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?
I bury my plants as I do my thoughts. More often than not, something always pops up. !
I saw a handmade fence on the internet that was actually knotted with hive needles and rope or heavy twine.
https://www.knittingindustry.com/knit-me-a-fence/
https://knithacker.com/2017/10/anne-eunson-loves-laces-so-she-knit-herself-a-garden-fence-and-it-looks-gorgeous/
I grew up in Vegas and there was a park that had a giant mulberry tree and it had berries bigger than my thumb, but that was many years ago. So I think I could grow one, maybe, might not be able to afford the water bill.
Good luck with your wattle fences, they are beautiful natural fences.
I am thinking of doing one around our family cemetery.
Usually I get enough for a pie, but this year the berries were so small they weren't worth picking. Same with the raspberries, with only the tip berry actually maturing. I think it was the sweltering heat.
I'll have to figure out a way to make shade umbrellas for them.
BTW, anyone have any interest in wattle fences? I've been dreaming of them for quite some time and decided that this is the year I start making them, at least small ones at first so I can indulge in creating fancy designs.
Oh my, I wish I could grow a mulberry tree. They are so yummy.
As to killing trees, these are my experiences.
I have the problem of Trees of Heaven, mulberries, and unwanted visitors from a neighbor who refuses to do anything about the miserable and aggressive Black Locust in his yard, which arrogantly starts new trees in my garden on an annual basis.
I haven't tried this on the BL trees yet; I cut them down and dig a few inches below soil line and strip the bark. There are so many of them I've lost track of which ones survive.
For mulberries and the Trees of Heaven, I cut the tree down but leave 4 - 5' of trunk. Then I bark strip it, all the way down to a few inches below the soil. Either summer scorching or winter freezing seems to kill the tree. If the sapling or tree isn't dead by the end of the season, I let the next season help kill it.
Another way is to grow morning glories at the base of the tree, or in a container so that the tree roots don't interfere with the MGs. They'll wind tightly around the trunk; I make sure they cover as much of the trunk as possible. Typically, that will kill a 6' tall tree in one summer.
I'm also going to try bark stripping plus an MG overcoat for a double whammy.
If anyone tries these remedies, please let me know if they worked for you - I hope so!
Back on Long Island, we cooked and ate the veggies and herbs we grew. The only non-culinary thing we did with our garden was grow and dry silver-dollar plants and lavender.
I liked the focus as I dug in the dirt and planted my flowers. The rest of the world would just fall away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cFhx_myB0Q
Lol.
Copper nails might kill a sapling, but not a tree. There was a funny video on how to kill a tree without anyone knowing.
I can't see how a nail would do anything.
http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2010/02/22-trees-growing-around-objects.html
But never found a tree that I wanted to kill.
Moved our decorative fence to cover the entire side of our home. Purposely installed it more on our side, so that any neighbors will not object. It looks nice, but needs some summer worthy hedges to grow.
Hello Garden Artist!
Bind weed roots can extend five feet or more below the surface. They are persistent devils and will pull over and cover large shrubs. There is a weevil, sold by our extension service that is supposed to eradicate them, over time. And they will over winter as well.
There is a goat head weevil as well, that will burrow into new burrs and basically kill the seeds that would otherwise settle in the soil to sprout even seven to eight years down the road.
I have contacted extension service, they are to call back for order, but haven't heard from them yet. The weevil can only be sold for use in state. Other extension services are probably the same.
GA, since you have a small amount of bind weed, maybe the weevil will eliminate it easily for you. Gosh it is good to see you posting!
We're expecting rain tomorrow so I'm off to the garage to haul out equipment and see how much I can get done before that happens....and round up ingredients to see how much vinegar and Epsom salts I might have.
I look forward to a good summer storm tomorrow so I can play around on the Internet, and this thread.
Techie, do you pull out the dead plants after they've browned, to see if the roots have been killed as well?
CWillie, I think the long roots are the reason I've been advised not to pull them. Unfortunately, some of these subterranean giants seem to be so aggressive they sprout up elsewhere. I've been trying to kill a mulberry tree for several years, but this year will try my own remedy - bark stripping and exposure to sun and winter. That's taken care of mulberries in the past.
Thanks again! It's good to "see" my friends here!
I’m resisting peeking under my solarizing that we began to see how it’s going, but we’ve had no rain and high temps so I’m hoping for good results in a few more weeks. I’m shopping for good ground cover ideas if anyone has thoughts, something that does well on a slope, pretty fast growing and evergreen in the south.
GA, not familiar with the wicked weed you’re facing but I’ve used hot salt water for several persistent weeds with good results
Bindweed is a common weed here (it's kind of pretty though😆). I think the problem with the roots is that they are deep and can be extensive, and if you leave anything behind every little piece can start to grow. Once I was determined to eradicate it from mom's garden and I followed a root more than 2' down with no end in sight before it broke off.
I'm still working on setting Dad's estate; finding good, reliable contractors is the hardest part, but progress has at last been made.
And I'm planning to start solarizing, tilling and planting next week, weather permitting. I'll have a small, late garden, but at least something good will be growing.
GladI'mHere, I've just discovered bindweed growing in my garden, for the first time. Just wanted to mention it b/c some gardening friends on another forum cautioned me NOT to pull it out; apparently jerking the roots out causes some element to split off, or separate, or fuss with the roots. And then it spreads even more. Apparently there's something in the roots that does something to extend the reach of the bindweed, so I learned that like many unwanted plants, it spreads through the root system.
I'm going to experiment with hot water first, then other organic methods to try and get rid of this menace. I've never had it before and am shocked at how tenacious it is.
Oh, and there appears to be a bumper crop of hickory tussock caterpillars this year, beware the cute, fuzzy white worms, they sting!!
Will plant some bulbs in gardens and spread seed in natural areas in a couple of months.
I won't have a mud pit this winter!
Took advantage of the cooler temps to cut law, used my tractor the first time! Took about an hour for almost an acre. It worked great! And I found out the areas I need the landscaper to level the dirt next time he brings his tractor. Two of those areas are very tight, but he will have to deal with it.
Lawn looks great, except for the area when I adjusted the blade height, too low, it will grow back, but bind weed coming up will need to deal with that too. Goat heads are getting fewer and fewer.
Think neighbor now has two dogs, he moved in with one yellow lab. Next door neighbor has a black lab, they also had a yellow lab that they had to put down a few months ago. Now their black lab has a new yellow lab buddy in other neighbor's dog.
Sooo hot here, and little rain, have been watering also. We started solarizing a section of our backyard that has a pretty steep slope to it, trying to eliminate having to mow it. After the solarizing does it’s trick will replant it with a low maintenance ground cover and some small trees. Not going to look pretty for a while, but a needed project
My 2nd planting of pole beans (after the first ones got ruined) are at the top of the poles, they are scarlet runners and a purple bean that I planted more for fun than anything else, I can't wait to be picking purple beans!