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?
We had sumac where I grew up in Ontario. Such an interesting and colourful plant. Have you ever used it for cooking?
I know this is not about gardening but it’s about my Garden.
and
garden on
Bears! And wolves! I can’t imagine! I hope your critters like you better than mine like me! I do have a friendly chipmunk that scratches on the front door nearly every morning….most of the predators keep their distance.
Way - maybe your neighborhood ‘mayor’ would like to plant out your flower bed for you! I love blue oat grass planted in groups but like all the grasses, they reach their limit and you have to remove them. I have some clumps of the super chartreuse grass, can’t remember the name, and it doesn’t seem to die out in the middle. It’s very pretty against conifers.
Today I’m missing my old home - the mountains, the Milky Way, the basalt cliffs. It must be because it’s the beginning of the drippy grey season here. Today I need to spend some time appreciating my ferns and forest and the falling leaves.
Well I’ll see how it goes. The good thing is the beds are all reached by using only 50 feet at a time by design . And I have one placed on 3 sides of the house . I only have to drag around more if I want to water the lawn which I try to avoid . Even the large fountain grass bed that was 100 feet away rarely needed water . Although 100 feet isn’t allowing the sprinkler to really reaching the end of the property in the back , but I’m not adding another hose . Nope . 🙅♀️🙅♀️. It looks fine from our view on the deck from far away . That last 25-30 feet also slopes down alittle bit on one corner , we don’t really see it . But the nosey neighbor does in between his trees .😬😬
@CWillie,
Yeah I have them placed around the house too . I’m only really lugging a lot because the lawn was suffering from two bad summers , and I seeded to repair it .
The animals didn’t chew at the canvas ?
That fear was what prevented me from buying them. I regularly have deer, fox, etc . and the occasional bear ( they come off the mountain in drought sometimes ) to go to the creek near me . I’m near the edge of a suburb just before rural .
The ornamental graases sound beautiful.
I do play tug of war dragging around 100 feet at a time. I hope they hold up well so long as I don’t leave them outside in winter , although the garage gets quite cold too . I wish the garage door which faces Northwest was the insulated type . I really don’t want to carry the hoses to the basement which isn’t as cold . The garage gets hit with a lot of wind in winter due to a large cornfield down the street . We are in a suburb in a small neighborhood on a hill with preserved farmland on two sides . The wind whips around us every afternoon .
The tall fountain grasses would sway and rustle .
Next spring I may plant a few dwarf ornamental grasses where I had some diseased dwarf evergreens removed . Or just some new dwarf evergreens , or hydrangeas not sure yet . I may actually expand that bed bigger , It looks a bit small in scale near the house especially since a dying tree was removed . I’m not looking to plant another tree . I hate raking leaves . That bed looks awful right now since having things removed. All that’s left in it is some azaleas The neighbor behind me who wasn’t happy I removed the fountain grass bed in the far back by him commented on that bed as well . He’s like “ the mayor “, of the neighborhood , he needs a hobby . 😂😂😂 . I assured him I would be working on that bed in the spring .
I have given up on having flower pots or hanging baskets that get blown over , out front . I just have a few on the deck out back in a couple of spots that are a bit protected from the wind . Eating dinner outside can be very challenging with the wind . 🙄🙄. But the view of the mountain (about 5 miles away) right now is pretty , orange and yellow .
Good grief- $500 a year! But I get it. I planted 3 little grasses and spent the next year picking little pieces, one by one, out of every crevice of the yard. I wish I had cut them back when I was supposed to.
I didn’t get canvas hoses , I got a good quality green typical hoses , I guess thick plastic and you can see like a mesh to help them keep from kinking easily . Still kinda heavy but doable for now .
I had a large bed in the back of the yard removed , and planted regular grass . My neighbor behind wasn’t happy . It was large perennial fountain grass . They were gorgeous and were huge , but it was costing me over $500 a year to have them cut down each fall and the cuttings hauled away .
My DH and I used to do it ourselves for years . They got so big though .
Way, I’m in the long, slow, expensive process of changing out the heavy duty hoses for the lighter, canvassy ones too. I’m waiting to see if the rodents can get through them like they have my drip (gush) (geyser) hoses….big FAIL buying those! I’m going to steal your trash can storage idea. Smart.
So far, in 2 summers I’ve only had to water the lawn in the hottest part, late July thru early September, but really very little. It’s the beds and borders that need it bc of all the huge trees that snatch all the rain before it hits the ground. It’s a real slog.
I thought I was the only one in battle with the hoses . We’ve had two terrible summers , hot and very dry . Lawn took a beating . I recently had it aerated and seeded . We’ve been in a drought this month . It usually rains sufficiently in October . Never watered the lawn in October before . It’s crazy , but I invested in the seeding and it’s been warm so ……..
I do let it go dormant in summers the last about dozen years . The summers have been too dry rain wise , watering would be wasting too much water . Very little watering is usually needed in spring and then September to wake it up again and feed it .
My old hoses were those black rubber like tires . They weigh a ton , but they last forever , over 20 years old . I gave them up . Just too heavy . I bought 200 feet of new hose ( 4 X 50 ft ) Not as heavy but seemed decent quality . I do like they have a nice chunky brass fitting , easy to attach to spout and connect hoses .
I hate to say it but I miss my automatic sprinklers we had in our first home in another state .
My trash company decided to give my neighborhood huge trash cans that the truck now lifts with an arm to empty it , right after I bought new regular trash cans . Uggh . So I gave one away . And the other one I will store my hoses in .
