Yeah, well. If I don't kill them, hopefully they'll look like something in a month or two, and something even better by next year. Perennials do take time, but hopefully they'll be worth it in just having plants show up in the spring with minimal effort on my part. That's my grand scheme, anyway.
Meanwhile, I filled in the front of the bed with annuals.
They look better in person. I don't like plantings where there's a lot of space between the flowers, where they look like little soldiers all lined up in formation. But I know that to do well, they need some room to grow. If I treat them well, hopefully they'll fill out and spread together into one mass planting. (And if not, next year I'll plant them right next to each other and be done with it).
I think it's coming along really, really nicely.
Meanwhile, Greg did this.
He extended the patio, and then connected them together.
And, left me a little planting place in front of the porch post, where he attached the trellis I bought Saturday. I want to plant morning glories there. I bought the seeds for them weeks ago but (again) haven't done anything with them, didn't start them indoors or anything, so I don't know how well they'll do this year. I've had bad luck trying to plant morning glories (a) from seed, and (b) in late May or early June, as they can't seem to get established. Of course, that was probably back in the old days where I just dropped them on the clay soil and expected them to grow. With some nice compost mix and fertilizer, maybe this time I'll have more success.
I think I'm learning one of the most valuable lessons about gardening this year. I bought this house 14 years ago, and one of the reasons I finally gave up on apartment living and bought a house is because I so very much wanted to have my own yard, and do it up with nice landscaping and garden beds. In the first few years I tried to do some things, but I had so many wrong ideas about it. For one thing, I either didn't know, didn't understand, or didn't care about the type of soil, and kept trying to insistently plant things in this almost solid clay soil, just as it was. I also never bothered with fertilizers and such, or if I did remember, it would be sporadically until I forgot to bother again. But probably my worst mistake was thinking I should be able to spend a weekend planting a bunch of stuff, and then just be done with it, and it would look like the pictures in the magazines.
Then for many years I just gave up and neglected this place badly. But this winter the gardening bug bit again, and I knew that this year I would have the time to devote to it. I got a good book, and began buying a few magazines. And this time, paying attention. And I think one of the best things I've figured out is that a garden is never a static thing, you plant it once, and you're done with it. It's an ongoing relationship.
I haven't been sure what type of plants I wanted or where. I tried to draw a garden plan like everyone suggests, and I did that to a point, but I know that I won't know for sure that the plants are where they should be until they've grown up a bit and I can see what they look like - whether I like them where they are, and whether they're happy where they are. I planted blue hardy geraniums and daisies in that bed, in an arrangement I thought I'd like ... but colored pencils on paper cannot replicate real live plants in your garden, and the little clumps that I've planted certainly aren't enough to judge by yet.
But I'm not worried about it, and I'm not even bugged by the fact that I spent $40 on perennials that are currently dead-looking sticks. Because I know that it takes time, it's not instant. And if I don't like the arrangement when the plants are finally filling out, I can always rearrange it until I do. And if I don't like the selection of annuals I picked out this year, next year I can plant a whole different batch.
I also finally understand the importance of giving the plants what they need to thrive - good soil, enough water and fertilizer, trimming, weeding. And that no longer just seems like a lot of work - it seems more like ... gee, I hate to sound sappy, but I'll say it - a labor of love. If I care for them, I'll have a far better chance of enjoying the beautiful gardens I'd like to have.
So there's my gardening philosophy blather for the weekend.
Lisa asked if my hands were still functional enough to knit. I'm gonna find out. I've missed working on my sweater, and I'm pretty well done with yard work for this weekend. Once I get myself cleaned up, I'm hoping to enjoy a little knitting on the porch before I pass out from total exhaustion.
Hey! I wonder if I lost any weight with all this physical exertion? That'd be a bonus.
1 comment:
Some little tickle in the back of my mind says that you need to scuff the surface of the morning glory seeds, then let them soak overnight in water. Or maybe that's nasturtiums. No, if MG seeds are little hard round balls, then those are the ones you scrape or cut into a little bit. It shouldn't have to be that hard, should it? Anyway--that's what I recall from years & years ago, so I hope it helps if you try it.
I had dead-looking sticks last year too. This year they're taking over the bed and will have to be divided before the summer is half through. Note to self: anything in the mint family (this is a catmint relative) MUST be contained as it will overrun everything!!
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