Auntie K's Garden

Windy Wet Weather

2010-10-27T06:38:00.001-05:00

Wow! The weather here this autumn has been wild. In September, we had 5 inches of rain in one fell swoop. That was followed by 28 days of zero rain – not a drop. (I thought I had emptied all the rain barrels in early October, but discovered a full barrel Saturday when I built the compost bins.) It rained pretty steadily on Sunday and broke our dry streak.

Yesterday, we had a weather system move in that brought sustained winds of 30 to 40 MPH with even higher gusts! Apparently, we set a new record yesterday for low barometric pressure in Minnesota – 28.22 inches. Weathercasters and web sites reported pressure that low is equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane!

I’ve never been in a hurricane, so I couldn’t confirm that comparison, but I’ve been through plenty of blizzards, and the way the wind howled last night and rattled the windows I was sure I’d wake up to a foot or more of snow. Thankfully, it was too warm here for snow last night, but there are flurries this morning. The strong wind is supposed to continue through today.

By the weekend, it’s supposed to be “back to normal” autumn weather – 50s and partly sunny – perfect for planting tulips!

Improvised Compost Bins

2010-10-26T07:28:00.003-05:00

One of the projects on my list this year was to build a new “two bin” composter. Well. I ran out of time and didn’t get it done. I still wanted to collect and keep my leaves, though, and didn’t want to have to bag them all. So, I improvised and whipped together a couple of wire bins. Okay, “whipped together” isn’t exactly how it happened. The hardware cloth is quite stiff and comes in a roll. By the time I got to the end of the roll, I needed to use some stones to hold it down so I could bend it in the correct places.

I used rebar posts from the home store as my corners and placed them 3 ½ feet apart. Then, I started measuring the hardware cloth and made creases in it every 3 ½ feet so it would stand up better around the posts. I started using zip-ties to hold the hardware cloth to the rebar posts, but found that some coated wire cut into about 3 inch pieces worked much more quickly. If you look closely, you can see that I ran out of hardware cloth on the second bin and used rabbit fencing to finish off the fourth side. Since it’s temporary and holding only leaves, I think it will be okay.

I then got out a tarp, raked the leaves onto it, and dragged the tarp to the bins, which to my surprise, filled VERY quickly! We had some rain yesterday and I noticed that the leaves have already started to compact themselves. In the photos, the leaves reach almost the top of the bins, but even a few days later, there is already about a 12 to 15 inch gap!

I can hardly wait for spring so I can spread the composted leaves through the gardens!

p.s. Oh. Those stones in front of the bins are for ANOTHER project I didn't get to this year -- the stone steps on the West Hill. *sigh* There's always next year!

Visiting the Gaylord Texan

2010-10-25T06:42:00.006-05:00

I have just returned from the Gaylord Texan, a HUGE resort/conference center in Dallas, Texas, where I was a guest for the last week or so—bonding and learning with colleagues from work. We had long days (and nights) of meetings and events. But, there were a few opportunities for solo activities, and guess what?! I explored the gardens!

It’s Texas, so they had lots of succulents and cacti. I didn’t take snapshots of those. (I did take snaps when I was at the Botanical Garden in San Antonio last November. Those were some spectacular plants.) There were also lots and lots of bromeliad and other typical hotel plantings.

I bumped into a gardener early one morning, who was removing fallen leaves from one of the beds with a long pincher! He talked with me for a bit and said he was one of eight gardeners who keep the gardens (indoors and out) looking spectacular. I forgot to ask him about the Texas sized grapes in the vineyard, of which I DID take some snapshots because they were so outrageous! (They were also outdoors, which was wonderful after many hours/days inside.)

p.s. Apparently, I have not mastered the “scheduled” feature in blogger, so the posts I thought would get automatically posted while I was gone, did not actually post! *sigh* Sorry for the long absence.

Lazy Sunday on the St. Croix

2010-10-11T06:49:00.006-05:00

Okay. So, after several days out of the garden (and away from the computer) due to a multi-day migraine, which finally went away yesterday, I should have spent the day raking and heeling in the truckload of hostas I received from my friend, Marcia, who lost a big tree in her yard that provided shade for her hostas. (Marcia and I installed her garden together about 15 years ago and I was honored she asked if I wanted a few hostas.) I was not expecting to get a whole truckload! It’s a good thing I moved some things around earlier. It left some space, which I can use as a winter home for all the new hostas.

Instead of working in the garden, I went out to the St. Croix River, which divides Minnesota from Wisconsin, and did a 15 mile canoe paddle. It really was a glorious day – cool in the morning when we started, but almost 80 when we finished in the afternoon.

I had hoped to see the bright fall colors mixing with the evergreens along the river, but because everything is early this year, the sugar maples put on their show last weekend (for the marathon) and this week we had the quaking aspens and the oaks. It produced a really muted effect.

The river was really high after all the rain we had a few weeks ago. Islands that typically appear in the river were under water. And, shorelines were drastically altered. The scenery was still spectacular. We had a botanist on the trip with us, but there wasn’t really a lot to see this time of year except the trees. All in all, it felt like a good way to ease back into the swing of things.

Out of Synch

2010-10-07T22:04:00.005-05:00

It’s been a heck of a week. Sunday, I worked in my octogenarian neighbor’s garden—digging out volunteer trees, re-stringing her fence, and cutting down the peonies. Monday, the same day the wascally wabbits mistook my front garden for a salad bar, I came down with a cold and lost my voice. And, then, I got a migraine, from which I’m slowly emerging today. Waking up after a migraine—especially one that lasts more than a day—always makes me feel a little like Rip Van Winkle or Sleeping Beauty, because while I’ve been sleeping like a mushroom in a cool dark room, the world – and the garden – has continued on without me! It’s a little discombobulating to feel so out of synch.

When Monty and I went on our walk earlier today, I noticed how much things have changed just since Monday! Everything looked so dry – even though I had watered everything well on Monday. I also noticed piles of leaves in the street and in some yards. Monday, the leaves were still on the trees. Today, the asters were bursting with color and on Monday, they were still on the verge of opening.

All I had the energy for this afternoon was watering and taking some snapshots of the trees, with and without leaves. I hope to be back in the swing of things tomorrow.

Rats! Wascally Wabbits Strike Again!

2010-10-04T22:26:00.002-05:00

Rats! I guess I’m in a cartoon character kind of mood today. It could be the cold that’s clouding my head. Or, it could be that if I didn’t laugh, I’d cry. I walked out the front door this morning and noticed that the wascally wabbits had munched down not only my new shrub clematis, which had a blossom last week and hasn’t even made it out of its pot yet, but also my beloved Graham Thomas rose – just when it was making a comeback after last year’s munch down.

I’m a live and let live kind of gardener. (Okay, I do kill the Japanese Beetles.) I don’t mind if the rabbits munch (occasionally) on a hosta or two, and understand when they chomp the top off the odd tulip in early spring, but when they strip every leave and most stems from Graham Thomas season after season, steam comes out of my ears! “Aaauuuugggghhhh,” I said aloud (a la Charlie Brown) as I looked at the bare twigs that were green and leafy just yesterday, wishing, not so secretly that the hawk would thin the herd a bit.

Are the wascally wabbits in your garden too? If so, what are they getting? If not, what’s your secret? Do you have a wabbit wemedy that you swear by? Post a comment and let me know.

Lumberjack Day

2010-10-03T09:58:00.004-05:00

A few times a year, my friend, Betsy provides an opportunity for me to express my inner lumberjack by inviting me to come out to her acreage to split wood. Yesterday was one of those opportunities! I’m always happy to participate because the work is so satisfying. And, for a few hours work, I haul home enough wood to have a winter filled with cozy evening fires.

Speaking of fires, Betsy had a pile of brush that needed burning, so we took care of that, yesterday, too. On some "lumberjack" days, we cut fallen trees into 18 - 24 inch lengths and stack them to be cut into fireplace-sized pieces later. Mark runs the chain saw and we move and stack the logs. Some days, like yesterday, we run the splitter and either haul wood to the barn for storage or load up the trucks with wood for each family. Typically, there are four of us (Betsy’s sister and brother-in-law are the other two regulars) but Mark was traveling, so it was just the three women yesterday. Betsy figures we split and hauled two cords. Hear us roar?! (Mark and Sue had split the logs into manageable pieces earlier in September so we could get them on to the splitter more easily.)

Typically, we work in the morning and end with a hearty “sloppy joe” lunch. Yesterday, we started in the afternoon and ended with pizza and black bean nachos. Yum. Today, I’ll unload the wood—making sure to fill the bin on the porch before stacking the rest in the garage. It may even be cool enough tonight to have the inaugural fire!

Who Knew?!

2010-10-02T13:32:00.002-05:00

I started Auntie K’s Garden earlier this year after almost a year of pondering. I talked with bloggers whose blogs I read (and liked) and made notes about what I liked (and hated) about other blogs I read. I read list after list about what makes a good blog. And, I began to brainstorm topics – both broad categories and specific garden related events/issues/passions. My goal was to write between 200 and 300 words about something garden related every day for the entire growing season. By the time the first plant sale of the year arrived, I was ready. Or so I thought.

It turns out the one thing I hadn’t considered was how my life would change as a result of being a blogger. Because I saw my blog mostly as an exercise in discipline and writing, I told very few people – fearing I’d run out of ideas after I covered my brainstorming list and die from embarrassment. So, I wasn’t really expecting people would read it!

I found Blotanical – an online community of garden blogs and bloggers – almost a year ago when I was reading My Northern Garden – the blog by the editor of Northern Gardener magazine I’ve been reading regularly for a couple of years. I joined Blotanical only after I had a few months of posts under my belt. (No sense inviting people to read 5 posts, I thought.) And, then a crazy thing happened. People from all over the world were finding and reading my blog. I’ll never forget the first day someone from Malaysia commented on a post. I almost fell off my chair!

Then, friends I hadn’t told about my blog started mentioning it. Twice, recently, I started to tell friends about progress in the gardens. They said, “I know all that already, I read your blog.” “You DO?” came my astonished reply. “Yeah,” they said, “I’ve been reading it for a while now.” “Who knew,?!” I thought.

I like that people have found my blog (and seem to like it). But, cooler, for me, is “meeting” other garden bloggers. I found some really lovely and interesting blogs and bloggers through Blotanical. I look forward to reading their posts and sharing comments and experiences. I love seeing gardens in other parts of the world and reading stories from other home gardeners like myself. It’s amazing some days how many of us are on the same wavelength. And, the photographs are extraordinary! My goodness! I’m trying to include photos in my posts now, but I think it’s a skill that will develop slowly.

I think maybe the best way to sum it up is to say that 1) because I saw Auntie K’s Garden as a writing practice, and 2) I told very few people about the blog that I wasn’t prepared for the wonderful interaction I’ve experienced. And, it just seemed like the right time to say it out loud. I hope I continue to have experiences that make me say, “who knew?!”

Celebrating Minnesota Harvests

2010-10-01T08:01:00.000-05:00

Minnesota’s most well-known food product is probably wild rice. I have to confess that it took me a while to get used to the dark, crunchy fare, but now eat it on a regular basis. One of my favorite ways to have Wild Rice is in creamy soup with chicken. Mmmmmm. Last night, however, I was at an event that celebrated other Minnesota grown goodies and raised money for a great cause!

The Minnesota Horticultural Society hosted a wine, cheese, and apple tasting at one of the local garden centers. Over 100 of us attended! The proceeds support the Hort Society’s “Garden in a Box” program, which helps low income families grow their own produce at home. Considering there is a waiting list for the boxes, I’m thrilled with the turnout!

The wines were from St. Croix Vineyard in Stillwater, MN. (I had sampled some of these wines at “the Fair” this year and was glad to have the chance to sample a few others.) It’s still amazing to me that we can grow wine grapes in our climate!

The apples were from Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake (a suburb of St. Paul). I’m a really fussy apple person -- kind of a “find one you like and stick with it gal” but I tried every apple they brought with them and liked every one! Not one mushy mealy flat bite in the bunch! We got to try HoneyCrisp, Honey Gold, Cortland (my fave of the evening), SweeTango, and Keepsake, which was described as the kind of apple you could break a tooth on! It was, indeed, a hard, crisp apple.

And, the cheese was from Shepherd’s Way Farm in Northfield. The couple who owns/runs the farm has sheep and all the cheese is made from sheep’s milk. I didn’t try the “Big Woods Blue” because it’s my single most reliable migraine trigger, but I did try the Friesago, which seemed a lot like a cheddar to me, and the Hidden Falls, a brie-like delicacy made from both sheep and cow milk.

I thought this was a creative way to showcase some Minnesota Grown produce and to raise money for a great cause. I’m glad I had the chance to participate!

Oh, and, I found out that my favorite apple, the Regent, will be at the stands on Saturday! Woo Hoo! I see a trip to the orchard in my future!

Woodpecker Elevator

2010-09-30T09:54:00.006-05:00

When I’m in the garden, I typically hear the birds before I see them. Last night when I was watering, I heard the rat-a-tat-tat of the downy woodpecker. I stopped and looked around to see if it was in one of my trees or in a neighbor’s tree. I spotted him -- waaaaaay up in the silver maple. It drummed methodically down the branch and then hopped to another branch, drumming up. I laughed (quietly) as I watched. It reminded me of an elevator.

I watched for a while and then went to the house to get the camera – hoping it would be there when I got back. It was! Still drumming away up and down the branches in the silver maple. Trying to follow the acrobatic bird was a challenge, but I was able to get a few shots before it took off for another tree.

I was surprised to see when I zoomed in on this one that his head is blurred – showing him in action! I'm grateful to you for encouraging my photos and for being patient with me as I try to improve my photographic skills.

Magnificent Mushroom and other Surprises

2010-09-29T07:52:00.002-05:00

On my way through the garden the other day I bent down to move a stone that had fallen out of place in the border of the fragrant garden. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it wasn’t a stone at all, but a mushroom! Most likely, this guy popped out late last week after all the rain we had. I took the photo on Sunday morning. It’s the biggest mushroom I’ve seen outside a forest setting. It’s still there. The squirrels and birds and bunnies are leaving it alone, even though it is very close to the feeder.

And, when I was weeding the lavender hill later that day, I went to pull this and then realized it’s a baby rose shrub! It’s not supposed to be there, but I’m going to leave it for now. The best part of this garden surprise is that the “mama” plant was mostly dead when I got it from my sister a year ago. Neither of us was sure the rose would make it. Clearly we were wrong.

I found two small coreopsis under a peony and three small geraniums (Johnson’s Blue) under some day lilies, too! I was able to get the coreopsis moved, but still need to move the geraniums. (That was a happy accident, since I needed a couple more to add to the lupine hill!)

What surprises have you discovered in your garden this week?

Two Additions to My Gardening Bookshelf

2010-09-28T07:05:00.008-05:00

I stopped buying up gardening books years ago, but picked up a couple recently. The first is “Good Bug, Bad Bug,” by Jessica Walliser. Like Marguerite over at Canoe Corner, I wanted to know more about bugs this year. I asked several Master Gardeners about the bugs I saw in my garden, and there was little consensus about what they were and whether they were helpful or harmful. So, when I was volunteering for the Hort Society at the Fair and saw this book, I snapped it up!

I like that the “bad bug” pages show pictures of the mature bug and the larval stage. It also provides organic options for controlling the pests and which plants are most desirable by the particular bad bug. Japanese Beetles were my nemesis this year. Ugh.

The “good bug” pages tell you which pests they control and how to attract them to your garden! I had a few bugs in my garden that weren’t pictured, so I’m going to have to search for a more comprehensive bug book. (I was told they were innocuous, but I’d like to know for certain.) If you’re learning about bugs, like Marguerite and I, check it out!

The second book I picked up (used) is “The curious gardener’s Almanac—centuries of practical garden wisdom” by Niall Edworthy. I love the illustrations; and the “warning” up front to not read too much at one sitting is charming. He suggests, instead that “readers may delve into it from time to time in the hope that they will be intrigued, amused, enlightened, surprised, or even inspired.” I’ve delved in a few times over the last few days and was all of those things. I know I’m going to have this one handy by the fire on those long winter nights that are getting closer and closer.

p.s. It's the Tuesday Garden Party over at An Oregon Cottage. Visit the link and check out what other gardeners are doing today!

Gardening “Go To” Resource(s)

2010-09-27T21:14:00.001-05:00

A friend and I were having dinner the last week and ended up talking about our gardens. (Surprise, surprise, right?!) She is a much more organized gardener than I am – having a master list of plants, with purchase dates and growth success. (I make a map at the end of the season – partly so I can see what I want to move around next year, and partly so I can see if everything comes up again in the spring. But, I don’t have a master list of plants. Maybe that needs to go on my list to do this winter!)

Later in the conversation, my friend mentioned that she has a gardening Go To guy – Don Engebretson. He has a web site and does a column for the Minnesota Horticultural Society magazine “Northern Gardener.” On the way home, I tried to think of just one person or book or website I’d consider my “Go To” resource and couldn’t. I have, instead, an assortment of resources. I like to sort of compare and contrast and see what they all say, and then I throw in my own experience.

