This no-name single, climbing rose, housed in a four-inch pot, came fromanother local grower. She started it from seed. These are the only flowers so far. They've lasted
almost three weeks without fading.
Just when I thought it was safe to go back to the nurseries, plants are being marked down. Lord have mercy! There might be a few more must-haves out there. Bargains, bargains!
"Plant" "Sale" my two favorite words!
Rubes 2009
This always makes me laugh. It reminds me of me.
"Plant" "Sale" my two favorite words!
Rubes 2009This always makes me laugh. It reminds me of me.
It was early 1998, February maybe. There was no fence separating us from the neighbors on the long side of our rectangular backyard. It was driving me insane. We'd come from five acres of forest where it was impossible to see the neighbors and now I could see, well more than I wanted to see. A fence was my first order of business. I don't build fences so I pretty much drove my hubby nuts with my nagging. A pear tree in the center of the yard, two large [too large] rhododendrons against the house and a plum tree against the north edge of the yard were the paltry "bones" of the backyard. A carpet of dandelion infested sprawl abutted the requisite cement slab and a nicer deck. Potential. I wanted blousy color, a cottage garden, pretty flowers and buzzing bees. And I got it for two whole months--May and June. By August Death Valley looked more enticing than my burned up borders. I'd like to tell you that I quickly learned the principles of garden design and succession blooming [and watering] but I wasn't paying attention. I needed to accumulate a few more years of screw ups.
My patio pond and the aforementioned cement slab are just behind this border. The garden evolved as I evolved as my family evolved. During those early years, I was limited not only by my ignorance but by the pull to keep things simple. Admittedly I'm a cranky control freak. I didn't want my kids scribbling on my canvas. I allotted child-friendly spaces and through the years there were the projects we moms facilitate to introduce our kids to the wonders of nature. Eventually my kids traded their trowels and marigolds for iPods and cell phones. And since then I've basically seized every inch of backyard with little complaint from my clan. In fact they kind of like it.
Geranium cinereum 'Purple Pillow' a newbieMy garden is in its 11th summer. To my surprise it's actually getting easier to tend. I guess it's
somewhat like raising kids. The time commitment during the early years is astronimcal. But if we do it right, gardens, like children will get easier to tend.
Cosmos 'Double Click' looks suspiciously similar to 'Sea Shells'
Clematis integrifolia
Campanula punctata 'Pink Octopus'
Rosa 'Cinco de Mayo' with Phormium 'Evening Glow' and Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes Sumac'
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18 COMMENTS, Click here to add yours:
Isn't it nice that the garden starts to get easier. I actually have found days with nothing to do in the backyard. Of course I find something I can do, but nothing really needs anything done. My kids are still out there and sometimes I have to force myself to let them just play and not worry if they break plants or that type of thing, since it's actually supposed to be all of our yard and not just mine :)
I always enjoy your posts and pictures. BTW now I wish I would've bought 'Pink Octopus' when I saw it.
Grace:
Love the history of the gardens - it's amazing what eleven years of tlc can bring forth in a garden! I too have alloted space for the nephews, and thanks to them, my colour palate has expanded - if only mere centimeters! Have a great 4th of July.
Hi Grace! Happy 4th of July to you and your family! 11 years... Mine is in its 5th year. I heard that it takes 10 years to get a nice garden. Do you agree?
I still try to get plants to grow where I want them instead of where or what will work best in a certain located shaded or sunny bed. I end up with failed plants or end up moving them in the end ;-) I guess I will never learn.
Your beds are so lush and full and mine have many gaps, the results of my stubbornness ;-)
I'm still accumulating my "screw-ups". Blogging has made me understand gardening so much better, maybe my screw-ups will me slowing down. Great post.
I'm still struggling with both - guess I didn't do well with kids or gardens. LOL
Beautiful and a pink Campanula. Dang why can't I find any. And then I get a lead and it's not there like they said. Maybe it's not meant to be?
I am trying to stay away from plants for sale now. I still need to pot up my agapanthus. I don't know if they will bloom this year, since I'm planting the 2 plants so late. I'll have to figure out how to keep them alive through the winter.
