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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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.

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