Do you have one “Go To” resource – be it a human, book, web site? I’d love to know!

Sunny Sunday in the Garden!

2010-09-26T21:08:00.005-05:00

Finally. A full day to work in my own gardens! And the weather was PERFECT! Cool and clear in the morning and sunny and warm in the afternoon. I was in the garden by 9 and came in about half an hour ago – giving me almost 11 hours to start the fall clean up and move things around some more! Yesterday, I got a head start and moved and leveled the veggie boxes in their new location close in the front walk garden.

This morning, I moved the soil from the old location and to re-fill the boxes, adding a few buckets of chicken manure for good measure. Then, I set two concrete squares into the configuration so Elmer and the herb pot would each have a level “summer home.” I had a few pots of ornamental allium looking for a home, so I stuck them in as a border. I’m happy with the result. I think it will be much handier to have the veggies closer to the house, and in a location where they’ll get more sun. Monty the wonder dog says he approves, too.

My next project was to dig up the peony bed. My neighbor wanted to give me some of the plants from her garden that had originally come from her mother’s garden. And, the only place I could think to put them was in the peony bed. I left the peonies and dug everything else – lamb’s ear, artemesia silver mound, pasque flower, knautia Macedonia, geranium sanguinium – out. I then found them homes in other gardens and then went next door to dig out the sedum, roses, and peonies. (Night time photo, sorry.)

There’s still a bit left to do, but I’m happy with today’s progress.

Themes and Memes

2010-09-25T08:14:00.003-05:00

I started blogging earlier this year after careful consideration about what I would blog about and whether I could sustain it for longer than three posts. (So far so good.) Garden bloggers are creative folks, and I’m learning a lot about the craft of blogging by reading their blogs!

A few of the bloggers I read regularly have themes in their blogs. I like that. It’s like a day set apart for something special.

I haven’t developed any themes for my blog. Maybe I’ll think of something original. Maybe I’ll just continue to enjoy the themes of other bloggers.

The other thing I’ve learned about in my short time as a garden blogger is the meme. I stumbled onto these memes and enjoy seeing the contributions from around the world.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – Hosted by May Dreams Garden—15th of the month.
Monthly Garden Bouquet – Hosted by Ramblings from a Desert Garden – begins on the 21st of each month and runs until the end of each month.
Tuesday Garden Party – Hosted by An Oregon Cottage—Tuesdays.
Wordless Wednesday – Hosted by Wordless Wednesday – Wednesdays.
Wildflower Wednesday – Hosted by Clay and Limestone – Fourth Wednesday of the month.
Sad Saturdays – Hosted by An Oregon Cottage – First Saturday of the month.

I’ve participated in a few of these, but forget sometimes. I collected this list to help me remember, and then thought it might be an interesting post.

If you have a theme in your blog or if you have a favorite meme in the garden blogosphere I haven’t mentioned, post a comment and let me know! I love finding out about new things.

September Garden Bouquet

2010-09-24T21:10:00.003-05:00

Whew! The rain finally stopped. “Baby Bear” Turtle (my rain gauge) measured just over 3 inches. But, south of here, places like Owatonna and Amboy got between 8 and 10 inches. Schools and roads were closed today and people were evacuated from their homes because of the flooding.

I thought everything in the gardens would be either drowned or shredded after having been pelted with heavy rains for two days, but when I went out this morning, the roses and lavender were still looking fresh and lovely. So, I cut a few blooms and brought them to the office with me! It’s been a while since I cut a bouquet for the office and it turned out to be just the thing to perk up a dreary day. The fragrance of the roses and lavender periodically wafted across my desk and for a few moments, it wasn’t 56 and blustery, it was 85 and sunny. Ahhhhhhh.

I’m sure these will be the last roses of the season. Tomorrow, I’ll cut the rest of the lavender for a sachet. Who knows what will be blooming in the gardens a month from now? I’m guessing asters and maybe some hyssop, which seems to be making a comeback.

Thanks to Noelle at Ramblings from a Desert Garden for hosting the Monthly Garden Bouquet.

First Day of Fall

2010-09-23T07:31:00.002-05:00

I stepped out of the house the other morning onto a front walk peppered with leaves. “How can this be?” I wondered. Yes, we’ve had a cool snap, but it’s only September! Then, I remembered that everything has been about two weeks ahead this season, and was shocked to realize that while I appreciated the two extra weeks in the spring, I’m missing them now! I'm not ready for Fall!

I know this poem by Shakespeare isn’t about Fall, but I think about it every year when I see the maples changing color and dropping their leaves. (Sorry about the lack of photos this morning, but it's pouring buckets of rain.)

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth from the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed by that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

What is Fall like where you are? And, happy Spring to those of you “Down Under!”

A Tale of Three Rain Gauges

2010-09-22T20:45:00.005-05:00

For days now, the weather people have been warning us about torrential “tropical” downpours, which should start this evening and last through Friday morning. We are expecting as much as two to four inches of rain during this period. The prospect of all that rain got me thinking – not about my overflowing rain barrels or about wet basements or flooded streets – but about rain gauges. Maybe subconsciously I want to “see for myself” how much rain this slow moving system will bring our way.

I do have a rain gauge. It’s a cute little turtle with a test-tube like vessel for collecting the water. In the years between the St Paul house and this house, when I didn’t have a garden, I used it as a bud-vase! Turtle sits on the ground in the front walk garden and collects the rain. I’m not sure how accurate it is. I’ve never checked it after a rain! I just like the way it sits in the garden ready for whatever comes along.

Recently, however, I’ve been visiting friends (and fellow gardeners) and have noticed that they have much more serious rain gauges than I. One friend has a rain gauge that’s about two inches square and maybe a foot long, which is attached to her mailbox. It’s not collecting any water dripping from the trees there. And, it’s easy to read because it’s almost at eye level. (I need to either kneel on the ground or pick up my little turtle to see the water level.) Betsy has the most gigantic rain gauge I’ve ever seen in a residential setting. It is about 4 inches in diameter, with a funnel like opening at the top. Either of these might be much more suitable for my spot check on the Weather Service, but, Turtle will have to do. (I've just now realized how much like Goldilocks this story is! And, I'm sticking with the baby bear version of the rain gauge! Oh no!)

Do you have a rain gauge in your garden? If so, what type is it? Do you vary your plant watering based on what the gauge shows? Post a comment and let me know!

A Frantic Race against the Weather and the Calendar

2010-09-21T21:14:00.004-05:00

We’re supposed to have a few days of torrential rains later this week, and I’ll be gone for a week in early October, so yesterday at lunch, I made a list of all the things that still need to get done before putting the gardens to bed for the season. Build the new compost bin, move the raised beds, plant the 20 or so things still in pots, dig the peony out of Barb’s yard and put it in one of the gardens here, compost the languishing tomatoes, bring out the suet feeders. Oh, and Elmer still has to move inside.

On the way home, I realized I wasn’t going to get it all done. I had to pick the most important things and leave the rest. I chose to move the raised beds. That would free up the space for the compost bin, which I could build in the garage in the rain and move outside later. I could use the raised beds in their new location for heeling in the plants that need homes. (I’d probably move them in the Spring anyhow.)

Last week, I measured the spot I thought would work for the raised beds, and it was a bit too small. Oddly, when I dug out the frames last night and carried them to the spot, they seemed to fit with plenty of space! Tomorrow, I’ll have to move the sedum and Elmer’s patio and then I can move the soil from the old location and plop in the plants in pots and sit back and wait for the rain.

Dirty Enough Dungarees

2010-09-20T07:05:00.002-05:00

I took off my jeans after the long work day on Saturday and was instantly transported back to my childhood. The scene was my grandmother’s kitchen where I had handed her a pair of jeans to wash. She held up the jeans, inspecting them carefully all over. “How many times have you worn these dungarees?” she inquired, squinting a little at me as she shoved the jeans back into my hands. “Just yesterday,” I responded, holding the jeans out for her to take back. “There’s not a speck of dirt on them.” She responded. “You’ll have to wear them some more before I wash them.”

I was horrified, but, after she explained that the water was limited and she didn’t want to waste her water (or her time) washing something that clearly wasn’t dirty, I could sort of see her point. She also explained that washing things wore out the fabric and that if she washed something so frequently, it would wear out sooner. The scene in the kitchen went on for many more days, until finally one day I brought the jeans to her and she deemed them “dirty enough” to wash! They looked very much like the jeans in this snapshot.

I still wear many things—especially jeans—more than once because of that experience. But these jeans are definitely “dirty enough” even after one wearing.

Work Day at Community Garden and Shady Sisters

2010-09-19T07:47:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day. First stop—Community Garden. Our original plan was to weed the existing gardens one last time before the growing season ends. But, late last week, we had a load of mulch delivered, which needed to be spread on the new bed we will plant in the spring.

So, everyone (including the kids) hauled their wheelbarrows to the site and schlepped mulch for a couple of hours!

The kids had fun stomping the mulch down to make sure we had distributed it evenly. Audrey and I will go back today to plant the leftovers from our neighborhood plant swap.

After a quick stop at home to take Monty for a walk, it was out to the Shady Sisters gardens where we needed to sort the pots—saving the ones that were still in good shape and getting rid of the ones that were damaged. (Several local nurseries/garden centers take the pots back, but will do so only until October 1st so we had to make sure we could hit that deadline.)

Our next job was to un-pot and re-plant the plants that didn’t get sold this season. Gail started before I got there and then we worked for an hour together before we needed a lunch break. Linda joined us after lunch and the three of us worked for another 4 to 5 hours. We worked out a good system. Linda placed the plants, Gail dug the trenches, and I plopped the plants in.

Even in the cool weather—long pants and turtlenecks—we were working up a good sweat. Every once in a while, we’d stop for a quick water break and look at the growing stack of pots. On one break, Gail said, “I don’t feel tired until I look at that mountain of pots.” So, our motto for the afternoon became, “Don’t look at the pots—just keep working.” And, work we did. Unbelievably, we got almost everything in the ground!

It was a long but satisfying day of getting the gardens ready for winter. Ahhhhhh.

p.s. I found several small rocks in the holes/trenches we dug and piled them in an out of the way spot. Thought this made a cute shot.

Fairy Gardens

2010-09-18T06:34:00.000-05:00

My rule of three popped up again this week – and the phrase was Fairy Garden. A little girl in my neighborhood has a Fairy Garden at her house. She plants tiny plants, including bulbs. It’s a cute garden. One I’m sure Fairies would enjoy. (And, good for her mother for nurturing the girl’s interest in gardening!)

Then, I gave some miniature hosta to a neighbor, who exclaimed excitedly, “Oooooh! Thank you! I’ve always wanted to start a Fairy Garden, and now I can do it!” I didn’t ask her at the time if I could help, but I still may.

And, the third encounter was when I finally met the gardener of a garden I pass on my daily morning walk. The garden is on the hill and boulevard in front of their house. I told the woman how much I enjoyed her garden and asked if she planted it herself. She said she had help, but planned the Fairy Garden theme herself. This garden has GIANT plants in it – not tiny ones like the other two Fairy Gardens, which left me wondering . . . what exactly makes a Fairy Garden a Fairy Garden? Is it tiny plants? Is it Fairy furniture (as one other garden in our neighborhood has)? Is it the presence of a Fairy object?

I have two Fairies, now—the Thistle Fairy, given to me by the neighbor to whom I gave the hosta and the Garden Fairy who currently takes up residence on a shelf in my bathroom next to my Little Gardener Hummel. I’d love to see the Garden Fairy outside in her own special garden, but I have no idea about how to go about doing it or whether it should be in a sunny or shady location.

How about it, gardeners? Anybody have tips on planting a Fairy Garden?

Buying up the Bulbs

2010-09-17T07:39:00.004-05:00

Guess what started showing up in the garden centers this week?! Yep. Bulbs! To be more precise, spring-blooming bulbs. They’re my weakness. Don’t get me wrong. I love all kinds of plants, but after our l-o-n-g winters, the spring bulbs pop out (sometimes when the snow is still on the ground) and signal the start of spring and warmer weather and digging in the dirt. They should get some special recognition for that in my book!

I always save the cardboard info sheet that comes with the bulbs so I can write the location of the bulbs and the year they were planted. Then, I write on the cardboard how they performed. My old favorite used to be Apricot Beauty. But, last fall, I planted cute little Bronze Charm tulips and now they are my new favorite!

I saw a Fritillaria in a neighbor’s garden this spring and loved it. So, I picked up a few of those this year. And, I’m not a huge fan of the daffodils, but I found a variety that looks a little like a giant snowdrop and picked up a few of those, too.

One neighbor avoids tulips because the squirrels and rabbits get them – if not in the fall when she plants the bulbs, in the spring when they come up. So, she buys scilla, windflowers, snowdrops, crocus, scilla, and grape hyacinth. Another friend loves the giant allium and has a garden filled with the tall purple pom-pom like blooms.

I won’t plant anything for a few more weeks and new bulbs are still arriving in the nurseries. So, if you have a favorite spring-blooming bulb, post a comment and let me know! I’ll see if I can find some to add to my gardens!

Morning Glory Story

2010-09-16T07:29:00.003-05:00

I was reminded of one of my most vivid “back to school” memories the other day when I walked by my neighbor’s house and saw the Morning Glories climbing the telephone pole, which is waiting for the school bus at the end of the long driveway by the Morning Glory adorned mailbox.

My mother loves Morning Glories – only Heavenly Blue will do. No fancy Scarlett O’Hara or Pearly Gates—just the Heavenly Blue, please. And, every year, she planted a packet of Morning Glory seeds around the mailbox. I’m sure I have pictures where I am standing by the morning glory adorned mailbox with my school bag, but scrounge as I would, I couldn’t come up with any.

We had HORRIBLE soil at the house with the long driveway—almost entirely clay, which was great for making bowls and statues, but really bad for growing things. Yet, somehow, every year, the morning glories made their appearance on the mailbox.

To give the seeds every possible opportunity of germinating, mom would carefully nick each one before sprinkling them around the base of the mailbox post. (I later discovered that putting the seeds on a sheet of paper towel in a pie plate, covering the seeds with another sheet of paper towel and keeping everything moist for a few days works equally as well, and you can see how many of the seeds germinate.)

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday, so it seems appropriate that I tell the Morning Glory story today. (Yesterday was also Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, or I would have posted it on her actual day.) Happy Birthday, Mom!

Note: In an odd case of irony, my mom gave me (and my ex) the birdbath in the photos for our wedding. I kept it for many years, but always thought more about my ex when I saw it than I thought about my mom. So, I had to get rid of it. I thought it would bug me to have it next door, but it doesn’t. Seeing the joy it gives my neighbor makes me feel great.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – September 2010

2010-09-15T07:00:00.009-05:00

It's the 15th of the month, and you know what that means . . . . Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. The premise is to post photos of what’s blooming in the garden on this particular day. May Dreams Gardens hosts, and provides a list of participating garden blogs.

As I looked around the garden yesterday (thank goodness I took snapshots then, because it’s storming this morning!) I realized I could almost re-post my August entry. The coneflowers have faded, but the rudbeckia, Russian Sage, phlox, salvia, and asters are going strong.

Lavender (pictured) and spring anemone (not pictured) are both having a second bloom.

Asclepias (pictured) and Stella D’Oro (not pictured) continue to add a splash of orange to the gardens.

The sedum seems more rosy this year. In past years, it has been a deeper, wine color.

The roses, which had taken a beating from August storms are back. Here’s Morden Blush and Julia Child. Crown Princess Margrethe is still in bud, but will also bloom once more before the chilly weather sets in.

Elmer, my tropical hibiscus, should be moving back inside this week, but he’s been blooming so beautifully, I’ve left him outside to soak up every last bit of sunshine. (Okay, to be perfectly honest, I’m also procrastinating about the “coming inside” routine. To prevent the whiteflies that come inside with him, I remove all the soil, hose off the roots and re-pot with new soil—a production that takes a bit of time.)

The volunteer sunflowers and cosmos are both still going strong, too. That’s what’s blooming in Auntie K’s Garden this month. My prediction for October is aster-o-rama!

Grave Tending

2010-09-14T08:04:00.005-05:00

There’s been a spate of death again—mostly parents of good friends. So, I’ve been thinking about graveyards. I spend a lot of time in graveyards—not because I’m morose or melancholy—but because in the gardening off season, I help people with their family trees, and graveyards provide a wealth of information. You get to find out who is buried with whom and who isn’t in the family plot.

I like the old country graveyards with the upright headstones of different shapes and sizes better than the new memorial gardens with flat stones that make it easy for the mower but uninteresting for visitors.

My favorite graveyard is the one on Justøya, the island in southern Norway, where most of my family is buried. I like it because I can tend the graves there. It’s another place to garden and make lovely. It’s an act of love that provides an opportunity to remind me of my roots and history. I am used to bringing my own equipment, but in recent years, the church provides trowels and cultivators and buckets for hauling water from the well. There’s also a wheelbarrow for hauling away the weeds, but many people just heave them over the fence to the sheep that graze there.

