GARDEN RAMBLES AND HAPPENINGS

From March through December, I spend the better part of my life outdoors, entwined with nature.  This is my all-time happy place.  From the first spring thaw until those early December snow squalls blow through, you will find me puttering about the yard with rake or shovel in hand and my trusty- rusty lawn cart faithfully pulling up the rear.  My hands are sometimes gloved, or at the least I start out that way, but end up regretting the money I wasted on my bi-weekly manicure always promising myself I’ll be more diligent wearing them next time.  My uniform is simple and changes only with the season. Jeans, fleece jacket, and garden sloggers.  Shorts, sleeveless tops and flip flops.  No fancy garden hat or ozone free burka gear.  It’s just me and the elements—sun and all.

Of course, I make my dermatologist crazy as I can just hear her now in my head scolding me about all the sun exposure I receive.  “Mrs. Knauss, please tell me why you enjoy being out in the sun?  Will you at least cover up from head to toe and only go out at midnight?” asked Dr. K (for Killjoy).  But she’s probably right as I’ve got sun spots, age spots, liver spots, wrinkles, and even had a few basal cells.  And I thank goodness each and every day for the tech wiz that invented photo filters!  But inevitably, there is going to be a price to pay for all the sun.  And when I’m finally brave enough to pay to have my face Botox frozen or face lifted, I will know that I really got my monies worth!  But for now, I’ll just continue to schedule my derma visits in February after all my freckles have faded and tan lines erased.

In my gardens, it’s usually just me and the plants. Occasionally some of my critters— the neighborhood squirrel with no name and Chippy the Chipmunk who’s been brought into my house 3 times by my cat-- scamper through hoping to find dropped bird seeds, but for the most part I’m left to the sounds of birds chirping or singing and the droning of a lawn mower streets away.  Now this can be either a good thing or bad depending on what’s going on in my life and on my mind.  FYI.  It’s always good to do your garden spading when your mad.  And speaking of mad.  My hydrangea hates me.

On the side of my house grew the most beautiful, Nantucket blue hydrangea this side of Laurys Station. It was not only enormous, but always brought forth a plethora of large, mophead blooms for most of the summer.  I did nothing to add to its’ beauty and for years just admired it from afar leaving it to its own devices.  Then about three years ago, for some dumb, whatever-was-I-thinking and always ever-regretful reason other than it appeared to be getting too large ?? and over grow?? I decided to trim it back. UGH! 

Worst. Mistake. Ever 

I killed it Charlie Brown style.  OK, so I exaggerate a bit.  I didn’t kill it at all.  In fact, it’s the fullest, greenest, loveliest green plant in the yard—but with not one bloom.  Ever.  In fact, I swear it chides and laughs at me each and every time I walk by it and I can almost hear it chastising me for giving it that bad haircut so for the past few years I have apologized profusely (yes, I talk to plants) and this year there was one bloom.  mean, how long can one carry a grudge?

On the plus side, some good things are happening in my newly planted Faux English Garden just off my porch.  This is the area I've been revamping after losing most of my flowers last year’s winter freeze and my pretty pear tree but not really sure how I feel about the plant types I’ve selected.  They always look great on those little tags with all the planting directions but getting them to bloom at the right times is tricky.  For now, I have too much pink blooming in July and my yard it starting to look too Preppy with all the green and pink.  And as a non-rules gardener, I don’t care if it calls for full sun or shade.  They need to grow where they are planted! Suck it up, buttercup.  In addition to the new plants, I’ve added another bird house but didn’t think I’d get any new tenants since I’m always tweaking the area and doubted any bird would be brave enough to be side by side with a human on a daily basis.  But low and behold, I noticed sticks poking out of the entrance hole and indeed, there is a nest inside.  The young birds from my pole birdhouse in the other garden have flown the nest, but I see the momma bird is back.  Oh, those birds and bees!  

On the down side, the bird feeder on the opposite end of my flower bed fell over after just being filled due to the hanger giving way in the rain-soaked soil. For sure the squirrel and chipmunk are happy, but I’m probably going to have sunflowers in my English Garden by fall if it doesn’t stop raining.  And what’s with all the rain!  This is the third summer in a row that we are having rain almost every other day. Actually, it’s not really even what I call rain.  It’s annoying storms with enough rain to just steam it up and mold us out and grow grass exponentially. 

For the first time in 40 years, I decided to go with a lawn treatment service.  The grubs wore me down. After realizing the grubs were eating the Grub-ex like candy and still eating up the entire lawn, I decided to call in the big guns.  Chemicals.  I went with a company that used to be called Chem Lawn, but since everyone worries about chemicals these days, they just changed up the name to Tru-Green.  It makes you feel better.  So far, the only change I’ve noticed is the weeds are growing like they are on steroids and I have to mow twice a week instead of once. 

Someone asked me once why I loved to garden. DUH.  Of course I didn't really answer that way-- that would be rude.  But later on, I reflected on it and found I didn’t really have an answer.  I wondered if it’s a genetic trait since both my grandmother and mother enjoyed and were good at it or was it simply exposure to the experience.  My daughter, Laura never gardened at our house growing up but is a great gardener and even better, won the golden ticket as she’s extremely creative.  Creativity is a winning card!  She knows just how to space things, plants that look best together, how to group flowering plants with leafy plants for texture.  Height and balance. How to overlap things seasonally. Yup, a Master Gardener in the making. These things I did not pass on to her and indeed lack and wish I understood them. Instead, I’m forced to glean my ideas from gardening books and the internet. I drool with jealousy when I see Ina Garten’s garden pathway lined with limelight hydrangea and a stunning archway of deep purple Clematis.  And then I remember that Ina isn’t a gardener—she’s a fabulous cook and pays somebody to make it look that pretty. 

I believe the reason I love to garden has nothing to do with gardening.  For most of my life, my time was devoted to taking care of my family.  Free time was valuable and not to be squandered on the frivolous as we moms know all about.  18 years of my life were spent driving the mini-van taxi service along with all the other things we do for our family.  Little by little my children grew up and needed me less and less and yet, all the while they were learning new things, I was not. 

About 15 years ago, I just started trying all kinds of different things that I knew little or nothing about. Gardening was one.  I really wasn’t very knowledgeable on the subject but remembered the pretty flower gardens my mom and grandma created and just started digging and planting.  It was a place where it was quiet and peaceful and before long I was hooked!  There are really limited mistakes to be made and the worst thing to happen is a plant can die.  And many have.  But it also gave me confidence to try other things. 

When my mom and dad passed away, and then my brother, I was filled with so much grief and sorrow and just didn’t know where to go with it all.  Someone suggested I put my feeling down on paper, so I gave it a try and my first story was written.  And then another and another.  I poured my heart into words that invoked every feeling I felt about the memories of the family I loved.  I know I’m not a Pulitzer Prize writer, nor ever hope to publish anything, but I do enjoy writing about my family and life and hope one day my thoughts will be passed on to those who wonder about Great-Great Grandma Christianna and her life. 

Then along came my Grandmother’s dining room table to live at my house and I stripped that baby bare to the bones and restored it.  Was I scared to do it?  Heck yes!  But I did it anyway.  And who could forget that I bought myself my @#%$^&* camera for my 60th birthday.  I know I gripe a lot about it with it's too many buttons and gadgets, but it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made even though I take a lot of dud photographs.  For every good one there are 40 rejects.  But like gardening, I just dug in and kept shooting.  

My garden.  My life.  It may not have been pretty when I first planted it, but with some work and time it bloomed—just like I did!