volunteer arugula

As our week-long rains continue, I find myself standing at the backdoor surveying the weeds from the shelter of my kitchen. As the water puddles continue to grow, I know it will be a while before I’ll be able to dig in the clay soil. One can only hope for a few sunny, windy days after rain like this. Fortunately I was able to get a good portion of the weeds pulled and thrown into three big piles last Saturday. I had been itching to tackle the swath of weeds that I could see living it up from my kitchen window. Just needed a day off from work. Well, it was only half a day before it rained but any time spent pulling weeds certainly helps.

As I started in on the mallows, bentgrasses and anagallis I began to smell a familiar peppery scent. Arugula! In between the tall weeds and comprising a good portion of the patch was arugula volunteers. Since I was a child I’ve always had a  love of volunteer plants. They are pleasant little garden surprises waiting to be discovered. As I continued to survey the yard I had been absent from recently, I discovered more volunteers. Currently putting forth their efforts I also have more than a few potatoes, a couple of tomatoes hiding underneath an artichoke plant, a few palms, and a tiny oak tree. Most of course are exactly where they shouldn’t be, but that’s OK. I’ll either move them later or let them enjoy their lives while they can.

Do you love your volunteers or are they just weeds? Let us know in the comments.

January 2010

I haven’t been posting much on the blog as of late. I have been preoccupied with life and life’s changes. I’ve mulled over the contents of this post  for several weeks now trying to decide which aspects to cover and which to leave out. The short of it is this, the nursery where I have worked for the past 6 years is closing. The owner has decided to sell the business to a local competitor eager to have this location. And like with so many of life’s curve balls, my feelings are mixed.

The past year and a half has been difficult at work. Due to several factors including the slowing economy, financial success became difficult. First there were staff cuts and our workload increased. Then we lost several benefits. We adapted and moved on, but then came the budgetary constraints. We tried to make do with what we could get. We did our best to change things up and try to adapt to changes in our consumer’s spending, but it wasn’t enough. The business languished and we knew the end was in sight.

The business model with the new owners will be pretty much the same. We will still be a combination garden center and hardware store. (My two favorite places to shop) But there will be changes. Some remodeling inside and out. Expansion of some departments at the expense of other. The reintroduction of lumber. When we come back in two months to start our jobs, it will be new and shiny. Opening a new store is a very exciting time, and yet there is sadness.

As we go through the process of liquidating our stock, I am painfully aware just how much I have put into the business over the years. Much like one’s own yard, little improvements over time add up to big changes. There are the demonstrations beds I planted that will be removed to make way for the new parking lot. The display tables that I decided to repaint because I thought the plants looked better against gray than reddish-brown that will be torn out to make way for registers.

For years I have watched the seasons change with each wave of new plants. The bare root in January followed by the flowering magnolias. The seed buying frenzy followed by

June 2008

truckloads of veggie starts. The shear volume of pastel colors in April followed by equal numbers of loud, bright colors in May and June. There were also the seasonal problems. Aphid time in April. Powdery mildew problems during the weather we describe as June Gloom. The burning of the leaves of the Japanese maples once the hot winds hit in July. It seems only fitting that we are liquidating our stock just as the gardening season comes to a close.

June 2008

The process of liquidation is in itself an interesting animal. You would think that great deals on plants would make people happy and bring out the best in them. Such is not the case. Great deals only seem to make people greedy. If you can take 50% off, why not 75%? How about $10 instead of $40. There is a reason I never have garage sales and this is it. It has always been my belief that it is OK to ask for a better price, but one should accept “no” for an answer if given.

But probably the worst aspect about closing the business is the sadness expressed by our regular customers. Many have come here for years. They have their favorite staff members whom they’ve relied on for help with projects and problems. We were the store that was close by with a staff that was friendly.  They thought we would always be here. Although they too are excited for the new changes, the sadness is there and we all feel it. We go home tired each day, drained from emotions that are frustrating and conflicted.

I could end this by imploring you to support your local  independent nursery lest it fall into the same fate. But the fact is, it’s just change and change is a natural part of life. Where there is success, there is defeat. Where there is growth, there is also demise. But this you already know for you are a gardener. And who better to understand that everything has a season?

Sometimes it’s the little things that make us happy. I asked my friend Josh for a snowman. A silly request from someone who has never lived in snow. So today I received this photo of my snowman as requested. It’s an adorable snowman,  but it really isn’t it cuteness that makes me happy. The snowman is a symbol of friendship, a friendship without question. I feel so honored to have such a wonderful friend in my life. This year, however, has been a good year for friends. I’ve made several new friends in real life and many new Twitter pals (who I hope some day will be real life friends as well). Both types of friendships are important and add so much to my life. I am so thankful to know such a creative and kind bunch of men and women.