Even though there is a protocol about who is responsible for which graves, I do pull weeds on graves we’re not tending. (I do this when I visit US graveyards, too.) Planting and painting (touching up the names that may have faded over the winter) are strictly for the responsible parties. The florist on the mainland has annuals marked especially for gravesites, which change with the season. Some graves now have perennials or rose shrubs, so the annuals get tucked in rather than take center stage.

I don’t have any experience with grave tending in the US. I don’t know whether there are similar rules about who can/should tend which graves. If you do, I’d love to hear from you. Post a comment and let me know how it works here.

Grapes—Not Just for Jams and Wines

2010-09-13T07:55:00.005-05:00

Believe it or not, we can make wine—from grapes--here in Minnesota. Some of it is quite good, too! I had the opportunity to sample some Minnesota wines while I was at the Fair, where they defined “fruit” wines as those made from raspberries, blackberries, and rhubarb, rather than from grapes.

In my neighborhood, several people have grapevines. Most of them use it to cover old chain-link fences or to make a few pints of jelly or juice. Because of our short growing season and cold, dry winters, most years are not conducive to great grape harvests. This year, however, produced a bumper crop.

The octogenarian sisters who live a few doors down from me have a grape vine on an arbor in their backyard that has taken over their clothesline this year. And, their grapes are abundant. After a momentary vision of the Baldwin sisters from an ancient TV program called “The Waltons,” I wondered whether they were going to make jelly with all those grapes.

It turns out that the sisters don’t have the grapes for the fruit at all! Lillian explained, “We’re Greek, you know. Mother had the vine planted for the leaves.” Wow. I couldn’t have predicted that response in a million years. It never would have occurred to me that a crop many people value for the fruit would be equally as valued by others for the foliage. I love when my world gets bigger!

Neighborhood Plant Swap

2010-09-12T08:18:00.009-05:00

I’m in a book group with the women on my block. It gives us a chance to get together and read and have a snack and visit each others’ homes. At our last book group meeting, we realized that we were all were gardeners, too. So, we decided to have a plant swap. We included gardeners from other blocks in our neighborhood, too!

We picked a Saturday afternoon so we’d have time to dig things up in the morning (or just sleep in) and then plant later in the day (or plant on Sunday). And, of course, we had snacks. We set it up in my driveway and we had the garage ready in case of bad weather.

The weather was as fabulous. The plants people brought were equally as fabulous. They came in pots, boxes, bags, and buckets!

We had iris (bearded and Siberian), day lilies, sedum (upright and creeping), turtlehead, ligularia desdemona, anise hyssop, lemon balm, liatris, Lamb's Ear, rudbeckia, primroses, baptisia, summer phlox, artemesia, hosta lancifolia, sedge, Karl Foerster grass, wild geraniums, Tiger sumac, and a few more. I put out some “shelves” and tables so some of the plants could be closer to eye level for easier viewing.

Everyone was excited about the selection. Being Minnesotans, however, the swap part of the day was slow to get going—nobody wanted to be the first to take something! But, after a few snacks, we got over it, and started making piles or trips home with our goodies.

I had a shovel and some extra pots in case people wanted to dig stuff out of the garden that I hadn’t potted. Only the big pot is left! I hooked up a hose to the rain barrel so we could water in the things we’d potted.

At the end of the afternoon, even the “common” things found a home. (Day lilies, anyone?!) We decided that all the “leftovers” will go to the community garden addition next week. And, everyone agreed it was a GREAT way to spend a sunny September afternoon. Maybe we’ll do it again next year!

Sorting Seeds

2010-09-11T20:31:00.006-05:00

Right before Labor Day, I took a couple days of vacation to build a compost bin and install the stone steps in the west hill. I didn’t accomplish either of those projects. The weather didn’t cooperate fully. And, truthfully, although my heart was in it, my body just wasn’t up to it. So, I puttered. I planted here; I weeded there. I moved things around and mulched.

And, a funny thing happened when I was puttering here and there--I noticed the seed pods and seed heads. When I was mulching the lupine hill, I noticed the coreopsis had set seeds. When I was weeding the rose corner, I notice the stellas had seed pods. And, when I was watering the herbs, I noticed that the cilantro had turned to coriander.

So, I got out my seed sorting equipment and spent the afternoon sifting and sorting seeds. I like my plastic Tupperware colander for the first round of coriander and lupine seeds. The chaff and stems stick to the plastic rim and I can clear it off with my finger. After most of the chaff and stems are gone, I can pour them into the smaller strainer. Then, they can go into the baggies. The coreopsis was harder to sift and sort. And, if you’ve ever seen a coreopsis seed, you don’t have to wonder why one of the common names is tick-seed.

Stellas don’t really need any sifting, you just pour them out of the seed pods into your hand (or the baggie)—unless, an earwig comes out of the seed pod with the seeds, in which case, the seeds get scattered from here to kingdom come while you’re doing the ookie bug dance on the sidewalk. Thankfully, they’re big, shiny diamond shaped seeds that are pretty easy to see. So, I was able to recover some of them.

Seeds made an appearance at our neighborhood plant swap today, too. More on that tomorrow. Carol brought Baptisia seeds. Mary Kaye brought 4 o’clock seeds, and Theresa brought perennial hibiscus seeds. The hibiscus pods are so interesting, I asked her to hold them in her hand for a snapshot before giving them away!

I guess the point of my meandering, puttering tale is that if I had stuck to the plan and built the compost bin and installed the stone steps, I most likely would have missed the opportunity to collect and save the seeds from some of my favorite plants!

An Award, For Me, Really?!

2010-09-10T06:31:00.003-05:00

Donell at Sheshapesup bestowed the "Versatile Blogger" award meme to Auntie K’s Garden. The rules of the award meme require me to mention the awarding blogger, tell you seven (7) things about myself, and then nominate 7 other blogs for the award. Nominating the blogs will be easy. I have so many favorites I can hardly keep up! I’m not very good at talking about myself, though. Yes. I know. I reveal bits about myself in various blog entries, but this will be like a seven-course meal of all me. But, those are the rules, so here goes:

I’m a first-born, a Capricorn, and a Norwegian. Some people have told me that’s the trifecta of overachievers.
I belong to three book groups: One with my neighbors, one with the senior high girls at my church, and one with a group of mostly lawyers. (I’m not one.)
Saturday mornings are my Sabbath time. I take Monty for a walk and then drink an entire pot of coffee – reading or writing whatever, until the coffee is gone. Then, and only then, do I do actual work.
I was an English major when Computer Science and Information Technology were the popular (and guaranteed to make you a million) programs. Many friends scoffed at my choice, but 30 years later, I still have a job in my chosen field.
I love baseball – especially Little League. I’m the scorekeeper for both nephews’ teams. It’s a rare occasion when I miss one of their games.
I celebrate all 12 days of Christmas. I put my tree up on the first day of Advent and take it down on Epiphany/the Twelfth Night.
I met my closest friends when I was a synchronized swimmer in Junior High School. We’ve laughed and cried together more times than I can count since then. I love them like sisters.

Okay. Each of blogs/bloggers on my list has encouraged and/or shaped Auntie K's Garden. I'm grateful for their support:

That Floofy Thing on Top

2010-09-09T07:25:00.005-05:00

When you’re interested in gardens, people ask you questions about plants. When you’re interested in gardens enough to volunteer for the Horticultural Society, more people ask questions – of all kinds. Most of the time, people ask about re-potting their plants or how much water they should give their cacti. But, an interaction with one woman has stuck with me. Here’s sort of how it went.

Woman: What’s that plant outside with the long leaves and that floofy thing on top? Me: Cattail? Milkweed? Woman: No. It couldn’t be that. Wait. I’ll go take a picture with my phone. (pause) Here it is. Me: Oh. That’s purple fountain grass. Woman: It can’t be grass. My grass at home doesn’t have that floofy thing. Me: Well. That’s because we mow the grass before the seed head forms. If you stopped mowing your grass, it would get a seed head, too. Not quite as magnificent as the seed head on the purple fountain grass, but it would get one. Woman (to the other volunteer): She’s kidding me, isn’t she? Other Volunteer: No. She’s not kidding.

I was talking to a couple of friends about “that floofy thing on top” and Courtney reminded me that some seed heads aren’t floofy, they’re spiky. Since that weekend, I’ve been looking at grasses and noticing their seed heads. From far away, they all do look “floofy” – almost like a fox’s tail -- but up close, some are quite stiff and others are spiky. I don’t have any grasses in my garden (I took these snapshots in a neighbor’s garden) but because of that one conversation, and a couple weeks of looking closely at grasses, I’m thinking about including them in my garden next year.

What about you? Do you have grasses in your garden? Are their seed heads floofy, stiff, or spiky? Post a comment and let me know!

Note: Apologies for the lack of Purple Fountain Grass photos. I haven't seen any since my volunteer shift!

Dated Gardens

2010-09-08T07:38:00.004-05:00

Do garden styles come in and out of fashion? Are there plants that are so “yesterday” no self-respecting gardener would use them in her/his garden? If so, what are they?! (Say it ain't so, Stella.) These are the questions that have been plaguing me since I had a conversation with a guide at one of the State Fair gardens. He told me one of the gardens would be overhauled during the off-season because it was “dated.”

I’ve been really intrigued by his comment because I can spot a dated kitchen a mile away. (Harvest Gold, anyone?!) And, even I, not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, wouldn’t be caught dead in a polyester dress shirt anymore. But, I can’t for the life of me figure out what makes a garden “dated.”

I have noticed that gardens/plantings at businesses at industrial settings have a similar look (a couple of spirea, some day lilies, and a hydrangea or two) but the home gardens I see on a regular basis don’t seem “dated” to me. They seem to reflect the interests and passions of the homeowner/gardener. Each one is unique. Even on my block, where we share plants, which could create a bland look, each garden looks different. I think that’s because the personality of the gardener comes through.

I still don’t have an answer to what makes a garden “dated.” If you have any ideas, please post a comment and help me out!

MN State Fair Garden Tour – Part Two

2010-09-07T07:26:00.017-05:00

It hardly seems possible that The Fair is over for another year. In my four trips to the Fair this year, I’m sure I covered most of the 320 acres of the grounds. During yesterday’s visit, I did get to all of the 32 gardens on the grounds. Here are a few of the gardens I didn’t show you the other day:

Friends School of Minnesota. Since I go to their plant sale every Mother’s Day weekend, I thought I should include them. There’s a begonia in this garden named “Raquel Wood,” for the founding director of the Friends School in Minnesota. This garden also includes one of the Tree Sculptures, carved from stumps of Elm trees that had Dutch Elm disease.

There’s a wildflower garden by the Creative Activities building and the butterflies were loving it! I was lucky to get a couple shots of the butterflies.

This garden is provided by a local landscaping firm. It’s one of several gardens with a water feature. People love to come and sit on the ledge or up in the gazebo.

These galloping horse topiaries aren’t on the map, but I saw them as I was wandering from garden to garden, and I liked them! They are lighted and have straw manes.

This is one of the more vibrant gardens on the grounds. It’s by the Administration building and is chock full of annuals and perennials, surrounding a boulder that bubbles water.

The blurb in the brochure for this garden (with Snoopy and Elvis) says it’s a favorite spot for napping. And, I did see a dozen or so folks taking a snooze, either on the shady lawn or on the benches in this very shady and tranquil garden spot. I could hardly believe over 100,000 people were roaming the grounds when I was in this garden.

I’ve walked by this “garden” at the bandshell hundreds of times and not even noticed it. The brochure says that the garden Is “overlooked by a rake imitating the rising sun and hopeful semi-finalists competing for a chance to perform on the big stage.” (The bandshell is where the preliminary talent competitions occur. Finalists get to perform at the grandstand the last Sunday of the Fair.)

These next snapshots are at the garden sponsored by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. This shot is of an annual (here in MN anyhow) called Indian Kale. It has these wonderful leaves and wine colored stems.

Here’s a little garden angel that surprised me on the path in the MNLA garden.

This gazebo with green roof and goat is part of the garden sponsored by the Minnesota Horticultural Society! I loved this idea. It reminded me of traveling through Norway where I’ve seen live goats grazing on roofs.

A colorful wading bird sculpture is perched at the edge of a pond in the Hort Society garden.

The last garden on today’s tour is the garden at the entrance to the International Bazaar. Even though it’s in full sun, people sit on the ledge to rest their feet while enjoying a cool beverage. This garden is filled with tropical plants.

I took a guided tour of the JV Bailey house yesterday and learned that the Canna Lily is the “signature” flower of the State Fair! No wonder I always associate the two! That’s it for the Fair this year. Tomorrow, it’s back to the gardens at Auntie Ks, and planning for the neighborhood Plant Swap on Saturday. Yikes!

4H Garden Projects

2010-09-06T07:54:00.006-05:00

One of my non-gardening activities is leading a book group for the senior high girls at my church. We met last Wednesday and ended up talking about “the Fair.” (Today is the last day of the Fair, and life will go back to normal, but it really does dominate conversations, media, and lives for 12 days.) I asked if they stopped by the 4H building. Some had, but some of the girls had never heard about 4H.

I’ll have to admit that until I started going to the Fair with my friend, Annie, most of my 4H experiences were in the animal barns. But, Annie is a costume designer and knew about a myriad of other 4H projects and activities, which she happily introduced me to. This year, in addition to looking at the clothing booklets and watching the variety show (they pull together a 30 minute program with only one week of rehearsals), I checked out some of the garden projects.

These two projects are about sunlight and plant parts. Budding botanist?

These two are about soil and compost. (Hooray for compost!)

And, this one is about garden design! The 4H’er who did this project took before and after snapshots of her site, selected plants (and included colored photos), and drew a map of the site, which she documented on her board.

Regardless of whether she grows up to have a career in landscape design, the skills she learned/used to create this project (and the garden) will remain with her for a lifetime.

Note: I’m not related to or affiliated with any of the projects I took snaps of. I was looking for projects that were related to gardening in one way or another.

Horticultural Society versus That Master Gardener Thing

2010-09-05T08:39:00.005-05:00

When I was volunteering for the Minnesota State Horticultural Society the other day at the Fair, a man asked me about the benefits of becoming a member. After I told him, he said, “No thanks, I’ll just do that Master Gardener thing instead.” I explained to him that they were two separate things and that the Master Gardener “thing” was more involved than paying your membership fee each year. He waved as he walked away, saying, “I audited part of the class one year, it’s not that hard.”

It may not be that hard. But, it is work. Maybe I’m sensitive about his cavalier response because I’m in the process of applying to be part of the Master Gardener program for my county. I’ve put more time and thought into completing the on the 5-page application than I have spent hours in my three shifts at the Hort booth at the Fair this year. The “Horticultural Dilemmas” page asks you to show your work in that you need to list the source for your answer, which could be a book, the internet, or “other” resources.

The Horticultural Society encourages its members to volunteer – the Master Gardener program requires 50 volunteer hours the first year and 25 hours each subsequent year. The Horticultural Society offers classes, the MG program requires 12 hours of continuing education every year – plus the core course the first year. A blogger I read frequently responded to the Master Gardener question earlier this year.

That he didn’t see his comparison as apples to oranges astounds me. I would have taken his rejection of the Hort Society much less hard if he had said, “No thanks, I’ll become a member of the Arboretum instead,” since the Arboretum is another member supported organization that offers benefits to members without requiring service in return.

What are your thoughts? Am I being too sensitive about the man’s cavalier response? Is becoming/being a Master Gardener a piece of cake? Post a comment and let me know!

MN State Fair Garden Tour – Part One

2010-09-04T13:44:00.007-05:00

I should have figured that the Minnesota State Fair would have a brochure describing all the gardens at the Fair! But, it wasn’t until I got home last night that I thought to look for it online. So, yesterday, before and after my shift at the Horticulture Society, I just wandered the Fair taking snapshots. Now that I have the brochure, I can hit the ones on Monday that I missed yesterday! I don’t think I’ll get to mention all 32 gardens, but I’ll post about the ones that made the biggest impression on me.

I took this snapshot at the Grandstand Plaza. This garden isn’t on the “Adopt-a-Garden” brochure, but I like it because it uses lots of red leaf canna lilies, which I always associate with the State Fair. And, it has the State Fair logo (a la the Hollywood sign) in the background.

My visit to the JV Bailey House was one for the “you learn something new every day” category. I knew that people lived in “that cute yellow house,” but I had no idea who lived there. I always secretly wanted to be a gardener for the State Fair, but imagined it would be a monumental job, and contented myself with tending my own gardens.

I had no idea that the house is now being used for meetings of the Fair Foundation. It’s a beautiful home and has lots of its history (and Fair history) inside. But, they had no brochure, so I’ll have to go back and read everything again.

I talked to the guide at this garden—adopted by the Minnesota Water Garden Society. He told me the garden was going to be re-done at the end of the season because it was looking “dated.” They also wanted to include some more plants that would be in full bloom during the Fair.

The last garden on today’s tour is one I can’t identify from the brochure. I was completely in awe of the succulents used here.

