of bees delivered this night, as you have to transport bees at night.
Fields are full of soybeans. That the deer love and I love to watch them all day on the edge of the woods eating the soybean plants.
I have been doing a lot of honey infused with different herbs. So looking forward to not having to purchase honey one day.
Baby chicks are happy and healthy and I enjoy them.
That might work.
Now if only I could figure out how to get the other neighbour to plant something to block the view through to the street behind me....
My strawberries are blooming (just a couple of plants) so I need to get busy making a squirrel proof cover for them.
The rose I started from a cutting 5 years ago finally has a bud - I'm so excited!
A couple of years ago we planted 3 roots from a rose shrub at one of mother's ALF's. The pale pink flowers had a wonderful scent. The next year we had one spindly rose "twig". This year we have that again, but also, I think, it has run underground (as did the plant we took it from)and produced an offspring nearby. Hoping they get more sturdy this year but they may not be suited to our zone 2.
cw I hear you about invasive species. I had a bad experience with tansy. Think I have pretty well got rid of it.
Be wary of showy, easily grown perennials that are both common and inexpensive (or free), they may in fact be an invasive species (is my dame's rocket really so bad?)
Don't skip the sunscreen and bug spray because "I'm only going to be out for a few minutes"
Gardeners really should avoid buying and using white wash cloths and towels...
If anyone out there likes hibiscus trees, or your friend has one you adore, ask them for a small branch. It actually worked for me. I am so surprised.
https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/agastache/agastache-cana
https://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=XB1100&show=all&prodclass=&cart_id=1146554.31482
I guess you can consume it. Still not sure about that.
Don't think I would eat it, though.🌻🌿😉
For a mint lover, take a look at these selections:
https://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?searchterm=mints&search_catalogue_button=Go
(I LOVE mints.)
My peonies generally produce more buds annually, assuming the Spring doesn't warm too quickly. This year their foliage is so dark it's unusual; it's a deep burgundy. Unfortunately, my memory is becoming shorter and shorter and I don't recall if it's ever been this intense before. I think the leaves used to be green...??
Another thought: soil and environmental conditions, including sun or shade exposure can affect growth, although I don't know if that includes intensity of bud color.
I did a quick check and found some lovely Redbuds, including some with intense rose leaves and another with pale pink leaves (a Chinese redbud).
Chinese Redbud: https://www.google.com/search?q=Cercis+chinensis&sa=X&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLUz9U3MCzJMa9U4gIx09NNjcxMteT8i9IT8zKLc51zEouLM9MykxNLMvPzgjNTUssTK4sXsQo4pxYlZxYrJGdk5qXmFWcW72BlBADpPIVDTwAAAA&biw=1373&bih=633&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=NJtW1mBNgjCBMM%253A%252C3nmUlAvP9vC20M%252C%252Fm%252F0gg5265&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSejX9PlFpsq8RhXA-UBz_TxzNJiQ&ved=2ahUKEwiVyrnVs8_pAhWDbc0KHcnlAsoQ_B0wCnoECBEQAw#imgrc=NJtW1mBNgjCBMM:
Apparently there also are about 10 different varieties of Redbuds.
What kind of soil do you have?
I hope everyone is well, enjoy the gardening season this year.
I need to think of different ways of dealing with them, perhaps by sprouting them indoors under lights.
I just looked up the life span of delphiniums and it is 2-3 years so I guess I can't complain. It's been there over 20 years. I will have to look for a seedling from it. Usually there are a few I keep around by the roses.