Saturday, April 28, 2012

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace." -Mary Sarton

I have started a vegetable garden. Well, vegetable garden is a bit of an overstatement: I have started digging up a chunk of my yard with the intention of planting a vegetable garden. It is slow going to say the least, but an excellent workout since it is all being done by hand. A few months ago I went on a seed buying spree--as soon as they appeared in stores--and I have been eagerly anticipating getting them in the ground. Mostly lettuces and hardy vegetables-including onion and red potato sets-that can withstand a bit of cold.

Here in southern Ohio, as with much of the country, we had an unusually mild winter and early spring. However, if you talk to old timers,  they will warn: "Dont plant til Mother's Day...cause you just never know." It would appear that they are right and that global warming is a finicky mistress. First is was a mild winter, and then an exceptionally warm February/March, now it's cold and rainy in April. Hopefully May will bring with is more sunshine and more heat....just in time for Mother's Day.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Georgia O'Keeffe quote that made my day

"I hate flowers. I paint them because they are cheaper than models and they don't move."

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I Never Promised You an Herb Garden

About 12 weks ago I decided to start growing herbs from seeds. I'm a Basil fanatic and, according to the Barefoot Contessa all herbs used for cooking should be fresh, except for Oregano.  So I purchased 10 organic herb seed packets (French Thyme, Common Sage, Cilantro,  Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Basil and a few miscellaneous herbs that just looked interesting). I also got organic "seed starting" soil and pots that can be put directly in the ground and will decompose naturally.
I busily planted my seeds, watered and set in a sunny window. Within a few days tiny sprouts appeared! It was magical....until I realized that I had absolutely no idea which plant was in which pot. As I have come to learn, all seedlings look basically the same in that they are green and have leaves. Since they were all different types of plants they do have different light and water requirements, but since I had no idea what those requirements might be I simply kept them in a well lit area and watered when they looked dry. About half have survived and are thriving. And now that they are maturing, the leaves are more defined and I can guess, with some certainty, what each plant will be when it grows up. It's actually kind of fun not knowing...but that doesn't mean I won't label them next year.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Two Towers

I majored in English in college which means two things 1. I have about a thousand books 2. I cannot afford decent bookshelves. My books have been in a dozen plastic storage bins for over two years. Finally I decided, enough is enough. I pulled those bins out and started looking at the piles and decided to find a way to display them, or use them, or something. I mean I wouldn't want anyone to NOT  know that I spent $40k on a virtually useless degree. Hence, the two towers: two 6 foot tall precarious pillars of English literature. I know what book nerds will say, "but then you dont have access to your books because they are all stacked on top of each other!" Well, I'll tell you what if you have any desire to read Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology or Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum  you just let me know. I'll give you a dollar and you can go to your local used book store and buy yourself a copy from  some other English major who needs the cash more badly than me.


Monday, April 16, 2012

Amazing Azalea

I planted this gorgeous little shrub-which I got for $5 at the Home Depot-about two weeks ago. I then proceeded to have some friends over for drinks and failed to notice that the temperature dropped into the high 20's that night. The next morning the poor little plant dropped all its flowers...I was sad and guilt stricken. But after several days of attention, and apologies, it has started to flower again!

Tree Sale

"A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit" -D Elton Trueblood


There is a place called the "county extension service" where they know everything about the county in which you reside. Where I live it is supported by The Ohio State University. http://www.warren.osu.edu/. Anyway, they "combine the needs of the community" with the latest research in, uh, everything apparently.


I went there to get info about native plants and tips for southern Ohio gardeners. Since I'm trying to keep things green I'm looking for plants that require no pesticides and little water. I was assisted by a ruggedly handsome-and only slightly condescending-farmer type who gave me all sorts of info about organic gardening and how to encourage pollinators. And, it just so happened, they were about to have their annual Tree Sale (which is exactly what it sounds like)..did somebody say shopping?! I got a fabulous brochure full of full color images of majestic oak and maple trees and abundant wildflowers.


After some consideration I selected redbuds and dogwoods, both hardy, ornamental, low maintenance trees.and for just a few dollars you can order 2-3 year old saplings."Sweet!", I thought, "cheap trees to enhance my landscaping." Fast forward 2 weeks,  I go to pick them up- my 16 trees-and am handed a paper bag full of twigs. Apparently a 3 year old tree is not a very large tree. But Doug, Victor and I dilligently planted and mulched them (organic hardwood mulch in case you are wonderirng).  The Redbuds are in a shaded tree line, which they love. And the Dogwoods scattered throughout the yard, strategically near windows. We thoughtfully placed them and check every day,  hoping against hope. that one morning, like Jack's Beanstalk, they'll be 20 feet tall.


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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Garden Center Expose!

"And the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers is always the first to be touched by the thorns"-Thomas Moore

I went to my local nursery/garden center the other day to "just look around" which is a lot of nonsense because I never "just look around" anywhere. I am a buyer, not a shopper. I can find something to buy anywhere (car parts store, tractor supply, the dentist). Anyway, so as soon as I get out of my car the assault begins. I am immediately descended upon, by unseasonably tanned young men with perfect teeth, all too eager to help me make an informed buying decision. I can hear my debit card groaning already.
I am a reluctant-if malleable-victim as they lead me through the aisles talking down to me and blatantly trying to sell me parched looking overstock. But then, I spot it, a dazzling orange shrub: sculptural, vibrant, magnificent. I make a beeline for the plant, a pack of nursery boys trailing me (do these guys work on commission or what?). It is a Texas Red Scarlet Flowering Quince. They assure me that it is hardy and an excellent choice for the full sun location I have in mind. That's it-I am sold.
Woe to me. Woe to my guard being down. First off the thing is covered with 1" long thorns so the planting was something of a bloodbath. Then, no sooner do I get it in the ground, that it begins to lose its flowers, so, naturally, I Google it. What the tan nursery boys failed to mention is that it only flowers for 7-10 days each spring. Lesson Learned: Buyer Beware. This is what happens when the uninformed collide with the overeager and resources exceed knowledge.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I am not a hobbit, this is not the Shire

So anyone who knows me, knows that I am a...fan, let's say, of JRR Tolkien. I've read the Lord of the Rings a couple of times (seven) and first read The Hobbit when I was 8. And since I was 8 I've been preoccupied with Tolkien's descriptions of the Shire (the land where the hobbits live, for those who are uninitiated). Anyway, the Shire is a lush, idyllic, pastoral agrarian utopia, wherein food and blue skies are plentiful and the work load is light. At the center of the hobbit-verse is Bag End-the ancestral home of the Bagginses. Bag End, a truly unfortunate name for such a place, is described as a one level dwelling built into the side of a hill with windows across the front, multiple rooms and hallways, low ceilings and sloping walls. The front door is bright green and round with a brass knocker in the center. The gardens are a lush profusion of color and variety. Well since I was little I've thought that sounded like the perfect dwelling. Unfortunately I am not a hobbit, I am a tall, modern American, with tall modern American friends, and tall modern American needs. So, a compromise: I will have a riotous garden and a bright green front door, although sadly, it is not round