Accidental Archaeologist

2010-09-03T07:46:00.002-05:00

I can’t remember the first time I thought it would be cool to be an archaeologist. I know it was by time I was in junior high school, because that’s when Lucy was found in Ethiopia. The fact that people and buildings and whole villages were buried beneath the ground we were walking around on interested me immensely. The fact that archaeologists could look at fragments found at these sites and tell stories about what those people looked like and ate and used for tools was even more interesting to me. I never became an archaeologist, but was interested enough to take several years of courses at university.

The other day, I was digging a hole so I could move the baptisia, and came across this nail. It’s round and about 6 inches long. I’ve seen similar nails in Norway, but not here in the US. The nails I found in Norway were from a construction about a century earlier than my house.

A few years ago, I did some research on my house and know it was built in 1916. But, I don’t know anything about construction materials that would have been used at that time. Could a nail like this have been used in the construction of my house?! I guess my next research project is going to be about early 20th century construction materials!

Have you found anything interesting or surprising in your gardens? Post a comment and share your story!

The Second Time Around

2010-09-02T07:48:00.003-05:00

“Love is lovelier, the second time around,” croons Frank Sinatra. It’s a song about falling in love after you’ve been around the block a time or two. But, it’s the song that came into my head the other day when I saw the lavender blooming again this year!

One of the gardens I rearranged this year was the sunny hill. Last fall, I put in some of Betsy’s purple salvia and some asters with a few lancifolia at the rock border. I hated the asters (they were supposed to be low growing and aren’t) and the salvia looked lonely, so I added some lavender – 5 of them, actually. They really like the sunny slope and look great with the salvia. I trimmed the flower stems off (yes, I saved them) and thought that would be it for the year.

Imagine my surprise when I walked by and a couple of the plants were sending out new flower stems! I had no idea lavender would re-bloom. Frankly, after I was told I’d never be able to get lavender to bloom in my setting at all, I was happy when they all bloomed the first time this year. So, a second bloom is a thrill!

I don’t know if it’s “lovelier” but it’s definitely “just as lovely,” the second time around.

Plants that Beg to be Touched

2010-09-01T12:48:00.005-05:00

Roses and Lilacs are two flowers that beg to be smelled. Actually, when I pass by either, I have been known to do a full on face plant to get the full intoxicating aroma. Okay. I do the same thing with Peonies. In the last week, though, I’ve found myself touching, rather than smelling, plants. I think it’s because they look so fluffy! For whatever reason, I’m compelled to reach out and touch them!

First up, sedum, any upright variety will do. They look fluffy, but aren’t really. But, I always want to reach down and feel them. I almost got stung the other morning when I didn’t see a bee nestled in the blossoms.

Next up, hydrangea. I’ve got only the old-fashioned Lace Cap hydrangea, but I still tousle their heads when I walk by. Even when these are past their prime, they’re fun to run your hand over.

And, finally, Artemesia Silver Mound. The name of this plant fits it well. It’s such a feathery mound, too. Tousling this one always makes me think about the beach, which I miss here in land-locked Minnesota. Living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is great, but it’s not like living on the ocean. I don’t have any of this on the wall or on the hill, so I’m always kneeling to touch this one. Guess that’s gotta change!

Are there plants you can’t walk by without touching them? If so, post a comment and let me know!

Shovel and Spade Care

2010-08-31T06:51:00.002-05:00

A long time ago, I read somewhere that it was good to keep a bucket filled with sand and a quart of motor oil in the garden shed so you could clean your shovels and spades. I did it for one season and then forgot that the bucket of sand contained oil and used the sand in the driveway for grit during the winter. It was a mess at the bottom of the bucket and a pain in the neck to dispose of.

Now, because I’m more aware of soil-borne plant viruses, I’m more careful about keeping my shovels and spades and garden forks clean on a daily basis. I remembered the old oil and sand in the bucket method, but I wasn't crazy about using motor oil on my garden implements, I found it is just as easy to hose off the shovels and spades and garden forks after each use.

A couple times a season, I get out a file and put a new edge on the shovels and spades. I know it’s time for a new edge when I find it’s difficult to start a hole or edge the walks. This process also works if I find nicks in the tool from hitting rocks or other objects while I’m digging. (I did this over the weekend when it was too hot to do any work in the garden.)

At the end of the season, I clean the tools like normal and then use a wire brush to get off any rust spots. I then give them a little spritz of WD40 for a protective coating before hanging them in the garage for the winter.

That's how shovel and spade care happens at Auntie K's Garden, what works best in your garden?

Unexpected Beauty

2010-08-30T07:55:00.001-05:00

I like those decorative plaques and stepping stones people have in their gardens. Some of them have flowers or birds or butterflies on them. Others have quotes. Many of the quotes are anonymous, “Delight in the beauty that surrounds you” or proverbs from various cultures: “Whoever loves and understands a garden will find contentment within.” Chinese Proverb.

Some are by writers well known for their connection to nature, “The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it,” Ralph Waldo Emerson, “My profession is to always find God in nature,” Henry David Thoreau. It’s not surprising to find a quote by either Shakespeare, “April has put a spirit of youth in everything” or Jane Austen, “To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon the verdant green hills is the most perfect refreshment.”

But, Dorothy Parker is not a writer whose name you expect to see on a garden stone! You expect wit – sharp and biting – “She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B,” “I don’t care what’s written about me as long as it isn’t true,” and “You can’t teach an old dogma new tricks.” You don’t expect beauty from Dorothy Parker. Yet, there it was, on a garden stone at one of the local nurseries: “Flowers are heaven’s masterpiece—Dorothy Parker.”

The stone’s price was more than I was willing to pay, but I’m going to keep my eye on it and pick it up when there's a sale later in the season. It will serve as a reminder of unexpected beauty.

Seed Art and Scarecrows

2010-08-29T08:52:00.007-05:00

Two of my favorite things to check out at the Fair are the Seed Art and the Scarecrows. I marvel at the creative ideas people have for both art forms. I don’t know that any of the scarecrows would actually scare any birds away, and some I wouldn’t even put outside, but they’re really fun to look at. Like everything else at the Fair, anyone can enter! So, you see scarecrows created by kids, adults, and seniors!

Two of my favorite scarecrows from this year were the Garden Woman Scarecrow, which was papier-mache and used vintage seed packets on the body and the “Fair” Crow, which used several Fair favorites in its composition. (I love the cotton candy hair!) I don’t know when people start thinking about planning and designing these scarecrows, but they’re due for judging two weeks before the Fair begins (as are the seed art creations).

I admire the Seed Art because it’s something I definitely don’t have the patience for. I can’t imagine sitting at a table with a pile of tiny seeds gluing them on one-by-one to make a picture! It’s interesting to see the themes that emerge, too. The year Mel Gibson’s film about Jesus came out, there were lots of Seed Jesuses. In 2002, there were several twin towers. Just after election years, there are presidents. This year, the entries seemed diverse. One that made me laugh was a depiction of the Jet Blue flight attendant on the emergency slide.

The best seed art I saw this year was this clock. It’s amazing.

I also liked this birdhouse, which if left outside, would become more of a bird feeder than birdhouse!

The Fair runs through Labor Day, and my next shift at the Hort Society booth is Friday. So, it's back to the gardens at home until then. But, nxext weekend, I’ll have some photos of the gardens at the Fair.

Garden Stamps

2010-08-28T09:05:00.008-05:00

After my shift at the Hort Society Plant Show yesterday, a friend and I toured some of the Fair. It had been almost 20 years since she’d been there and she was eager to see a couple of buildings – Ag/Hort, which she toured while I was working and Creative Activities (formerly called the Women’s Building). It’s the building where people (not just women anymore) display their creations. We saw garments, quilts, knitted creations, woven creations, mosaic creations, and wood-carved creations. We ogled the baked creations (cookies, cakes, pies, breads, muffins, you name it) and the “canned” goodies (jams, jellies, pickles, peaches, and salsa).

I had forgotten that people entered stamp collections and post-card collections until we rounded a corner and saw several of them on various themes. So, when I got home, I went through my own stamp collection and pulled out a few of my favorite gardening stamps!

These four represent the Minnesota State Fair – two stamps about Minnesota itself (statehood and territory centennial) and two on the kids who exhibit at the Fair – 4H-ers and the FFA kids.

Here’s a set of stamps about conservation – soil, water, forest, energy, wildlife and wetlands.

These include botany and forestry.

These are just flowers. I don’t know that I’d ever enter them at the Fair, but it was fun to look through them and see how many stamps are about gardening, botany, horticulture, and flowers. (I didn’t even touch the international stamps for today’s post, but there are some beautiful floral stamps in those collections, too.)

I hope you enjoy seeing them, too.

Lists—One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

2010-08-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

I am a list person. They help keep me organized. Most of my lists are project related – either inside the house or in the garden. Lately, however, it seems that when I check one thing off, I add a couple more, which doesn’t do much for my sense of accomplishment. Part of this is that some of the things on my list are cyclical/repetitive things – like weeding and watering. So, once I get finished weeding all the gardens, it’s time to start over again. Mother Nature has taken care of the watering really well this year, but the newly planted things need a little extra boost, as do all the things still in pots.

And, then there are the things that I just haven’t gotten to—at all—like build a new compost bin and dig out part of the west hill to put in the stone steps. I’ve been looking at compost bin designs and have decided to go with a two-bin version suggested by a reader! It will require me to move a couple of raised vegetable beds, so it’s been relegated to the “end of season” chores. “Install the stone steps” has been on the list from the beginning of the season, but the weather has been so warm I haven’t wanted to tackle it. (I’ve got a parenthetical on that one that says, “wait for cooler weather.”)

I’ve decided I need more than a day or two to get these things done, so I’ve bitten the bullet and have taken a few days of vacation next week to focus solely on these “undone projects.” Another thing on my list is to include photos more regularly in my blog posts. I’ve gotten comments and emails from readers asking for photos. I’ll try to do that, but I’m a novice photographer, and feel horrible about inflicting my bad photos on you. I suppose that with any new endeavor, practice makes perfect, so . . . .

Anybody else out there feeling unaccomplished, or is it just me?!

Meet me at The Fair!

2010-08-26T07:22:00.002-05:00

When you hear people talking about “the Fair,” you know they mean the Minnesota State Fair. My mind has been more on the Fair these last few days than it has been on the gardens here at Auntie K’s. Today is Opening Day, and over the next 12 days, I have plans to spend 4 days (or parts of 4 days) there. Today, I’m taking my nephews – the boys who call me Auntie K. It’s been our tradition now for 11 years to go on opening day. I cherish every trip because I know that in a year or two, they’ll prefer to go to the Fair with friends rather than with their Auntie.

I’ll be a volunteer for the Minnesota State Horticultural Society on my other three visits—stationed in the Ag/Hort building. Most likely, I’ll stay after my shift or go early on those days so I can take in all the goodies the Fair has to offer. I'll visit the 4H building, where kids come and stay in the dorms on the Fairgrounds while they show their animals, homemade clothing, and other projects. I’ll look for jam, pickles, and tomato sauce made by friends and displayed in wonderfully back-lit refrigerated cases. I’ll check out all the gardens around the Fairgrounds, admiring the designs and marveling that all the summer bulbs bloomed and look so great!

And, of course, I’ll eat. “Food on a Stick” is the Fair’s claim to fame. Pork chops, corn dogs, caramel apples, and deep-fried Twinkies (or candy bars) are a few of the delicacies the boys have sampled in the past. I’m not sure what food adventures await today. I heard rumors about chocolate covered bacon being on today’s agenda. Better pack some antacid.

Back to School means Back Inside

2010-08-25T07:12:00.003-05:00

Here in Minnesota, kids used to go back to school after the State Fair, which runs this year from August 26th through September 6th. But, in a break with our agrarian roots, some schools are having kids come back next week. It’s just a week, but because Labor Day – the last day of the Fair – signals the end of summer, it seems odd to start school before then.

I got an email from one of the local gardening centers that it’s time to bring the houseplants back inside. And, when I looked at my gardening calendar, it said the same thing. Just as I’m not ready for the kids to go back to school next week, I’m not ready for Elmer and Arby and the scented geraniums to come back inside. And, based on the blooms Elmer (my tropical hibiscus) is putting out, I don’t think he’s ready to come back inside. Apparently, even though the days are still quite warm, the nights are cool enough that the houseplants need to make the move.

When Elmer was smaller, I’d move him to the entryway for the evenings and back outside for the warm days. But, he’s too big for that now, so it’s an all or nothing move. Moving Arby and the geraniums inside won’t be a big deal. A short quarantine in the hallway and a dose of systemic white fly bug goop and they’re good to go. But, Elmer needs special care. Elmer had such uncontrollable whiteflies a couple years ago, I contemplated leaving him out to die last year. But, in a last ditch effort to save him, I removed all the soil, hosed his roots off, put him in a new pot with new potting soil, stuck the systemic pills in the soil, and brought him back inside. It was October. Nobody thought he’d make it. But, he did. And, there wasn’t one whitefly.

So, you can see why I’m not looking forward to my Back to School/Back Inside ritual. It’s a big job. But, in the warmth of the sunroom, he’ll bloom just like he is today – even when it’s 40 below. And that is worth all the work.

Gardening in a Fishbowl

2010-08-24T07:37:00.002-05:00

I live on a corner, and all of my gardens are visible to and from the sidewalks. This means that a lot of people see the gardens on a daily basis. Some people walk by and pay no attention to the gardens. Some walk by just to see what’s new or changed. If I’m out, people will stop and chat. They’ll ask about particular flowers, tell me what they’ve noticed, or ask me if I can show them around the whole place.

This means that I don’t always make as much progress in the garden as I plan to. And, that’s okay with me. I enjoy talking with people about the gardens and hearing about how they enjoy what I’m doing. But, it makes some visitors cranky! “Why haven’t you gotten to this section, yet?” they’ll ask. Or, they’ll point out that a pot has been sitting there for a few days and ask when I plan to get around to planting it. Or, they’ll point out the weeds in a particular garden. “You aren’t really going to dig up ANOTHER patch of grass, are you?!” exclaimed one visitor a week or so ago. His eyes almost came out of his head when I told him that was exactly my plan.

Days like that – where there are more critical comments than appreciative ones – make me wish I had a walled or secret garden, rather than the “fishbowl” gardens I do have. But, those days are few, thank goodness. And, when I come home from a walk and find someone taking a photo of one of the gardens, I think I wouldn’t trade my fishbowl garden for anything.

New Kids on the Block

2010-08-23T07:10:00.005-05:00

One of the things I like about working with the Shady Sisters is that I get to know about plants I don’t have in my own garden—and see them in a garden setting, so I know how big something’s going to get. I’ve got mostly yellows and golds in the gardens now, but Gail and Linda had a rainbow of color, so, this weekend, I picked up a few new additions that will give me a variety of color in late summer and early fall.

Pink Turtlehead (chelone) is the first newbie of the group. It does well in both sun and shade. Linda’s are almost 4 feet tall. The ones I took home are young, so they’re a little shorter. I can really see, too, the resemblance between the flower and its namesake. (And, oddly, it doesn’t creep me out like the foxglove does.)

This snapshot shows three more additions – two of which are not yellow. From left to right, they are the shrub/herbaceous clematis, meadow rue, and ligularia Desdemona. Des is the yellow one of the bunch, but I like her red stems and interesting foliage. Unlike “Rocket,” which sends up a tall spike of yellow flowers, Desdemona has a more daisy like bloom. She likes a shady spot.

The meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebruneanum) will get between 6 and 10 feet tall but is so delicate, I’m confident it will work in my small space. I like the tiny leaves and the spray of tiny pink/lavender flowers on purple/wine colored stems. This one can go in either sun or shade.

The shrub clematis has a blue flower, which you don’t see a lot of this time of year in our zone – even in annuals. This clematis doesn’t vine, it clumps – reaching heights of between 3 and 7 feet depending on the particular variety. Mine will be at the shorter end of the spectrum.

It’s too hot to plant today, but tomorrow is supposed to be cooler, so they’ll just rest in their pots another day.

Just another day on the farm?

2010-08-22T08:08:00.004-05:00

A few times a summer, I help my friends, the Shady Sisters, with their plant sales. The setting is their hobby farm in a western suburb of Minneapolis. When we were kids, there were horses, goats, sheep, and chickens on the farm. Now, there are only sheep and chickens. There’s still a large vegetable garden at the main house. The two other homes on the property have the huge flower gardens where the plant sales are hosted.

Yesterday, while Gail and I were helping some folks select plants, a man said there were sheep in the yard. We turned around and saw that the sheep WERE in the garden, happily munching hostas. Gail chased them out of the garden and back into the pasture. I chatted with the man while we waited for Gail to come back. He asked what the sheep were used for. I said, “Well. They get sheared for their wool, and then, . . .” And, before I could finish, he put his hand on my arm and said, “It’s okay. I grew up on a farm, I know what comes next.” Gail had still not returned, so I finished up the sale.

While we were putting the plants in the cart, Gail appeared, exclaiming breathlessly. “I got locked in the barn, and couldn’t get out!” She told us how she went to the barn to get some grain to tempt the sheep into a particular pasture. The doors closed and the bar fell across, locking her in the barn! She found a knife and managed to lift the bar through the crack. In 30 years of living on the farm, she’d never been locked in the barn.