I used to disconnect the old rubber ones and leave them outside rolled up . The new ones won’t last if I leave them out in the deep freeze.
Someone, please tell me what you dislike about your sprinkler system so I will feel better about not having one.
One thing that has always perplexed me are the people who buy expensive plants and planters, place them on the porch or by the door, and then don't look after them so they sit there all dried out and brown and dead. I mean why spend the money? And why do they just leave them there looking unsightly??
I've been struggling with family issues, as my parents are elderly, and in my gardens I find serenity. I planted one mum about 4 years ago, and every year, I have to separate it, it is so huge now. I don't buy mums in the fall, because one has multiplied and I have replanted multiple gardens with the one!
When I started my garden, I looked for plants, perennial, that would grow back every year, and ones that the butterflies, hummingbirds, and bumblebees would like. There's so much joy in relaxing in a flower garden~ I would recommend it to anyone!
I get visits by butterflies and hummingbirds every year~ it is a good feeling to know I give them enjoyment~
Just a thought: the spider plants I have are adored by bumblebees, I would caution anyone who is allergic to bee stings to know this fact. The bees stay near the flowers, they don't fly all around everywhere, but I wanted to mention that fact!
My mental escape place also has a stream bubbling outside but it’s on a daybed in a rustic screened-in porch with wide eaves. And it’s raining, but there’s a little fire burning in a rusty old stove.
I came up with that one to get me through chemo and it’s been helpful for 20 years.
A round flower garden sounds magical. My GM had one with a curvy stone path through the middle with a birdbath and sundial in amongst the hollyhocks, big red poppies….all the wonderful old fashioned flowers. I have a few flowers and would love to have more but I could definitely use some lessons on keeping the deer from eating them.
So you will overlook the flower garden when you’re on the deck? That will be gorgeous!
Nacy, I just love little ‘moments’ of creativity and craftsmanship in the yard. You are going to enjoy your patiette all the more because your husband made it for you.
That was one of R's stories. He can tell stories and spin yarns for hours.
Loved your crane story! You cracked me up!
Nursery trees are expensive here too.
Nacy, a patiette! I laid one this year too. It was a lot of fun, like a jigsaw puzzle, until the last 3 pieces. I was working between a curved stacked stone wall, a straight concrete sidewalk and a wood deck so those last 3 pieces were a real challenge. Got it done though and it’s pretty!
Golden, seeds are a smart idea. I don’t know if I have the patience for it but it would be very rewarding to reforest some of this property with trees I start myself. It’s definitely shocking to see the prices of trees in the nursery.
A week or so ago I’d noticed some weeds coming up in the gravel along the side of the house. They can’t be seen from the windows but I knew Id better get at them before the rains start or they will be huge by Spring. I gathered my gear and went out to get started and WONDER OF WONDERS! They aren’t weeds they’re Cyclamen! Dozens and dozens and dozens of them! I’m chortling in my joy!
We had clay back in Ontario when I was a child. Lots grew in it. We had climbing roses all over the garage, phlox, forget me nots, day lilies, sweet williams, snow drops, those tall chrysanthemums, holly hocks, caragana. lilacs, cedars, maples,...A neighbour had a great apple tree. Mother had a vegetable garden.
cw - decisions, decisions but not of the worst kind.
We have flocks of geese and ducks in the field outside feeding on the left over grain. They've been at it for a couple of days now. I love to hear the honking and quacking as they land. Then they chatter a bit amongst themselves as they are feeding, You see family units working together. After a while, more honking and quacking as they leave. I haven't got a pic yet of the flocks circling. I haven't been fast enough with my camera. The magpies, interestingly enough are quiet when the geese are here - a welcome change from the squawking they often do in the daytime, especially when Rocky goes on the balcony. They were chatting quietly to the each other after the geese left - quite pleasant sounds for a change.
R, of course, thinks of bringing down a few geese but we are in town.
Story about duck hunting and sand hill cranes.
An guy was talking about his "catch" when he shot a sand hill crane along with geese and ducks. He tried cooking it but it was very tough.
An old geezer told him "You have to use the Rock method".
"Rock method?"
" Yes. Put a rock in with the sand hill crane and cook them till the rock is done, Then throw anay the crane".
"T-t-t-that's all folks"
Japanese Maples are on my list. I have three, but they are the lacy leafed kind, one green/peachy, one red/burgundy and one really weird one that with such fine grey-green leaves they look like fuzz. I was considering an upright, larger leafed variety. There is a gorgeous one I’ve seen that’s luminous copper until it goes dark in the Fall. There are so many beautiful Japanese maples and I have a great spot for one (or two or three) more.
Way,
I hadn’t thought about Sugar Maples. Great suggestion! I will look into those. There are four areas on the property I’d like to selectively ‘re-tree’ and sugar maples might work well in that too wet/too dry spot if they can handle being in the shade much of the day. There is an enormous big leaf maple stump in that spot and I suspect the decomposition of the roots over time is contributing to the sinking soil there. We call it the swamp from November through June.
Golden again,
How nice to have a place to retreat to and dig in the dirt. And near a lake! Good soil then! Bonus! Are the chokecherries you speak of trees or shrubs?
And thank you for mentioning Virginia Creeper. It had run through my mind (on the way to somewhere else apparently) when we first moved in. I have very fond childhood memories of the Virginia Creeper that grew over the windows of our house and I could sit inside and study the bees very close up.
Now I just need several thousand dollars and someone very strong who has a pickup truck and enjoys digging holes in bricks!