The Forest Takes. I Push back

If only I had had a little more time before the bloggers arrived to do some weeding. Things were a bit too hectic though for me to do much more than weed whack a path through the Lush. As it was, the Lush was already approaching four feet high. The forest is forever trying to take the garden becoming back into its clutches once the time of growing begins.

If I had been able to do some weeding the bloggers may have gotten a better idea of what I was up to and how much has been planted. In the four foot tall Lush, all the work I have done was hard to find.

Only a little follow up work remains post Fling. It was time to exhale. Weeding is an exercise in zen, very helpful for the winding down process.

In the wild Lush of the forest, weeding is also an exercise in determination. The garden to be will not be swallowed up this year. I spent a good 12 hours weeding over three days. I attacked four native species I consider invasive thugs to keep things focused. New England Aster was my primary target. Elderberry, blackberry and Clematis virginiana were also pulled as I covered large parts of the garden.

I barely had time to settle in back home when the PBS show GardenSmart came to film on the Wednesday after Fling. Seems a little bird told them about Asheville Fling 2012 and they wanted to talk blogging and to see some of the gardens the bloggers had visited. He wanted two. I offered five. He picked Wamboldtopia and the wild cultivated gardens high on the low spot of a North Carolina mountain top.

They arrived at my place first and asked where the garden was. I pointed off into the Lush from the front porch. Nobody said a word. Once we went next door to Bulbarella's garden he said, now I get it.

If only I had had a little more time to do some weeding before the bloggers and GardenSmart came, all the work I have done, all the baby shrubberies, ground covers and perennials I have planted might have been more apparent.

No matter. This garden is for me for the duration. The garden to be is not going to be swallowed up by the Lush this year, not after all the work I have done to get the bone structure of a garden planted. Twelve hours of weeding out the thugs has made a big difference. I even found things I like and left such as Joe Pye Weed, Ironweed and a mystery plant I have to watch to find out what it is.

GardenSmart can come back to film again in another ten years. Then they won't have to go next door to get it. In another ten years my garden may just start to look more like Peter and Jasmin Gentling's garden.

I keep at it. I keep adding. I keep subtracting. The Campanula medium, Canterbury Bells I grew from seed and planted four years ago are now self seeding.

All I have to do is keep the thugs at bay while the good things take over. In theory anyway.

In another six to eight weeks the PBS show GardenSmart will be featuring the Biltmore in two shows. Then for major contrast, one show will feature a short blurb on blogging and the Asheville Fling and visits to Wamboldtopia and the wild cultivated gardens at Betsys Gap, the other face of Asheville gardens.

I still need to send them a photo collection showing the gardens through the seasons. Just like the bloggers, PBS arrived at the peak of the lull between the rhododendrons and the start of the summer wildflower season. Oh well.

They said they would send me a DVD. Good thing cause I have no TV connection.