Later in the day, a mother and daughter came through the gardens. Rachel asked if the daughter wanted to see the sheep. The daughter did, and the two girls headed off to see them. I walked through the gardens with the mom when the rooster crowed. She asked if she’d just heard a rooster. I confirmed that she had. She said, “We used to have roosters. They’re in the freezer now because they got too mean.”

Betsy and I went to do chicken chores after dinner. We just had to close the chickens in the coops and gather eggs. When we got to the first coop, the string that raises and lowers the door broke. No biggie. We just re-tied the string. When we got to the second coop, we weren’t expecting to hear “peep, peep, peep.” While Rachel gathered the eggs, we looked around and discovered the dog had gotten a chick and was carrying it around in its mouth! We got the dog to drop the chick, which was understandably traumatized, but not mortally wounded.

While we walked through the pasture on the way back to Gail’s, we talked about the day and decided it was definitely NOT just another day on the farm.

Marking the Milestones

2010-08-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

I have a thing for milestones – those on the road, those on the road of life, and those on the garden path. They orient me. The milestones on the road tell me how far I’ve gone and how far there is to go. The milestones on the road of life help me celebrate my friends and family. The milestones on the garden path help me remember the rhythm of the seasons.

I have driven the road from Minneapolis to just north of Chicago (where my dad lives) so many times I have the mile markers memorized. Mile marker 143 is the Tomah, Wisconsin rest stop – sort of the half way point. Mile 182 is Oconomowoc, Wisconisn – hometown of my brother-in-law and 20 miles from Milwaukee. And, mile marker 68 is Milwaukee Av in Illinois – the mile marker that tells me I’m just about 10 minutes from my destination.

On the road of life there are birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays both sacred and secular. There are a lot of 50s happening this year – and a lot of excited kids going off to their first year of college. Babies are being born and parents and colleagues are dying.

On the garden path, I tend to count firsts – the first tulip, the first rose, the first oriole, the return of the Canada Geese. Yesterday, I encountered a milestone that completely disoriented me. I saw a flock of geese heading south. It seemed unbelievable, frankly. It’s mid-August and the temperatures are still in the 90s. But, there they were—leaving their summer home and heading for warmer climes. Soon, more will follow. The sedum will take on a rosy glow and the trees will burn bright with flaming oranges, yellows, and reds. And then, it will come . . . the first snow.

But, that will be weeks from now. Today, it’s still summer, with time to plant new things, rearrange existing things and enjoy the warm sunny days.

Weeding is like . . .

2010-08-20T07:03:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I gave an impromptu lecture on andragogy – adult learning theory. One of the assumptions of andragogy is that adults have experience (including making mistakes) which provides a basis or foundation for learning. In other words, you don’t always have to start at the very beginning when you’re teaching adults. If you can make a connection for adult learners, they’re off and running.

Since that impromptu lecture, I’ve been thinking about andragogy as applied to gardening in general and weeding in particular. I get a lot of questions about weeding – more than about watering or planting or plant identification. I mentioned this to a couple of friends one night over a glass of wine, and they were only too happy to brainstorm some analogies (similies, actually) for weeding.

“Weeding is like cleaning your house,” one woman said, “You should do it once a month, top to bottom, making sure to look in every nook and cranny.” “Weeding is like laundry,” said another. “It’s never done.” “Weeding is like shaving your legs,” said a third. (I confess to spewing some wine across the lawn at this one.) “You hate doing it, and it’s sometimes painful, but it looks so good afterward!” Brava.

How about it gardeners? What’s your favorite gardening or weeding analogy?

I Dig It

2010-08-19T11:19:00.001-05:00

I started reading license plates during college, when I spent a lot of time on city busses. I could spend an entire bus trip lost in my imagination – making up words or phrases from the letters on the license plates. Now, personalized (aka vanity) license plates are much more common – giving drivers one more venue for expressing their passions and personalities.

I saw a sports car with a plate that read “ruach,” Hebrew for wind/spirit. Fitting, I thought. I was parked next to a huge red truck with a plate that read “husker.” I sat there for a long time wondering why a big red truck would have the Norwegian word for “remember” as a license plate, and then it hit me -- it’s not Norwegian, it’s Nebraskan! Husker is shorthand for corn-husker, a fan of the University of Nebraska! Their motto is “Go Big Red.” And, in the parking lot of my favorite local nursery the other day, I saw a small VW with the plate “I dig it.” I smiled to know there are gardeners who are passionate enough to purchase special license plates.

I went home wondering what I’d put on a license plate. Here are some that came to mind quickly: GrdnGrl, RthWomn, FlwrPwr, and Lv2Grdn (which could be both love and live). What would your plate look like?!

Tree Trauma

2010-08-18T06:59:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I posted about the trees that are being marked for removal in my neighborhood. Last week, the city came through and “trimmed” the healthy trees in the neighborhood – including the oaks. (Some sources say August is okay for trimming oaks, others say it should be done later to prevent oak wilt.)

Trimming the trees is a good thing – especially if limbs are getting close to the power lines. Nobody wants the power lines coming down because a limb is lying on it. But, I’m wondering how healthy the trees will remain if they keep being trimmed in Ys or in half. Doesn’t trimming like this weaken a tree? It seems that if a strong wind came up – and we’ve had our share of strong storms this season – trees trimmed like this would be more likely to split in half or go down entirely.

The thing that really perplexes me is that the city plants the trees! Why plant trees that will exceed the height of the power lines at all?! Don’t get me wrong, I love the trees. They provide shade for the street (and my home). I want them to be around for a long, long time. But, I’m afraid they won’t be if they keep being trimmed like this. I think that rather than keep trimming the trees into unnatural shapes, the city should put the power lines underground and let the trees be trees.

Rock Border

2010-08-17T07:23:00.005-05:00

I’ve always loved stone walls—with a special fascination for dry stone walls. My original plan was to install a dry stone wall along the side of the property. I thought it would provide extra gardening space and some interest. But, 140 feet is a long way, and the house is stone, so that started to feel like a lot of hardscape. So, I decided to do a rock border to keep the grass from creeping onto the sidewalk and stone “piers” for trees and shrubs.

Here in the great glacial plain of the Midwest, farmers are still finding stones in the fields. They collect them in big piles so they don’t damage the equipment. My friend, Betsy, has just such a pile on her land, and she has been kind enough to let me pick through the pile for the last few years to gather rocks for my border. I make a few trips every summer and work on about ten feet at a time.

Last summer, I removed an overgrown honeysuckle from the west side of the sunroom. It was too close to the house and really leggy. I installed a lilac, Albert Holden, toward the sidewalk to give some shade and privacy for the sunroom (eventually) and to provide a more level walkway through the gardens. (The honeysuckle was so huge I had to walk part way down the hill to get around it.) The stones for Albert’s pier took three trips to the farm, I think.

This year, I installed a tiny juniper a few yards to the north of the lilac. I thought it would be nice contrast against the brick of the fireplace. Another trip out to Betsy’s farm for stones and my July 4th project was complete!

This week, the weather broke, and I was able to get outside and work on the border again. (That’s not the kind of work I like to do when it’s 95 degrees with a dewpoint of 75.) I worked on the section between the two piers and was nervous about how the stones would fit and whether I’d have a huge gap at one pier or the other. But, I was really pleased when every stone fit perfectly into place! I could hardly believe it! The heart-shaped rock really fit better on its side, but I like that when people walk by they notice the heart shape, so I’m glad I stuck it in that way.

There’s one section to go and that’s the project for Labor Day weekend. My plan is to use the flag stone that I took out from the east side of the house and make some steps to get from the sidewalk to the water. (That was going to be my first project of the year, but it got so hot so quickly, I kept putting it off.)

I’m using mostly hosta in the shady parts of the hill. I’ve used lupines and geraniums in one of the sunny sections and lavender and salvia in the other sunny section. So far, this is one garden that looks exactly the way my mind imagined it.

Finch Fest

2010-08-16T07:25:00.004-05:00

Part of my Saturday morning routine is to fill the bird feeders. (I’d fill them more frequently, but the squirrels are ingenious and they keep finding ways to get the seed intended for the birds.) But, the feeders have gone untouched this weekend. The birds, including the yellow finches, prefer the seed from the flowers in the gardens this time of year!

I use solely the black oiler sunflower seeds in the feeders. The chickadees, sparrows, and cardinals come in droves. The yellow finches prefer a smaller seed than the black oilers, so they’re not typically visitors to my feeders. I haven’t been brave enough to try the Nyjer seed, which I have been assured is NOT a new name for thistle, but is a different seed entirely. I had a nasty seed spill at the St Paul house and spent YEARS digging thistle from the yard and gardens there.

I first spotted a yellow finch on the Anise Hyssop last week. I couldn’t believe the plant was strong enough to hold the bird up. Yesterday, there were several of them in the Natives Garden, happily munching on the Anise Hyssop, the Coneflowers, and the volunteer sunflowers. I stopped weeding and got a few shots.

Later in the day, I was visiting a neighbor’s garden and the finches were active in her garden, too! One was doing a nice imitation of a Nuthatch, head pointing downward on a giant sunflower. I don’t remember seeing the yellow finches in the garden last year. Maybe there weren’t enough plants to attract and feed them. I’m glad they’re visiting the gardens. And, if anyone has tried Nyjer with success can let me know, I might try a small port feeder next year so I don’t have to wait until mid summer to see the yellow finches.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day -- August 2010

2010-08-15T07:01:00.002-05:00

It's the 15th of the month, and you know what that means . . . . Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. The premise is to post photos of what’s blooming in the garden on this particular day. May Dreams Gardens hosts, and provides a list of participating garden blogs.

The extreme heat and strong storms last week took a toll on the gardens, but the hardy (and a few delicate) plants are still standing and blooming. I think we're still a couple weeks early on the bloom schedule because a few of the things that are blooming are "fall" plants. Here’s what’s blooming in Auntie K’s Garden today:

The fall blooming anemone I purchased two years ago (as a tiny start) is blooming this year. It's still small, but eventually will fill the space with beautiful foliage and lovely pink blossoms.

The sedum have started blooming, too.

And one of the New England Asters has started budding.

Natives are still going strong: Purple Coneflower, White Coneflower, Ratibida, Anise Hyssop.

Knautia Macedonia (pictured), Stella D'Oro, and Lychnis Chalcedonia (not pictured) are having a second bloom.

The beautiful Leopard Lily, alternately called Blackberry Lily, (Belamcanda chinensis) has started to go crazy in the sunny boulevard garden.

The volunteer sunflowers and cosmos are both still going strong, too.

Mystery Flower from Saved Seeds

2010-08-14T09:56:00.001-05:00

My neighbor, Barb, is a seed saver. She has container after container of seeds on a shelf in her basement. She saves seeds from Marigolds, Icelandic poppies, phlox, bachelor buttons, cosmos, and lots of other plants – mostly annuals, but some perennials—including this beautiful orange flower.

Neither of us had any idea what it was when she came over a few years ago and sprinkled the seeds over the tulips in the sunny boulevard garden. She described the then unknown flower as pretty orange flowers on long flat leaves. She was convinced they’d look fabulous with the Russian Sage I’d just planted. We planted the seeds and I waited!

I’d gotten the long, iris-like leaves for a couple years, but no blooms—not even a hint of a flower stem. When the leaves appeared earlier this year I wondered if this would be the year they would bloom. I confess that I had my doubts. But, bloom they did, and beautifully.

I was wandering through a local nursery last weekend (it was raining so I couldn’t work in the garden) and saw my “seed flower!” The tag said Leopard Lily! And, even though the name says lily, it’s in the iris family. I can’t decide what’s more thrilling – finally knowing the name of the flower or having it bloom and set seeds.

Becoming an Impatient Gardener

2010-08-13T06:52:00.000-05:00

I am a patient gardener. I buy small plants and wait for them to mature rather than buying mature plants for instant gratification. I sow seeds for perennials, too, which take even longer to mature than the small starts. I appreciate the flowers (and fruits) of the seasons. When the tulips are blooming, for example, I soak them in, rather than wishing for peonies or roses.

But, the weather we’ve had this week is making me seriously impatient. Since Sunday, we’ve had temperatures in the 90s peppered with strong storms – making it impossible to do anything in the garden. The heat (accompanied by oppressive humidity) is exhausting, and the rain is making the ground soggy – not to mention it’s not recommended to work with plants when the leaves are damp because you can encourage fungus and rot among the plants. (I did pull a few pieces of quackgrass yesterday, but was careful to touch only the grass.)

We do get 90s here occasionally, and we do also get our share of summer storms. It’s uncharacteristic, however, to have them in combination for such a prolonged period. Today is supposed to be the last day of both the heat and the storms. Cooler weather (and perhaps my patience) will return tomorrow. I can’t wait.

Black Walnut Woes

2010-08-12T06:47:00.004-05:00

A neighbor has a mature Black Walnut tree in her yard. It provides wonderful shade for about two thirds of her back yard, where we sit and have morning coffee or a glass of wine in the evening. There are two pieces of bad news about Black Walnuts:

They’re not a great neighbor – killing all but the hardiest of companions because of the toxin they exude. Last summer, our local paper had an article about Black Walnut trees and provided a list of “good neighbors” for Black Walnut trees.
They have nuts, which contain a substance that stains instantly and forever, and which the squirrels use as ammunition – whole or in parts – on unsuspecting humans who are enjoying the shade of the tree.

Sunday morning, three of us were having coffee after taking the dogs for a walk. We had been sitting and talking for a half hour or so when the bombardment began. Thwack. A whole nut hit the brick patio—close to us, but not close enough for us to move. Splat. Partial nut hit Nancy on the shoulder. She ran inside immediately to soak her white top. (She was able to get the stain out, which she attributed to her quick action.) Plunk. Direct hit into my coffee cup. We laughed at the bombardier’s perfect aim as we cleaned up the spill (and I got up to rinse and re-fill my cup).

When I got home, I noticed a stain on my right foot, which I tried (in vain) to wash off. Today is Thursday, and the stain is still there. Perhaps, with time, it will fade, like my tan summer skin. Perhaps, it won’t fade, and I’ll have a permanent reminder of a summer cup of coffee with the neighbors!

After the Storms

2010-08-11T07:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the forecast was for some rain. What we got was wave after wave of downpours starting mid-morning and lasting well after dark. In total, we received over 3 inches of rain. That's a lot of rain in one day where I live. It was too dark last night to see if there was any damage, but the streetlights allowed me to see that the water in the streets – even at the top of the hill where I live – was overflowing the curbs and coming onto the sidewalks! I haven’t seen rain like that since the 1980s.

“Bye bye fresh mulch” was all I could think. But, the mulch was in-tact when I went out for a walk this morning. The stones I had placed around the boulevard gardens did a great job of keeping the soil and mulch in the gardens and out of the streets and off the sidewalks! Some of the plants – lamb’s ear and artemesia silver mound – got pretty matted. And, the liatris are leaning over quite a bit, but nothing sustained permanent damage. Whew!

The grass in the front yard, however, is turning getting quite tall. The rain has been coming with enough frequency this week that there hasn’t been enough time between storms for the grass to dry enough to mow it! We’re expecting more rain Thursday and Friday. I’m crossing my fingers that it dries enough today that I can mow this evening.

Strawberries on the Run

2010-08-10T06:49:00.000-05:00

A friend put in half a dozen strawberries earlier this year in one of her flower beds. She got a few berries and was happy. But, she called me over the other day to ask what was wrong with them. “Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “They’re sending out runners, so you get more plants next year.” She gave me a horrified look as she responded, “More? Oh, no. That’s no good. They weren’t supposed to do that!”

I asked if she had bought June bearing or everbearing. She didn’t remember, but still had the tags. June bearing. Yep. They send out runners. Everbearing do send out some runners, but not nearly like the June bearing varieties. She started ripping out the runners even though she wanted more strawberries next year because she didn’t want them taking over her flower bed. Her goal is to make a new bed and transfer the berries there later in the year.

Betsy plowed under her strawberries on the run a few weeks ago. We were relaxing one afternoon and she proclaimed with more satisfaction than I was expecting, “Yep, I plowed those berries right under.” They had apparently run their course and needed to go. She’ll start new plants in a new area.

I don’t have strawberries yet. I had planned to put them in the two raised beds, but didn’t get the hostas that had spent the winter in the boxes moved early enough to get the strawberries in. So, it looks like I’ll be joining the crew of folks who will be planting strawberries in the fall! I’m going to try June bearing in one box and everbearing in the other and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

Repellents versus "-cides"

2010-08-09T06:46:00.000-05:00

I had planned to mulch yesterday in the two beds that still lack mulch since the forecast is for five more days of 90 degree temperatures with dew points in the 70s. Weather like this means stress for some plants – especially transplants – and mulch can help. It cools the soil and holds in the moisture. But, when sweat was pouring off us as we took the dogs for a walk, I decided to change my plans and stay indoors—in the basement, actually since the fans weren’t keeping us very cool.