I am remembering I told the neighbor boy we could plant some flowers in the planter in front of their house, so I may yet be buying more plants. He said he'd take care of them, but he's doing less and less gardening and more and more dinking around during our gardening time. I've had to get after him for shaking the nozzle over a poor leaning sunflower, watching as it bounced around, after I'd already shown him how to water at the ground level.
I forgot to mention you can't even tell the area where the playhouse was is newly planted. It's beautiful!
The Campanula punctata 'Pink Octopus' really shoots out such a long petals... very interesting. Cheers, ~ bangchik
Really? The time commitment gets smaller? Thank you for the encouraging words Grace. After just four summers (currently starting the fifth) it feels like it just keeps getting bigger!
I liked your comparison of child-raising with garden-raising, and am impressed at what you've accomplished given the beginnings. (Know what you mean about moving from private to decidedly not private spots, too.)
I was scoping out what you did with foliage particularly, since I have tons to learn there, and like yours. Also, arrrgh, I'm a campanula freak and now I MUST have campanula p. 'Pink Octopus'!
Hi Grace, I love this post. It makes me feel okay about my early and continued garden mistakes. I like the idea of gardens maturing like children, and becoming easier if you get them off on the right foot. I'm on year 10, so I'm right behind you, but I think I have more learning to do before I stop screwing up, but I have hope that it'll happen.
Grace, this is such a wonderful post and I love your analogy! I'm finding that my 'toddler' garden of 5 years is changing as I change and learn from mistakes as well. Just like my big hair from the late '80s has turned to a slick bob of the '09s, my tastes and styles have gone from simply big flowers to more refined mixtures of textures, colors, sizes, foliage variations, etc. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gardens and thoughts with us to ponder...
Aerie-el
Grace, I love that you've included so much history about your gardens, family, etc. You have some very interesting varieties of plants... You are being very inspirational, I hope you know! :-) Have a great day!
Grace,
I can so relate... the learning curve while the kids are growing up and then taking over the lawn when they are gone. AND the sales... oh my.
Your garden is very lovely... I like your tenacity and your eye for combinations with the pathways. I'm a little jealous of your summer weather but that's okay... someone has to have it during these dreadful summer months. :-)
Meems
This sounds like beginning pieces of a garden book!?!?!
Love,
Me
Grace .. I love the "cranky control freak" description ... again that is me all over .. but number one son never got into gardening and hubby, well like most men that patch of grass was his concern after we got "his" grape vine up on the new arbor(this vine which was replaced by my choice since I knew Ontario weather better than he did from Kelowna) .. you get the picture I'm sure .. in any case it is a curse and a blessing at the same time for me .. I love my garden and pine for it dreadfully in the deep of winter .. but it can be a chore when it drops into the NEEDY phase in real summer weather ... in the end you never stop loving your garden no matter what it does to you .. that is why we are who we are .. I call our group "perpetual lovers of the earth" : )
Hi Grace,
I haven't been so successful staying away from the plants on sale. I've been finding some good buys on both annuals and perennials. I'm trying to get everything in the ground, and not in pots, but I found some different kinds of basil my son was wanting me to grow so he could use them when he makes Thai food. Those, I'll probably put in pots, because he may want them when they get moved. They are working on the house his wife grew up in, and have been able to move things over gradually.
I hope you are enjoying the weekend.
It's such a relief to know that things will get easier. I've been gardening for 4 years and still have plenty of oops. I inherited a neglected perennial garden when I moved into our house. The first year I didn't do much to it. I just watched what was already there and how it grew. I made notes about what I liked and didn't like and how well things performed. The second year I pulled things up and moved some stuff around. I also bought plants that weren't really suited for the site I picked - more oops. The third year I moved things around again and did a pretty big elimination of most plants - I had mostly May/June color and nothing else like you had. So now in my 4th year I'm finally seeing some good results but it's still needs so much improving. It's definitely a progression. I figure in about 3-4 years it will be where I really want it. -Jackie
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