So to my friends this holiday season, I share with you my snowman. A symbol of friendship without question. I hope you all find such friends in your life this holiday season.

Merry Christmas.

Mimulus 'Jack'

Sometimes one good bloom is all you need. I could add the pictures of the chives that are blooming or the irises whose blooms were pummeled by the recent rains, but this monkey flower is all I need to make me happy on this cold December morning. A recent addition picked up at a local native plant sale. I was working that day and only had a few minutes to shop because the sale ended early and I got out to my lunch late. But, it didn’t take me long to select this lovely burgundy colored Monkey Flower. The color is a perfect addition to the new red and chartreuse bed I’ve been working on.

Paperwhites make lovely, inexpensive gifts during the holiday season. They can be that perfect hostess gift or coworker gift. Although most gardeners would be thrilled with just a bag of bulbs, sometimes you want to dress them up a bit. One of my favorite ways is to preplant them in a decorated terra cotta pot. With just a little paint and some paint pens, it’s easy to have a festive looking package that will also become the planting container. By following the steps below, you can have several of these ready to give in no time

The ingredients

Ingredients

Decorated terra cotta pot & matching saucer (Make sure the saucer is the same size as the rim of the  pot)

Several bulbs (here I’m using 4-5 bulbs in a 6″ pot)

Potting soil (Do not moisten soil. Moisture will cause the bulbs to start to grow)

Green Moss (Since you use very little moss I like to splurge on the really green stuff)

Ribbon

Add soil and plant bulbs at the depth indicated in the photo. You want to leave a bit of room at the top for the moss.

Cover bulbs with moss but do not water. The minute you water, they start growing.

Cover the pot with the saucer, tie your ribbon and you are done. You can add a tag with care instructions if you like.

Painting tips. You can paint the entire pot, but I prefer to do just the rim and bottom of the saucer. Sponge brushes work well for terra cotta and easily allow you to follow the edges to get a nice smooth line. Paint pens work well for adding details and inscription.

For instructions on forcing bulbs, check out Kerry Michael’s post on her container gardening blog. She has great bulb forcing instruction and tips on how to stop them from flopping with a bit of alcohol.

Designing with Plants by Piet Oudolf with Noel Kingsbury

I must admit that the more I see the work of Piet Oudolf, the more I love it. The simulated meadows of flowing grasses and waves of colorful perennials which look like nature only better. His designs remind me of the “just rolled out of bed” woman’s hairstyle that was popular a several years back. How disappointed men must have been to take a gorgeous woman home and realize that “look” took hours to achieve. Similarly I feel Oudolf’s designs are a bit misleading. Although they look completely natural, it is clear that careful planning and detailed knowledge of plants is necessary to create this look.

Designing with Plants is less of a how-to book, but more of an introduction to a theory. Oudolf outlines his theory on design on subjects like movement, harmony and control in the landscape. He also discusses his concept of how to have interest throughout the seasons, especially late in each season,  which is pretty much what makes his designs unique. Many of the things we banish from our gardens are exactly what he uses. When was the last time you stopped deadheading so you could enjoy the seed heads in the fall? Before Oudolf, I can’t recall a designer so boldly using all aspects of a plants life-cycle in his designs. Or even stranger, when was the last time you went out of your way to incorporate the color brown? Normally brown is the color of soil, of open space. It is something we try to cover and hide at all costs. If there is too much brown in your garden, you simply aren’t finished. But do a search for Oudolf on Flickr and cycle through a photo stream. You will quickly learn how heavily this color plays a role and just how beautiful it can be. Brown is natural and grounding. It makes pinks seem less frivolous and girly. It gives yellow a background so  it can shine. The thing I have avoided in my garden is now the thing I crave.

Few design books make me completely rethink my concept of what it means to design the way this one has. Who should you gift it to? Anyone who appreciates natural gardens, wildflowers or meadows or those who simply appreciate excellent design and designers.

Botanical Illustration in Watercolor

Have you ever marveled at botanical illustrations and dreamed of someday adorning your gardening  journal with your own illustrations? Back in 1991 I had such a thought. Several of the books in my collection are there merely because of their detailed watercolor or pen and ink illustrations. How artists capture the essence and fine details of the myriad of plants in the natural world amazes me.  So when Botanical Illustration in Watercolor (Practical Art Books) showed up as a book club selection I grabbed it.

Eleanore B. Wunderlich is a marvelous illustrator and does a fine job of leading you through the steps in creating a botanical illustration. From preliminary sketches to outline shapes to color selection, washes and how to add highlights and detail she gives you step by step instruction with tips and hints. You will learn how to capture the shine on cherries and strawberries. How to draw bulbs and fruits. How to handle the various petal details and technical aspects like how to transfer your drawing to watercolor paper.