The day I was experimenting with essential oils for insect repellent, a neighbor asked me if it would work on getting rid of the Japanese Beetles in her yard. We then had a good conversation about the difference between repellents (compounds designed to keep the bugs away from you) and “-cides” (compounds designed to kill that which precedes the –cide).

I’m battling the Japanese Beetles, too, but am loathe to use an insecticide, because many of them are broad spectrum killers and I want to keep the butterflies and the bees – so I’ve been going out a couple times a day and picking the beetles off the plants (roses mostly) and dropping them into a container of soapy water. (The soap coats their wings so they can’t fly away.) I know it sounds cruel, but they’re eating my roses!

I haven’t done a lot of research on natural or specific insecticides, but there’s a week of 90s ahead – providing lots of opportunity for research. If you’ve found a natural insecticide that doesn’t harm bees or butterflies, post a comment and let me know!

Mosquito Magnet

2010-08-08T07:59:00.002-05:00

I am a mosquito magnet. I always have been. I carry insect repellent with me everywhere. I have used “Deep Woods OFF” in the middle of the city with only minimal success. Lately, I’ve been using some of those commercial brands that smell better and come in a pump bottle, but I STILL end up getting eaten alive – and smelling like a walking chemical plant.

I don’t know why they go for me and not for others, but they do. This year has been particularly bad. In the last week, I’ve swallowed no fewer than four mosquitoes while having conversations at outdoor gatherings at dusk. I needed help – big time. So, I talked with a neighbor who has made her own insect repellent for years using essential oils. She let me spritz myself with it and I liked how it smelled!

So, I went to the co-op in search of essential oils that would repel insects. Lavender, apparently, is the best repellent for mosquitoes! I grow that – lots of it – in the gardens here. Peppermint is next and then Lemon or lemongrass, and scented geranium. I had several bottles in my hand when I saw one labeled, “insect repellent.” It’s sort of an all-in-one mix of the oils that repel mosquitoes and black flies. I went home and mixed it up – 20 drops per ounce of diluting solution. My friend uses water. I used rubbing alcohol for quicker evaporation.

I smelled a little bit like Lemon Pledge for about an hour, but it worked – even at night when we had dinner on the lawn! I can’t believe I went an entire day without one bite! I’m definitely sold on this solution.

Has anyone else used homemade insect repellent?!

Gardens that Honor the People we Love

2010-08-07T08:01:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the gardens we plant to honor the people in our lives that we love. Sometimes, we plant to mark a birth, a significant birthday, or a wedding. But, most frequently, I think, we plant to honor the memory of a loved one who has died. I’ve been thinking about these gardens because a dear friend—a neighbor and fellow gardener—has terminal cancer. I’ve been thinking about and planning the yellow garden I’m going to plant to remind me of her since yellow is her favorite color.

The year my grandmothers died, I planted a rose for each of them in a new bed “The Grandmothers Garden” at the St Paul house. And, a classmate of mine plants a tree on his property for each Minnesota soldier who dies in war and for each classmate who has died since our graduation. One year, he did this life-affirming gift on his birthday.

When I was growing up, my father planted a tree on our property for each of us. We thought that was the coolest thing, ever! Even though we have not lived in that house for a very long time, we still claim “our” tree when we drive by. A baby was born into my family yesterday. And, my first thought was that I needed to mark his entrance into the world and the family by planting something. I won’t plant a tree—the city lot is too small for that—but I will plant a shrub or perennial to honor his presence.

So, while I started the week thinking about a garden to honor the life of a friend whose life is ending, I end the week thinking about planting to honor the beginning of the life of my newest cousin. The circle of life continues.

Weeding and Expanding our Community Garden

2010-08-06T07:02:00.008-05:00

Last night, I joined some neighbors for an evening of weeding and planning for our community garden – named the Grassy Knoll. (I wish the planners had chosen a different name – since the name they chose will be forever linked with the death of JFK for some of us. But, it is descriptive of the location.) You can imagine the looks of horror when I tell people I’m going down to the Grassy Knoll to weed or water or whatever. I avoid those looks now by just saying “the community garden” instead.

I didn’t take photos of the garden when we planted it, but did last night. One of the neighbors said that the plan for the garden was a wave but it looks more like a heart. I sort of agree with her! The sculpture in the background is called “Wind in the Trees.” We were surprised at how BIG the plants were since they were planted in May from tiny starts or transplants. We chose native prairie plants for a low maintenance garden. Weeding went really quickly with the number of people who joined us -- even in such a big space!

We apparently have some money left in the community garden bucket, so we started thinking about an expansion of the wave heart, which we’d plant in September so the plants have time to get their roots established before the winter. It’s lots of work, but makes the space look much more friendly and welcoming. So, it’s worth the effort.

Lucky Shot

2010-08-05T06:25:00.003-05:00

I love seeing birds, bees, and butterflies in the gardens. I almost never have my camera when I’m working, though, because I worry about dropping it in a hole, sweeping it off the wall, stepping on it, or setting it down and forgetting about it. So, I typically take the camera out in the morning after our walk and take shots of the things that are blooming.

The butterflies have been plentiful lately – flitting and floating from flower to flower around the gardens. But, again, I never have my camera to capture these colorful moments. The other evening, though, I got lucky. Monty and I were just coming down the home stretch and a Monarch landed on one of the liatris. I stood and watched it open and close its wings as Monty watered one last plant. I hurried Monty inside, grabbed the camera, and went out to see if the butterfly was still around. It was still on the liatris—still opening and closing its wings. I took a few shots and managed to get this one.

Do you take the camera into the garden with you while you’re working so you can capture great shots? Or, do you make special photo trips into the garden like I do? Post a comment, let me know!

Weeding -- In Other People's Gardens

2010-08-04T07:07:00.000-05:00

I am often asked why I weed in other people’s gardens—especially when I have so many gardens (and weeds) of my own. My answer is always, “Because I can.” I can weed. I can tell the difference between a dandelion and a coreopsis—a clover and a geranium—a violet and a brunnera. I can’t knit or crochet. I HATE cleaning, and while I love to cook, I prefer to spend as much time as possible outside during the months when green things are growing. So, I weed.

I don’t mind weeding. It’s satisfying work that shows immediate results. After a day in an office where you may not be able to tell that you’ve made a difference or accomplished anything, weeding is just the thing! You end up with a big pile of weeds and a lovely looking garden! It doesn’t get much better than that!

It makes people happy to have their gardens weeded. Sometimes, the people I weed for want to weed with me – they want to learn what should stay and what should go. I start by giving them a particular weed to pull (see selective weeding) and then add a weed or two through the season. Typically, after a season, they don’t need me anymore. (Every once in a while, I go back at the beginning of the next season as a backup.) Sometimes, the people know what the weeds are, but illness, pregnancy, or an extended vacation may prevent them from getting out in the garden. In these cases, I just go to work and get rid of the weeds.

It’s early August now, which means the growing season for crops has another six to eight weeks. (Our first frost date here is about the 15th of September.) But hardy plants can go another twelve. Plenty of time to be outside and weed.

Seeing Red? Nope, Not Here . . .

2010-08-03T07:29:00.000-05:00

I walk through the gardens a couple times a day. I look for dead stuff, wilty stuff, unhealthy stuff, and pests. I notice what’s blooming and what’s past its prime. And, I look for buds of new growth. But, yesterday, I walked through and noticed the gardens as a whole, and I noticed that the garden completely lacks red! There’s not one speck of true red in any of the gardens this time of year!

I avoided true reds close to the house because of the barn red trim, but hadn’t realized that I had omitted red everywhere until yesterday. I have red tulips, red poppies, and one red monarda—otherwise, no red. The lilies, Monte Negro, are in the red family, but aren’t a true red. Neither are the Knautia Macedonia (more wine colored) or the Lychnis chalcedonia (leaning orange). Both of these, however, are on several lists of “Red Perennials.” A friend suggested a rose. I could do that. I’d need to move a wild rose to a partly shady spot to do it, but it’s a possibility. Is lobelia really my only non-rose perennial option?!

Maybe the way to get some red into the gardens is to get a few planters and fill them with red geraniums and impatiens, like my grandmother and father have done for years. They’re long blooming and do provide a big impact.

Let me know how you get red in your gardens.

For Novices Only?

2010-08-02T07:49:00.001-05:00

I read a piece a few weeks ago about how hosta and daylilies are for novices only—that no self-respecting experienced gardener would have such lowly plants in their garden—unless it was as a placeholder for something else. I thought immediately about the Shady Sisters, long-time gardeners whose gardens contain primarily hostas because they are shaded by many oaks. The hosta in their gardens are the show pieces and definitely NOT placeholders.

I was taking out some unwanted shrubs the other day and the client asked me how I got to know so much about gardening. He wanted to know if I had taken college level courses in either botany or horticulture. I told him I had taken a botany class last year but that most of what I know comes from experience – many years of trial and error, success and failure. I told him that I started by reading everything I could about what was in my garden and continued by being curious about what other gardeners had in their gardens. The knowledge just builds from there.

The client has LOTS of hosta on the property and shrubs (with more hosta) around the foundation. Their vision for the property is simple, clean, and elegant – roses and boxwood. But, in addition to the hosta and shrubs, there are eleven oaks on the property—providing lots of shade. The boxwood will tolerate some shade, but the roses need a lot of sun. I suggested they may need to alter their plan and was met with some resistance.

After these experiences, I have formed my own conclusion about hostas and novice gardeners. I think it’s not the plants you use that makes you a novice gardener, it’s whether you understand the growing conditions and needs for the plants you choose to use in your garden. So, if you have lots of shade, a hosta garden may be just the right thing.

What do you think? Are there plants that experienced or long-term gardeners should avoid?

Arrivederci, Roma

2010-08-01T08:12:00.004-05:00

You start with healthy plants. You prepare the ground, or in this case pot, properly. You water and fertilize regularly. And, still, it happens. Crop failure.

I started the season with expectation (not hope) of salsa – certainly enough to eat fresh and maybe, if I was lucky, enough for a half dozen jars to can. But, it is not going to happen. The potted tomatoes are doing okay, but not great--not like the incredible bounty I had last year. I’m getting some cherries (yum) almost every day now, but I can see the end of that bounty is near, too. There are a few Early Girls ripening, too, destined for sandwiches and salads.

The Romas did okay at first, too. Then, the vandals rolled the pot down the hill and I think the plant suffered some shock. I tucked the plant back in and moved it to a sunny location close to the house where I could keep an eye on it better. That’s when the squirrels decided to wreak their havoc. They started stealing the Romas. They left both the Early Girls and the cherries alone and either took the entire Roma, or chomped it and left it in the pot.

There were three left last week – enough for the smallest batch of salsa ever. They ripened this week, and every one of them had blossom end rot. All that's left is an empty vine.

Arrivederci, Roma. Good bye, good bye to salsa.

The Stepmother's Flower

2010-07-31T08:59:00.001-05:00

After I posted my grandmother’s saft recipe, a friend and fellow gardener asked if I could translate a children’s book about flowers for her. I’m having such a good time with it! The book is called “Barnas flora: 21 blomsterfortellinger for barn.” It’s a book of folk tales about 21 different wildflowers – some of the wildflowers are familiar to me, some aren’t.

Some of the stories provide vivid imagery about the flower—creative ways to remember common names of flowers. The daisy is called prestekrage – priest’s ruff/collar. The story continues to say that some people call the flower “monks’s hair” because of the way monks shave their heads – bald on the top and fringes around the edge!

The story I keep coming back to is the story about the viola – the Stepmother’s flower. The story says: In many old folktales, there is a wicked stepmother. If you see a stepmother’s flower, you can see the resemblance between the wicked stepmother and her daughters. They sit round a fat bowl of porridge with a nice lump of butter in the middle. The stepmother sits at the bottom. She is big and wide and has the best place. In her eagerness to get the most porridge, she spilled some on her dress. On either side of her sit her two true daughters. They are a little smaller, but they have a good place around the porridge, too. They have spilled milk in front of their places. Opposite the stepmother sit the two skinny stepdaughters. They have only “this much” space at the porridge bowl. They haven’t received any butter or milk to spill on themselves. They have good manners and receive only a little drop to satisfy their hungry stomachs.

I don’t think I’ll look at a viola/violet in the same way ever again!

X Marks the Spot

2010-07-30T07:05:00.000-05:00

I live in the city – in one of those beautiful old neighborhoods with tree lined streets. The trees are a treasure, providing shade for both the streets and the homes and making it cooler on the hot summer days. In the fall, the Maples put on a spectacular show of yellows, oranges, and reds. We also have a few old Elms – survivors of Dutch Elm disease. And, on the next block, neighbors (and the DNR) are watching the Ash trees for signs of Emerald Ash Borer. A few blocks away, Crabapple trees line an entire block, making for an intoxicating Spring walk.

I’m always sad when I see a blaze orange X on a tree, because unlike the legendary pirate maps where X marks the spot for buried treasure, these Xes mean the treasured tree is marked for removal. Last year, a neighbor lost three mature Oaks. Part of one came down in a Spring storm. Apparently, they all were unsafe and needed to be removed. Today, I saw an X on both an Oak and an Ash. They’ll be replaced, but it will be another generation who will get to enjoy their shade.

Some neighbors have discussed the folly of “monoculture” trees. If one tree becomes diseased, it will most likely spread to other trees of the same kind, ultimately decimating the tree population. I guess I can see both sides of this one. On one hand, using one species creates a uniform look and feel. On the other, diversity prevents being wiped out – in investing and in landscaping.

What’s happening with trees where you live?

Beautiful Bouquets

2010-07-29T07:24:00.003-05:00

There’s nothing like a bouquet of fresh flowers to pick up your spirits.

One of the reasons I love the flower gardens here at Auntie K’s is they provide cut flowers throughout the growing season for bouquets. I enjoy taking a bouquet of fresh flowers to a dinner, or friend in the hospital, or to my office. I like having fresh flowers at home, too! People seem to like getting the bouquets as much as I like putting them together. I collect vases and jars at garage sales and save all my glass containers instead of recycling them so I can give the bouquets without having the recipient or me worry about the vase. I also pick up ribbon if it’s on sale to dress up the neck of the jars cum vases.

A few years ago, I received a bouquet that included a hosta leaf, which I thought was both beautiful and creative. Why include only the blossoms from the garden when beautiful greenery abounds as well?! I’ve been including them in bouquets ever since.

This year, the spring bouquets included tulips, trollius, iris, lilac, bleeding heart, anemone, chives, polemonium, and centaurea. Roses, poppies, peonies, lilies, and sprigs of salvia were featured in early summer bouquets. Now, I’m using the coneflowers – white and purple (I lost the golden ones to a mite), rudbeckia, roses, sprigs of Russian sage, and garden phlox. Later in the year, the asters get added to the mix.

The roses are in full bloom again and I think they’ll make a great foundation for a couple of bouquets.

p.s. I had a mishap with my computer earlier in the week and don’t have the ability right now to post photos. Hopefully, I’ll get things figured out in a couple of days and can post photos again.

Note to Self

2010-07-28T07:07:00.002-05:00

Typically when I say this phrase, it’s because I want to remind myself of something I don’t want to repeat, like “Note to self, don’t plant all 6 zucchinis that come in the 6 pack.” (Why do they even sell zucchinis in 6 packs?) Or, “Note to self, sitting at a Little League double header in the midday sun with no sunscreen is a bad idea.”

But, I was talking with a colleague the other day, and she was taking notes about what she wanted to repeat in her veggie garden next year! And, she’s keeping notes now instead of at the end of the season, which is when I typically take stock of what went well and what didn’t go so well in my own gardens.

So, I decided to give it a try. I found a notebook, plopped myself in the Adirondack chair, and took some notes about what I wanted to repeat (and not repeat) next year. Here are a few things on the list:

Plant more tomatoes—and plant them in the rose garden. I planted tomatoes in pots this year to give the spot in the veggie garden a rest and they are bearing, but not abundantly. The potted tomatoes are in the rose garden now, and they like it.
Plant squash and cucumbers. I love cucumbers and squash and didn’t plant either this year. What was I thinking?!
Plant more monarda and ratibida. I saw a stand of monarda earlier this year in a variety of colors and heights and really want to give something like that a whirl. And, I fell in love with the tall delicate ratibida this year and want to put it in a couple more gardens.
Build a screen for the front walk garden. The front walk curves around the side of the house and the garden ends at the curve. But, you can see all the way to the compost bin and a decorative screen would prevent that and keep the focus on the garden.

Does anybody else keep a notebook during the growing season about what they want to repeat next year? If so, what's on your list?

What am I going to do with all these Zucchini?

2010-07-27T06:50:00.003-05:00

Or cucumbers, or radishes, or fill in your bumper crop here. It happens. You think, “Oh, these tiny little plants (or seeds) won’t all make it. I’ll just put them all in.” And, now, you’ve got more zucchini (or whatever) than you (and all your neighbors) can use!

At dinner the other night, Linda made zucchini stuffing to go with the chicken. She was encouraging people to take either some fresh zucchini or a bag of shredded zucchini. And, when everyone had taken what they wanted, there was still a lot of zucchini left. She looked at us and asked, “What am I going to do with all these Zucchini?!” Susie and I came up with several ideas: Zucchini bread, Zucchini dressing, chocolate cake. Our ideas were met with silence.

