Another departure from what I was supposed to post, but I couldn't resist posting this, after doing my first cut of the lawn this year, using a push reel mower instead of my electric one. The grass was about 4 inches long, so I knew the electric baby wouldn't cut it. (ha ha ha) Surprisingly it took only 2 hours, instead of the 3 with the electric mower. Of course, the electric one involved maneuvering and moving the two extension cords, and constantly having to tighten the bolt on one of the wheels. The reel mower only required more energy on my part, going over areas a few times, and removing pine cones that jammed up in the blades.
Both before and after the first cut, I had, when weather permitted, attended to weeding the garden and yard, on my hands and knees, with my now rather distraught weed "stick". It must have appeared rather strange to see me in the midst of weeding, pulling out the cell phone to take photos of these guys. Now, why on earth would people call these beautiful little flowers "weeds"? Wild Violets they are, and I much prefer them to those bright yellow fellows - dandelions and buttercups, with which I am in constant battle. When I first moved here, the yard was just dirt, then grass by seed. So when the weeds started coming in, especially the dreaded yellow flowers - argh. It was a pleasant surprise to find the plain purple violets popping up . Each year, more varieties have come to rest here, and I willingly let them do so - as you can see from the photos. The cell phone camera just doesn't do justice to their colour.
ps: I don't use chemicals in the yard or garden, or fertilizer for that matter, and I do not coddle anything that grows here. I read plant labels, and, for the most part, follow the instructions. However, if something dies, it wasn't meant to be here. For this reason, I say that I garden, but I am not a gardener. By the same token, I have written poems, but am not a poet.
Both before and after the first cut, I had, when weather permitted, attended to weeding the garden and yard, on my hands and knees, with my now rather distraught weed "stick". It must have appeared rather strange to see me in the midst of weeding, pulling out the cell phone to take photos of these guys. Now, why on earth would people call these beautiful little flowers "weeds"? Wild Violets they are, and I much prefer them to those bright yellow fellows - dandelions and buttercups, with which I am in constant battle. When I first moved here, the yard was just dirt, then grass by seed. So when the weeds started coming in, especially the dreaded yellow flowers - argh. It was a pleasant surprise to find the plain purple violets popping up . Each year, more varieties have come to rest here, and I willingly let them do so - as you can see from the photos. The cell phone camera just doesn't do justice to their colour.
ps: I don't use chemicals in the yard or garden, or fertilizer for that matter, and I do not coddle anything that grows here. I read plant labels, and, for the most part, follow the instructions. However, if something dies, it wasn't meant to be here. For this reason, I say that I garden, but I am not a gardener. By the same token, I have written poems, but am not a poet.
I know, I know, this post is quite a departure.
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4 comments:
The plants garden you.
Not the other way around.
Move the flowers of one colour to be by themselves, and transplant flowers of the same colour into beds and patches where they blend - reds with yellows, never with blue
blues and yellow, but neither too much taller than the other.
You are the garden.
Dave:
I have been here coming on nine years now. The first year I was here was the first year I ever gardened. From the first couple holes I dug for two rose bushes... to each year digging up more yard for garden. I have a white section, a blue section and a purple section... with some pale pinks thrown into the mix. All these colours do blend. Anything red, hot pink or bright yellow was NOT my intent, but sometimes the garden gods just had to laugh and throw them at me. I lost four of my favourite roses over the winter, all supposedly hardy for this zone... two cream, one pink and one lavender... Funny thing... the reds (bare-root plants I bought a few yars back that were mislabelled) are thriving.
SG,
I wondered if I came across as directive, which, while wrong, was not my intent. I see I advocated instead of appreciated. I do apologise.
Was thinking of zen and flow, in the mode of rock gardens. When discussing gardening, most folks I chat with have the concept of Orderliness. That's fine for them, but my concept is more like Tamed Wildflowers-in-a-Pasture.
I haven't been able to garden in a long while, and it will be a while before I can beguile Mother Nature into allowing to handle a garden.
Mine, when I had one, had sunflowers, red and white roses, and multi-coloured perennials. Annuals are too fleeting to enjoy in the Oklahoma sun.
Do you also enjoy a victory and herb gardens?
:)
Dave:
Sort of... but no need to apologize. I took it more as suggestions not a directive.
The aged father's garden is of linear Orderliness, mine however is not. Annuals I don't have because I can't afford to have them. I needed hardy Perennials that could make it through the winter and keep coming back without worry. I have a fair number of garden and yard images on the blog. Here's one.
Hmmm... as for herbs... Sage, Thyme, Oregano... I let Chives go nuts... as I heard they were good to keep pests away from roses.
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