Since the book first came out, much has changed in the world of illustration. My pencils and watercolors have been replaced by a Wacom and Photoshop. The book, however, remains relevant. It is less the technique that you strive to learn, but more the style. And developing one’s own style is where you hope you wind up. Plus even if you never put pencil to paper, the book is still lovely. Page after page of illustrations beautiful enough to frame. Also, learning to draw flowers really makes you see them better. And seeing them better helps greatly when it comes to identification.

If, however, you wish to only marvel at the botanical illustrations of others you may want to check out Botanicus, a web-based encyclopedia of digitized historic botanical literature from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library. The library has been digitizing its collection of beautifully illustrated rare books since 1995 and all images are available for download and free to use under a Creative Commons license. Just think of all the crafty home decor projects that can lead to.

Who should you gift this book to? Those who are artistic in nature or have an appreciation of botanical illustration.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs

Talk about a classic.  Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbshas held a position on my bookshelf for over 20 years and I still find a reason to dust it off at the beginning of each gardening season. This book contains all the herbs you know and a few you probably don’t. Take Wahoo, Euonymus atropurpurea, which was given it’s common name by Native Americans. It has long been used internally and for facial sores even though it is extremely toxic (which is why Rodale’s classifies it as unsafe). To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered the plant. Apprently, however, it is very easy to grow.

In addition to herbal history, cultivation and medicinal uses, this book also contains a great deal of information on other uses for herbs. Having recently discovered needle felting, I have become intrigued by the idea that I can dye my wool roving with plant based dies. If I desire, I can even grow plants specifically for this purpose. Although I have had this book for years, it wasn’t until I needed the information that I realized it contained an entire chapter on the subject. I can get chartreuse from Stachys officinallis, rust from the roots of Sanguinaria canadensis, and pink from the roots of Galium verum. It also explains the difference between the different mordants; alum, tin and chrome.

For the holidays I recently reread the section on Crafts from Herbs where it explains how to make living herb wreaths and kissing balls. I used their idea for a cooking herb wreath for several gifts throughout the year. By drying and collecting your own herbs, you can make an attractive wreath that can be hung in the kitchen and snipped when needed. Should you want to give an herbal gift to one you love, be sure to check out the section on the meaning of herbs. While calendula bears saddness, scented geranium extends happiness. If you are saying it with herbs, it is important to get the message right. And for the fashionistas out there you can even make your own scented jewelry with the instructions on making rose beads.

Who should you gift this book to? Anyone interested in herbs whether it be for medicinal uses, beauty treatments, crafting or culinary. For over 20 years this has been the only book on herbs I’ve ever needed.

I started composting a couple of years ago with moderate success. This was probably due to the fact that I was a lazy composter. Let’s face it, if you throw garden waste into a pile it will eventually rot. So I would toss all my clippings in a pile and then wait almost a year for the outcome. Your end product is still just as good. It just takes a long time to create. So I finally started to do some more research and find out how to speed things up. The Complete Compost Gardening Guide: Banner batches, grow heaps, comforter compost, and other amazing techniques for saving time and money, and producing … most flavorful, nutritous vegetables ever by Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin had all the answers I needed.

For years I would pile my garden clippings, yard waste and kitchen waste into circular bin. I was careful to layer the pile alternating green and dry waste. I even turned it weekly for a while. And still, it took forever. One day I was watching an old episode of People, Places and Plants with Roger Swain. As Roger plunged a pitchfork into the compost and turned a fork full, it steamed. Steam! That’s what I was missing. In all the years I had turned my compost, I never once saw steam rising up from it. It was in reading the section on making “hot” compost in The Complete Compost Gardening Guide I realized why. Not enough Nitrogen. You see I had given up a lawn years ago so my compost contained no grass clippings. Grass cuttings contain a good amount of Nitrogen and without it, my compost remained colder than a stone. But how was I going to cheaply add Nitrogen to my compost? The answer was something I never would have expected… rabbit food. Rabbit food contains high amounts of alfalfa which like any grass, contains high amounts of Nitrogen. So off to the local feed store I went.

I purchased a #4 bag of organic rabbit food for $5 and added it by the cup full to the green layer of my compost pile. Within three days, I had steam. Within 5 days, I had ash. I was so excited about it that I took a photo and emailed it to friends.   They already know I’m weird when it comes to that gardening stuff, but only the other gardeners could understand my excitement. So if you want to spice up your composting, check out the wealth of information presented in this book.

Who should you gift this book to? Impatient gardeners and those that like it hot! (Well, their compost at least)