Then, I remembered the blurb I saw many years ago on the Weather Channel promoting “Sneak a Zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch” night in a town on the east coast. I thought that was a very clever way to celebrate and share the bounty of the garden! So, I suggested it as an option. She laughed. And, then reminded me that all her neighbors also had bumper crops of Zucchini.

I Googled the “sneak a zucchini” night and came up with lots of hits! Apparently, it’s now celebrated every August 8th. (We’ve had unusually warm weather in our part of the country this year, so everything is a couple of weeks early.)

Those are my ideas for zucchini. If you’ve got other ideas about what to do with too many zucchini (or radishes or whatever), post a comment.

Birdbaths

2010-07-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

I have a thing for birdbaths. I like the classic shape as well as more unusual shapes. And, although, I’m not a huge fan of the cute statues that have a basin for water, I do enjoy a gargoyle or other creature spewing water in a fountain. There are five birdbaths here in the gardens. Three are classic pedestal and basin models and two are shallow ground basins.

But, I discovered recently that the beautiful glazed bath I bought last year may not get a lot of use because it’s too slippery for the birds to grip onto! I did notice that it seemed to be getting less use than the other baths in the gardens. Birds apparently like a grittier surface, which explains why they like the rough stone models better. I added some stones to the glazed bath yesterday when I filled it to give some grip-ability for the birds.

The other thing I learned about birdbaths is that a birdbath isn’t just a bath, but a source of drinking water for birds! So, even though my glazed bath may not get used for bathing, birds may sit on the rim and sip from it. This is a good reason to keep the water in the baths clean and fresh. In hot weather, algae can build up quickly, and mosquitoes can breed in standing water.

Birds love the sound of splashing water, so, adding a fountain is a sure way to attract birds to your garden. I don’t have a fountain yet, but am looking for just the right one. In the meantime, I’m going to add to the birdbath collection.

Learning about Honey (and Bees)

2010-07-25T06:47:00.000-05:00

My maternal grandmother ate honey every day. If she didn’t have it on her toast in the morning, she’d stir a spoonful into a cup of tea in the afternoon or she’d drizzle it on a scoop (or two) of ice cream before bed. She swore it kept her healthy.

Much to her chagrin, I never got the honey love—maybe because I ate it only when I was sick and it became a bad association for me. Add to that an allergy to bee stings, and honey has been one of those foods I’ve just never been that interested in. Until yesterday.

I went to the Minneapolis Farmers Market (a little late when it was SUPER crowded) and talked to the guy at the Ames Farm Honey booth about bees and honey. They specialize in single source honey – meaning their honey is “collected over a specific time period from a unique geographical location from a single hive.” (Most honey we get in grocery stores is blended honey—honey that comes from a variety of flowers.) They have over 300 hives in 17 locations around central and southern Minnesota. I had been wondering what the honey from the Anise Hyssop in my garden would taste like. The guy told me I’d need to have a whole lotta hyssop (like an acre) to figure that out.

I learned that the bees from Ames Farm stay in Minnesota—even in the winter—where they stay huddled around the queen in the hive. Who knew?! The bees don’t get loaned out to other states. He hasn’t experienced colony collapse disorder.

I found it fascinating and well worth braving the crowds for. I didn’t purchase any honey yesterday, but was tempted, and there’s still a lot of summer left! So, it could happen.

For Everything There is a Season

2010-07-24T08:10:00.001-05:00

The retired music director at my church refused to play Christmas carols during Advent. “It’s not Christmas until December 25th and we need to honor the seasons,” he would say. (Christmastide in the church runs from December 25th to Epiphany on January 6th.)

Earlier this week, I heard a news story about people being robbed at Apple stores. I was confused about this since even early apples aren’t in season for another month. The news story continued and mentioned iPhones and iPods. Only then, did I realize the news was about Apple computer stores and not local apple orchards. (Context is everything, right?!)

A friend won’t eat tomatoes in restaurants saying, “Even though it’s tomato season somewhere, it’s not tomato season here.” (Even when it is tomato season here, he doesn’t eat tomatoes in restaurants unless he knows the tomatoes are local.) For years, my friend, Betsy and I call each other when the first tomatoes come in – because it means “fresh” BLTs.

This week (and maybe next week, too) is the jackpot week if you’re a berry fan, like I am. Strawberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries are all in season now. Depending on the variety, strawberries start in June and can go through the summer. Raspberry season starts in late June and runs through late July. Blueberries start mid-July and run through mid-August.

Because we can get all the fruits and veggies we want in the grocery store all year, we have lost, I think, the rhythm of the seasons. We have lost the wild anticipation of the first strawberry or BLT or apple or ear of sweet corn.

I don’t know that I’d urge or exhort everyone to forego bananas or peaches or raspberries in November. But, maybe notice what’s available at your local farm stands or Farmers Markets from week to week. Pay attention to the fruits and veggies you can buy today that you couldn’t buy last week, because, everything does have a season.

Farmers’ Markets

2010-07-23T06:55:00.002-05:00

Earlier in the week, I posted about CSAs, a good way to get fruits and veggies during the summer if you don’t have your own garden or want to supplement what you’re growing. But, what if you’re not convinced you’ll be able to eat or use everything in your packet every week and don’t subscribe to a CSA? Well, how about a Farmers’ Market?

At a Farmers’ Market, you can buy as much or as little produce as you like. You can supplement or augment the bounty of your own garden. You can go every week, or once a month. In addition to produce, some Markets also have bread, meat, eggs, cheese, honey, and plants! Some Markets, like the Mill City Market, are all organic. Some, like the Midtown Market, are all local. Many now accept EBT (Food Stamps) providing access to fresh produce to lower income folks.

Many Farmers’ Markets are open weekend mornings with varying hours – most are from 6am to 1pm. But, some are choosing times that are accessible by non-early birds.

The Minneapolis Farmers Market is open downtown on Nicollet Mall Thursdays from 6 am to 6pm! They’re also on the Mall Saturdays from 8am to 3pm. I’m embarrassed to admit I had no idea the main Minneapolis Farmers Market at the North Lyndale Av location is open EVERY day from April to mid-November and not just weekend mornings.

The Midtown Farmer’s Market is open Tuesdays (3:30pm to 7:30pm) and Saturdays (8am to 1pm). And, the Village Farmer’s Market opened in my neighborhood this month on Mondays from 3 to 7pm.

So, if you thought you had to sign up for more veggies than you could eat in a week or get up at the crack of dawn on a weekend to get fresh produce, think again! Here’s a link to the Minnesota Farmers Market Association so you can find a Market in your neighborhood.

Compost Pile -- July

2010-07-22T07:01:00.002-05:00

Garden blogs, like gardens, evolve. I’ve been talking with people about little things they do or ideas they have for the garden. I’ve also been reading magazines and culling a few ideas from those. But, most of the ideas wouldn’t fill an entire post, so until now, they’ve just been rolling around in my brain, or in the folder of good ideas. So, I’m starting the Compost Pile. And, once a month, I’ll share the good ideas others have thrown out.

Coffee Filters. A colleague mentioned that she and her mother use coffee filters instead of (or sometimes in conjunction with) pebbles at the bottom of pots. They hold the soil in and let the water through! Very clever!

Cupcake tin liners. The August issue of Martha Stewart mentions a use for cupcake tin liners I think is super creative. She makes an x in the bottom with an xacto knife and uses them upside down to protect summer drinks from bugs. (The x makes a nifty hole for a straw.) If you’re like me and use gigantic cups outside when you’re gardening, a coffee filter may be a better fit!

Last year’s leaves. A friend saves her leaves from the fall and then uses them through the year as mulch. I was skeptical, but tried it this year myself, and, I’m sold. I put paper down first, then the mooshed up leaves. I did end up topping it off with a little cypress or cedar mulch to keep the leaves from flying around. Cost savings and soil enriching. How can you go wrong?!

Okay. That’s the Compost Pile for July. If you have a nifty idea for the garden you’d like to share, send it along! August is right around the corner.

CSAs

2010-07-21T07:13:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe I haven’t written about CSAs before this. Since almost every person I’ve bumped into in the last week has mentioned their CSA, today seems like the right time to do it.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Local farms sell weekly shares and deliver in-season fruits and vegetables through the growing season to the subscribers. Typically, there’s a centralized drop-off/pick-up point. It’s not exactly like Simon/Coborn’s Delivers. In-season means that you get peas early, beans and cabbages and beets about this time of year, and root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions later in the year. You could still be getting raspberries or blueberries, too. But, it also means that you’re not going to get broccoli every week of the growing season.

The reason CSAs have been such a topic of conversation in the last week is everyone is wondering what to do with some of the produce! Not everybody is used to cooking beets or red cabbage or Brussels Sprouts. So, it’s a challenge to come up with recipes for the weekly bounty. (Some of the CSAs I’ve heard about do provide recipes for the produce they grow—a huge bonus, I think.)

The Land Stewardship Project provides both a list of CSAs in Minnesota and some questions to consider when choosing a CSA.

Images of Grass and the Prairie

2010-07-20T07:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve been thinking about grass and grasses this summer—lawns and prairies—ornamentals and natives. I’m not a huge fan of lawns. They’re a lot of work. And, there’s a lot of pressure to match your neighbor’s lawn height. People have told me that gardening is more work than a lawn, but when I see people on their hands and knees digging dandelions and pulling quack grass and crab grass and pieces of clover and violets, I think they’re wrong. In a garden, once pulled the weeds, you’re done! In a lawn, you still have to get out the mower.

When we planted the community garden, the city had not yet cut the grass on the knoll and it was between knee and thigh high. As I carried plants (and later buckets of water) from my car to the garden, I imagined pioneers in long pants and dresses walking along side covered wagons in grass of a similar height.

The view from my office overlooks a highway embankment and ramp. The embankment is covered with various grasses and prairie plants (monarda, ratibida, rudbeckia, oxeye daisies, bergamot, and knapweed). The colors and textures are mesmerizing some afternoons. The grass and plants are waist tall in places on the embankment. The same plants and grasses fill the fields on the way to the community garden by the office. The aroma from the grasses and wildflowers is intoxicating. I couldn’t imagine being a pioneer walking through grasses and flowers this tall. It would be almost like swimming in Jello – lots of effort.

A friend and her daughter just returned from DeSmet, South Dakota, where they were visiting the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder—complete with stay in a covered wagon. In one photo, the daughter is standing in a field of waist high wildflowers in period dress. It’s exactly what I had imagined.

Is a Tomato a Fruit or a Vegetable?

2010-07-19T06:48:00.006-05:00

I went grocery shopping yesterday and got some tomatoes. (The Sweet 100s are getting ripe here, but the Early Girls and the Romas are still green.) And, after the storm and having no electricity for 12 hours, I wasn’t willing to fight the crowds at the Farmers Market.

The check out guy and the young man bagging the groceries began a lively conversation about a tomato being a fruit. The check out guy asked, “Why is this (a potato) a vegetable, and this (a tomato) a fruit?” The bagger responded, “A tomato is a fruit because it has seeds.” I mentioned that the tomato and potato are both in the same family – adding to their confusion. Then, the man behind me in line said, “Peppers have seeds, and they’re vegetables.” “Same thing with cucumbers,” I added.

Turns out, according to the Oxford Dictionary, the confusion arises because botanists/scientists classify it as a fruit and cooks classify it as a vegetable. Here’s part of their definition: “Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless).” Think raspberries and blueberries. Cooks consider the tomato a vegetable because it is savory rather than sweet.

Click this link for the full definition. And, the next time you're in the grocery store or at the Farmers Market buying tomatoes and a discussion breaks out about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, you'll be able to say, "Depends on who you're talking to!"

Sunroom as Beach House

2010-07-18T09:29:00.004-05:00

I recently re-arranged the furniture in the sunroom. The new arrangement gave me room for the antique book shelves I schlepped across the Atlantic last summer from Norway. It’s so much cozier now that I spend almost all my at-home time in this one room. In the winter, the favored room is the living room because of the fireplace. But, in the summer, the sunroom reigns supreme. I have my morning coffee there and spend long evenings reading there and have spent several nights on the daybed there taking advantage of the cool breeze.

And, when the power went out last night because of severe storms and tornadoes, the sunroom was where Monty and I retreated to with the flashlight, battery-operated clock, cell phone, jug of iced tea and paperback murder mystery. With windows on three sides, it was both the coolest place and the lightest place to be. It reminded me of the summers our extended family would spend at the summer house in Smithtown, New York.

At Smithtown, we’d spend our days at the beach and then after dinner grown-ups played cards by kerosene lamp and kids would read books and tell stories by flashlight on the sleeping porch. Yesterday, I weeded and planted and watered in the bright sun and then read a paperback murder mystery by flashlight in the sunroom.

My grandfather bought the house for my grandmother when they were newlyweds! It had no electricity or indoor plumbing for a long time. Electricity arrived before I did. I remember my mom and aunt cooking on a hotplate. Plumbing didn’t arrive until the early 70s. We fought about who had the honor of the “first flush.” (My cousin, Karin, won. She’s the oldest, she argued.)

The power came back on this morning – almost exactly twelve hours after it went out. So, I don’t have to finish my murder mystery by flashlight, and I can use the computer to tell the story!

Sticks and Stones

2010-07-17T07:39:00.010-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about garden objects and garden art. While I was on vacation, I brought up the topic with my neighbor, Sheila, who has a great garden. She quoted a friend of hers, who said, “There’s a fine line between whimsy and trash. Don’t cross it!” I think that sums up my trepidation about using garden objects in my own garden. Will my whimsy be someone else’s trash?!

So, I have chosen my objects carefully and have used them sparingly. While walking through the gardens last night, I noticed that most of the objects are stones or made of tree branches! Some I’ve purchased, most have been gifts.

This cute little birdhouse was in the yard when I bought the house! It was tucked in behind a long row of mature hostas. I’ve moved it around this year and think it’s finally found a home in the Natives Garden.

When Smith and Hawkins closed their store in St Paul, I got three of these wonderful willow structures. I’ve used them mostly for protecting plants from bunnies than for vines or sheer art and have this one in the Peony Garden for now.

My first stone piece was this statue. It was a wedding gift from my family to honor my grandmother, whose favorite activity as a child was to hide in the garden and read. She’s moved around too, and I think has found a good spot with the Rosa Magnifica by the front walk.

This “peace” stone is a mystery. It showed up in the garden in the spring of 2008. Nobody has confessed to leaving it. That spring, it moved from place to place for weeks! I moved it last summer to the shady boulevard garden, where it has remained.

Blessings came from a friend. It’s placed in the front walk garden so I see it when I leave the house.

I found this heart of stone in Betsy’s rock pile when I was gathering stones for the wall. Audrey brought two more stone hearts back from the North Shore. One is in the hosta on the hill, the other is in the corner garden.

I’m not sure what it says about me that my objects are mostly stone and sticks. They do speak to me at some level and feel right in the garden. And, so far, nobody has said they’re trashy. Whew!

Knot Gardens

2010-07-16T06:54:00.003-05:00

The gardens here at Auntie K’s are by no means formal. Everything has a casual feel without being completely disorderly. In fact, that was a comment one of the neighbors made the first year I started digging up lawn and replacing it with gardens. “It looks nice—not messy at all!” I don’t know what his conception of a garden was, but apparently unkempt figured prominently.

I’ve always had a fascination for knot gardens, the epitome of formal gardens, and I’ve had six pots of ornamental allium sitting around for a while, waiting for a home. So, I’ve been thinking that when I move things around a little more, I’ll have an empty section of boulevard that would be big enough for a small knot garden. (I’m going to need a few more pots of allium, but think I can swing that.) I’ll also need a companion plant, and I’m thinking cerastium.

Martha Stewart, the goddess of overachievers everywhere, planted a massive herb garden back in the late 1980s in 9 knots and wrote about it in her book “Martha Stewart’s Gardening.” The other day, I found a sticky note on the design page for that garden, and some notes about how to alter the plantings to fit the gardens at the St Paul house!

I don’t know if I’ll use any of the designs on this page, but the shape of the garden fits the boulevard space I have available. The internet is a great resource for designs, and there are books with pages and page of designs, so I won’t lack for ideas. The hard part will be choosing just the right one! If you have an idea for a knot garden pattern, send it my way!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day -- July 15

2010-07-15T06:01:00.017-05:00

Last month, one of the garden blogs I follow mentioned Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I was too late to participate last month, but can this month (and every 15th of the month during the growing season). The premise is to post photos of what’s blooming in the garden on this particular day. May Dreams Garden hosts, and provides a list of participating garden blogs.

Here’s what’s blooming in Auntie K’s Garden today: One of my favorite monarda—Grand Marshall.

The lovely and buttery Julia Child Rose

These Lace Cap Hydrangea weren’t there when the house was built in 1916, but my understanding is that they went in shortly after that. They’ve come up every year since and try to creep into the path. I try to keep them in check. There are a few blooms left on the coreopsis, too.

The volunteers in the garden this year include both this lovely cosmos (near the lamb’s ear) and the sunflower (courtesy of squirrels or birds from the feeders).

