During a period of drizzle I put away the hose, moved the used seed starting trays, pulled a few weeds and stepped back to have a look at the growing greenery in the bed by the service entrance.
I need to paint that lower primed section of the plumbing box.
I have come to the conclusion again ... that I am a much better gardener than garden designer, particularly when it comes to my own garden. I can make plants grow, no problem. Making a bold design statement is a bit harder.
Budgets matter. I have no budget. Plants follow me home and get stuck in the ground. Objets d' accumulate. Patience may not always be a virtue. Instant gardens and instant gratification demand more focus on the design. The slow approach, using things that just show up invites constant revision.
At least there are pretty things in the bed by the service entrance. The new Ogee Trellis is getting covered by Moonflower, blue morning glories and Cupani Sweet Peas. The surprise birthday box of bulbs gladiolas are almost ready to bloom. I still contemplate buying the two smaller side trellises for the whole set to gain a bit more substance. A bit more substance in my endless spaces would be a good design choice.
The cottage garden style I am ending up with in this bed does work in the bigger picture of the wildflower meadow I live in I suppose.
The baby Japanese maple in the cabin side bed is still pouting from the late freezes this spring. In a few years it will add more substance to this bed and the bigger picture. It might help the overall design now if I sprayed the weeds in the gravel and you could see the glass bottle edging. Problem is good things are germinating in the gravel and I want to move them first. It is a chore I simply haven't gotten to. Weeds grow fast here.
I haven't even planted my $1 liatris from the discard rack at Lowes yet. I'm waiting for the Ox-Eye Daisies to finish blooming in the bed at the top of the drive where I want to put the liatris. I don't want to disturb what is currently on show.
Cleome, the other annual being used this year are reaching blooming size. I just threw seed in this bed that I had collected last year. Maybe it would have been better if I had germinated them in flats and planted them out in a more orderly fashion?
What is a poor peasant garden designer with so much land, too many plants and not enough time to do? As if by some magnetic force plants gather around me. I have to do something with them nearly as quickly as they arrive. Even some cucumbers landed in the service entrance bed when there was no more room in the roadside vegetable garden.
I'll just have to keep at it. Patience is a virtue after all. A lot of real progress has been made in the garden becoming this year. The design will become apparent in time.
Posts
10 comments:
24 hours of rain? I want me some rain. I need me some rain.
Your garden will always be an ongoing project. It all looks wonderful to me.
We got another shower today. my containers needed it. Just pulled some of my bush beans up. They did great this yr. Compost sure does wonders.
I wish we could buy some rain from you. I am a firm believer in the garden by accumulation technique. It is much more fun that way not to mention cheaper, and there is more opportunity for serendipity. I think your garden looks wonderful. Don't stop what you're doing.
bev
I'm with Carol--we could use 24 hours of rain!!
Your side garden is coming along nicely, Christopher. I've found that if I try to plant cleome, they never survive, but the seeds from last year's plants like to pop up in the strangest places.
Isn't it funny that we can advise other people about what to do in their garden yet when we turn to our own gardens our vision becomes mottled. ha... I think you are coming along just great. I would definitely get a couple more trellises to add to the one you have. You need to think "BIG" out there.
The progress is SO apparent to me! Sometimes we just need to step back and get the big picture!
Sure would love even HALF your rain! Things are looking rather pathetic up here - your beds, though cottage style (do I sense disappointment or acquiescence?) are just MY cup of tea!
Rebecca you sense acquiescence. I want the garden to fit in with the wild surround. I have what amounts to a tall flower meadow in the sunny utility easement and the understory of my thinned forest canopy. It is too beautiful in its own right to slaughter it for a manicured suburban landscape.
Hi Christopher! Your place is looking spectacular!!! I love it!!!
How do you really tend to a good Japanese maple? I had one, but it fell apart and I thought I was doing well with it.
Hi Stephanie. My elevation puts me on the border of JM hardiness where they are susceptible to late spring and early fall freeze damage. Otherwise I have the perfect conditions, plenty moisture, a humus rich soil and partial shade. Depending upon where you live once your leave their favored conditions behind ,growing them gets more difficult.
Post a Comment