Most of the natives have started to pop, too: Purple Coneflower, White Swan Coneflower

Rudbeckia, Purple Garden Phlox, Russian Sage

And, my new favorite Ratibida with the Anise Hyssop.

Growth Spurt

2010-07-14T06:52:00.000-05:00

Both of my nephews are on Little League teams. It’s the highlight of my spring to go and watch them play. (I keep score, too, which adds to my experience.) On my younger nephew’s team, the boys are still the same height and weight. But, on my older nephew’s team, some boys have had a growth spurt. This means that even though they’re all 12 year olds, some of them are almost a head taller than others and weigh a few pounds more.

I know you’re wondering what Little Leaguers have to do with gardening. Well. Some of the roses in Auntie K’s Garden have had a HUGE growth spurt in the last few days. Yikes! I went out to do the Japanese Beetle check the other morning and had to bend some canes gently toward me because they are now taller than I am! These new canes are three feet taller than the rest of the plant. I’m sure that when I checked the night before I didn’t have to bend them! (I know the boys will be taller than I am one of these days, too. They’re almost there now!)

Not all of the roses have had this growth spurt. I bought three bare root Liptons at the same time. Two have spurted; one has not. I bought three Magnificas at the same time and only one has spurted. Go figure. Julia Child, Crown Princess Margrethe, and Graham Thomas are all still “normal” sized. Some of the wild roses have suckered (I’m leaving them) but have not shot canes wildly into the stratosphere.

I don’t know what causes the growth spurt in some roses and not in others. The two Liptons that have sprouted are in the Fragrant Garden and are now at window height. So, when the flower buds open in a few days, the sunroom will smell fantastic!

Beetles and Mildew and Slugs, Oh My . . .

2010-07-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

It’s been a tough year for plants. Slugs came with the rainy weather and attacked the hosta. Hot, humid weather followed the rain and powdery mildew appeared on some of the plants. (It was my favorite Monarda in my garden.) Now, the Japanese beetles have arrived – chewing on raspberries and roses (and everything else) from Afton to Wayzata.

And, if that’s not enough to deal with, I discovered a peculiar growth on my Harvest Moon coneflower Sunday morning. I took it to the master gardeners, who said it’s either the eriophyid mite, or the aster yellows virus. If it is the aster yellows virus, the remedy is to dig up the plant and not replace the plant in that location this year. If it’s the microscopic mite, I can treat the plant with a miticide. I dug up the entire plant because all of the cones were affected, and won’t put another coneflower in that spot this year.

I learned that the aster yellows virus is spread by leafhoppers, which are plant-sucking bugs rather than plant-chewing bugs (like the Japanese Beetle). Think mosquito for plants. And, because leafhoppers hop, they can spread the virus from plant to plant.

So, in addition to the daily watering and weeding, I’m on pest patrol – drowning beetles in soapy water, checking hosta for slugs, and spritzing the flowers from the aster family with the miticide (only weekly, though).

What’s bugging your garden?

Gardening Garb

2010-07-12T06:18:00.000-05:00

Shorts or long pants; tank top, t-shirt or long sleeves; hat or bareheaded; sandals or sneakers; gloves? I was surprised during my stay-cation in the garden how frequently the topic of gardening garb came up! One neighbor said no matter how hot it is she wears long pants (or at least Capri length pants) because it gives her a little more protection on her knees. Another gardener wears long pants and long sleeves and sneakers to protect her not only from the sun but also from bugs. Others prefer shorts and tanks and sandals.

I have (and wear regularly) the same gardening skort I’ve worn since 1984. Last year, I found two holes in the backside and wore them anyhow with a long t-shirt over the top. This year, I patched them and can wear a shorter top with them. I never used to wear gloves, but after seeing Betsy’s gloves earlier this year, I bought a pair and haven’t taken them off since. I love them. My dermatologist recommended a hat—to provide some protection for my nose—and last year I got one. I don’t always remember to put it on.

My garden footwear depends on what I’m doing. Sandals are okay for weeding, watering, or cutting flowers. Sneakers (or my sloggers) are for planting. Steel-toed boots are a must for tilling. I got a pair of short top gardening boots from my sister earlier this year and can’t wait to try them out!

I guess the recap is that some of us have sort of a gardening uniform and others play it by ear and mix and match. What are you wearing in the garden?

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum – Field Trip #3

2010-07-11T07:02:00.003-05:00

Remember the scene in the movie “Sound of Music” where Liesl and her boyfriend get caught in the garden by a surprise storm and they end up in the gazebo? That was what happened last Monday, when a friend and I went out to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Well, without the dancing and singing. Before the deluge, we did manage to get in some garden viewing.

We were greeted just off the parking lot by Patrick Dougherty’s latest willow creation – Uff da Palace. I had seen photos of it during the building process from the Arboretum, but seeing it in person was breathtaking. Inside the visitor center, we saw photos of other installations/sculptures by Dougherty and I was blown away.

This whimsical salad table on the plaza at the visitor center made us hungry, so we headed inside for lunch. After lunch, we started our garden tour. We got to see the entrance garden, the terrace garden, the perennial garden, the herb garden, and some of the rose garden before the downpour started in earnest and we took refuge in the rose garden’s gazebo – with a dozen or so other visitors. We were in the gazebo for about 45 minutes before the rain let up enough for us to make a break for the visitor center, where we discovered the tour we’d signed up for had been canceled due to the weather.

I think this visit taught me that I can approach visiting the Arboretum the same way I approach visiting the State Fair – go often, for short visits, at different times of the day – rather than doing one marathon day. You can then linger in a particular garden rather than feeling pressured to see everything in one visit.

Gee, That’s Fun to Say!

2010-07-10T07:06:00.002-05:00

My neighbor, Karen, and I were walking to the coffee shop the other morning. We needed a little caffeine boost before we started a mega-weeding project for another of our neighbors. On the way, we passed some moss roses, or portulaca. Karen told me a story about how her nephew REALLY likes to say “portulaca” because it’s so fun! I thought that was a good story and told her that I had been saying the word ratibida almost all day on Tuesday after having purchased one that morning. I couldn’t get the word (or the plant) out of my head! It was fun to say!

After our weeding project, I thought about the other botanical names that are fun to say. My list includes some plants and some plant families. Here goes: Ranunculus, Agapanthus, Taxus, Buxus, Oleander, Tiarella, Rhododendron, Plumbago, Polemonium, Anemone, Brassicaceae, and Solanaceae.

I found a web site that not only shows you the phonetic pronunciation for botanical names, it pronounces them for you when you click on a name! How cool is that?!
Note: The site includes pronunciations for plants only – not plant families.

Do you have a plant name that’s fun to say?! Post a comment and let me know!

Foxglove and other plants that won’t make an appearance in my garden

2010-07-09T08:50:00.000-05:00

I think Foxglove is one of those “love it or hate it” plants. I haven’t met anyone yet who was neutral about it. I’m on the “hate it” end of the spectrum. I think it’s partly because the flowers look like open mouths with speckled tongues, which is a little creepy.

And, if I needed another reason to exclude it from my garden, I got it last year when I attended a book event with Amy Stewart for her book “Wicked Plants – The weed that killed Lincoln’s mother & other botanical atrocities.” It was part of the long list of plants that are dangerous or deadly. (The botanical name for Foxglove is Digitalis.)

Datura – also in Amy’s book – is another plant that won’t make an appearance in Auntie K’s Garden. It’s also known by the names moonflower, Jimson weed (Jamestown weed), devil’s trumpet, and thorn apple.

I’m sad that Monkshood (Acontium napellus) leads off the book as a “deadly” plant, because it was one I was hoping to add to my garden this year. But, I just can’t bring myself to add something that might inadvertently injure someone and/or make them ill or kill them.

Poison gardens have gained popularity in recent years. Amy Stewart has one that was mentioned in a New York Times article last year. Most of them are fenced or gated – like the one at Alnwick, in England.

Am I being too cautious? How do you feel about having poisonous, hallucinogenic, or deadly plants in your garden?

I’m Just a Girl who can’t say No . . . to Plants

2010-07-08T07:02:00.001-05:00

I need one of those cardboard signs that says “Will Work for Plants.” Seriously. Maybe I could add it to my Garden Emergency Kit. I buy plants, don’t get me wrong, and swap them, too. But just as frequently, I work for them.

Most recently, I’ve been weeding for a neighbor whose garden fell into some disrepair when she became ill earlier this year. In return, she said I could divide what I liked for my own garden. Quite a generous offer considering the beautiful plants she has. One autumn, I helped another friend re-do a garden, which also had fallen into disrepair, and took home several lovely peonies for an afternoon’s labor. And, the summer a friend had surgery, I weeded her tomato garden (12 x 20 in case you think I’m being wimpy) and got some great hostas and salvia.

My favorite “work for plants” project this year has been working with the Shady Sisters – my friends in Wayzata who are selling plants from their lovely and well established gardens. I’m learning a lot working with them and becoming more confident in my abilities.

I like working for plants. Typically, the person I’m helping, knows quite a bit about how the plants have performed, which helps me place them in my garden. And, sometimes, I get plants that are unfamiliar to me – blue ice sedum, cerastium, red geranium, and turtlehead to name a few. It’s a fun way to expand my plant repertoire.

So. If you’ve got a garden project and need some help, you know where I am. I’ll bring my tools and my sign.

Birdsong

2010-07-07T07:15:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things is to listen to the birds. They are just getting going when Monty and I head out for our first walk of the day. And, they’re active in the gardens at the feeders and the baths all day. Over the years, I’ve gotten good at recognizing their calls and voices. But, I can’t always distinguish a happy chirp from an alarm chirp. The main reason I don’t wear an iPod in the garden like some gardeners do is because I like to hear the birds while I’m working.

Some birds, like the Cardinal and the Chickadee, are here all year. Others, like the Red-Winged Blackbird and the Oriole, are here for only a short while. For me, the first time I hear the call of the Red-Winged Blackbird marks the official beginning of spring. I haven’t heard the Blue Jay for a couple of years but did hear one a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t spot it and haven’t seen them at any of the feeders, yet.

I hear the Robins most when I’m planting and weeding. I wonder if it’s because I sometimes unearth some worms. The sparrows and chickadees seem to be around more when I’m watering. One day, a sparrow hopped right into a bath as I was filling it. And, there are always a few that sit under the sprinkler—chirping the entire time.

Is there a bird whose call you don’t recognize? I found a cool website called BirdJam, where you can listen to bird calls to help match birds with their songs. What birds are visiting your gardens?

Lake Harriet Rose Garden and Peace Garden – Field Trip #2

2010-07-06T06:31:00.000-05:00

I wasn’t ready to go home after my visit to Eloise Butler, so I drove the parkways and headed over to Lake Harriet to see the rose gardens and the Peace Garden. I don’t remember ever having seen the perennial/annual gardens there, but they’ve been there since 1963, so either I was very focused on the roses on previous visits and skipped the perennials altogether, or visited at a time the gardens didn’t impress me.

This year, however, the perennials and annuals impressed me much more than the roses did. I didn’t see anything in these gardens that I added to my wish list, though. Sadly, almost all of the roses were infested with Japanese beetles. Eeew. One of the things I love about roses is the names. I saw Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Betty White, Ole, and Lena! Some of the roses were fragrant, but they weren’t that pretty to look at because of the beetles. So sad. Only one of the fountains was working and I did take advantage of the splashes to cool myself off.

The highlight of this visit was the Peace Garden, where I made my first ever peace crane! The sculpture “The Spirit of Peace” provides origami paper and instructions on bronze plates for creating the cranes. I saw people of all ages and heard several languages as we all walked around the sculpture and folded our cranes. I didn’t remember to take photos while I was there, but another blogger visited earlier this year and did take photos. I would make this visit again in a heartbeat.

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary – Field Trip #1

2010-07-05T06:38:00.006-05:00

If you can’t stand the heat, go on a field trip. I tried working in the garden yesterday, honest. It was one of those days, though, where making breakfast made you sweat buckets. So, I decided to get out of the kitchen and my garden since I really wasn’t up for perma-sweat two days in a row. I packed a picnic and went on a couple of field trips.

First stop – Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. It’s close, and as I said in an earlier post, I haven’t been there since the third grade. Interestingly, two other women on the “History Tour” had the same comment!

I walked the garden twice – once on my own and once with a guide. I was surprised at how many more things I saw with the guide. Because everything is so far ahead this year, all of the woodland and wetland plants – including the Lady Slippers -- had already bloomed. The prairie, however, was just getting going! I saw a few plants I’d never seen before and am considering adding to my gardens.

Prairie coneflower is the first on my plant wish list. I thought these flowers looked like delicate ballerinas. Their cone is more thimble shaped than cone shaped and the petals drape gracefully rather than protrude stiffly from the cone. Lead plant is the second plant I’m considering. It has interesting foliage and the flowers seemed iridescent moving from deep purple bases to orange tips. The third plant on my wish list is chicory! Yes – the plant whose root was/is used as a coffee substitute. The flower is very much like the annual bachelor button and can get as tall as 3 ½ feet. The pale blue is a fantastic contrast to the yellows and pinks in the prairie right now.

I’m definitely going back to this garden – and I’m not going to wait 40 years to do it.

Productive Day in the Garden

2010-07-04T10:01:00.004-05:00

Day Two of the Stay-cation was much more productive than Day One—even though we had temps in the 90s with dewpoints in the 70s. People were wondering whether this was Minnesota or Florida. My game plan was to work in the shade as much as possible for as long as possible and quit when it got unbearable.

I got two more monarda “Marshall’s Delight” planted in the Fragrant garden and moved the last “Magnifica” from the west side of the house to the Fragrant garden. I had gotten one Marshall’s Delight last year and I love the height and color of it. Adding the Magnifica gives me five roses in the garden and a deeper rose color to play off the monarda.

I added a juniper on the west hill. It’s tiny, but adds a different color and texture to the hill. The biggest part of that job was building up the rock wall to hold the soil.

After a passer-by (apparently a regular) asked Friday, “Are you ever going to plant these hostas?” I figured that should be my next project. So, I got the hostas planted on the west side of the front walk and moved the trollius in for some texture and color.

In the evening, I got the last rain barrel installed and stopped up the leaks on two others to get ready for the rain we were expecting (and did get this morning). There’s still more to do, so I’m feeling grateful for a few more days off. I think I’ll wait on the stone steps until the humidity drops, and will stick with planting and weeding until then.

Hope everybody has a safe and happy Fourth of July!

My Canning Pantry

2010-07-03T07:56:00.002-05:00

Every time I go to the basement to empty the dehumidifier into the sump pump well, I walk through the canning pantry. It’s two rooms, actually, lined with shelves floor to ceiling designed to store the bounty and abundance of the year’s harvest so the family could enjoy potatoes, tomatoes, pickles, onions, jams and jellies through the winter (and possibly to the time when crops started yielding and fruits started bearing again in the spring).

I know it sounds sort of dorky, but I like that the house has a canning pantry. I like living in a place that reminds me on a regular basis to “plan ahead” and to not waste. I don’t know the first thing about canning, so, right now, it’s more like a canning pantry in waiting -- the shelves in one room are empty and I’ve stored paint on the shelves in the other room. But, I am sure I can learn how to can and make jam. My dad has pickled some peppers and tomatoes in recent years. And, my neighbor, Pat, makes spectacular raspberry jam. Betsy makes salsa and tomatoes. So, I’ve got some good teachers around.

My goal is to start small – with salsa. The tomatoes and peppers and onions are coming in really well. And, Betsy has a good recipe. Next year, I hope that the berries bear enough that I can make jam. And, then, I’d like to try making “saft,” a berry juice to mix with water for a very refreshing beverage. Tante Mie made the best saft ever. Raspberry/Currant was my favorite. I found a recipe for saft that my grandmother had written when she was in “Husmor skole” and think I’ll use that one.

I can’t wait to have something other than paint on the shelves in the canning pantry. If anyone has tips/tricks for canning or is willing to give me a lesson or two later in the year, you know where I am!

Hooligans in the Garden

2010-07-02T07:33:00.001-05:00

Filing a Destruction of Property report is not exactly how I imagined starting my “stay-cation” in the gardens. But, unfortunately, that is what I have to do this morning. Last night, vandals – teens, probably – ran through the neighborhood pulling up plants, decapitating some plants, and tipping over potted plants and lawn furniture. Most of the targets were older folks, who will be devastated when they see their beloved plants completely destroyed.

In my yard, vandals tipped over the Adirondack chair, birdbaths, wheelbarrow, and all the potted plants. One potted tomato was rolled down the hill and landed on the sidewalk. A few perennials were stomped on in the process, but I believe they will come back next year. These things were well within my property and the vandals had to come into my yard to perform this brazen act making my ire even greater. On our way home, I found Monty’s water bowl smashed in the middle of the street.

My first reaction was anger, but when I saw the peonies ripped out of the ground and the decapitated hydrangeas, I cried. I just don’t understand the complete lack of respect – not only for personal property, but also for creation.

So. I am off to the Police Station to file my report. Then, I will come home to the gardens and continue planting.