Something's Afoot

In gardening, as in life, we can count on the unexpected.  This year there's been a bunch of that going on:

Why did the daisies come up so early and so gloriously, only to suffer some kind of malady and develop brown stems from the ground up, collapse and die?  I thought it must be root rot, but can new growth arise from rotted roots?  I wouldn't think so, but it's happening.

Why is it that 25% of the little shrubs I've been nurturing along for the past two years just decide to go kaput?  All planted in the same area, same time.

Where the heck did our fabulous mass plantings of Blackeyed Susans go?

If I were a Master Gardener, or a degreed horticulturalist, I'd probably know the answers.  But this hobby gardener is stumped by these mysteries.  Since I don't know what happened, I've decided to blame it on the equally mysterious winter this area had last year.  First snow in December, followed by more, and more, and about 4' of snow literally SAT on all the gardens, and all the shrubs.  Sat on them, for months on end, flattening them to the ground. . . and I reckon when that snow melted, there was some subsurface drowning going on.  That snow cover also prevented the ground from freezing, which gives us umpteen more bugs than usual.

Without Mother Nature's challenges, I guess I'd be bored.

Dear Diary,

Here I am, back in the saddle!  I've returned to my Maryland gardens.  Now, Mother Nature and I will be working hand in hand to get things growing again, wanting even bigger and better than the year before.

That's a tall order!  I look at the pictures I've taken when the gardens are in their midsummer glory, and then I look at the pictures I took two weeks ago (March 12th), and I confess I must renew my faith in myself as well as in Mother Nature.

Cleanup has begun, and is actually almost complete.  It's good to have my hands back in the dirt.  It's a creation thing.  It's good, clean dirt.

Welcome back, me!

Where's That RVing Daydreamer?

She's alive and well, but is blogging at her other place during her trip through the Southwest.  She'll be back on this blog around March, 2010.  Go see her at http://dreamahappylife.com.

Gardens to Bed; Back on the Road

Hmmm.  Here it is, September 17th.  This has been an amazing gardening season for me.  I've had some new and interesting experiences:

• a cool and wet spring season brought us insects we've never seen before.  In great numbers.  They fascinate me and I wonder where they came from, and will they stick around for next year.
• the new gardens I began building last fall and completed this spring I LOADED UP with compost, and the result was monster growth by whatever I planted there.  Gotta remember that next year, and add LOADS of compost to the older gardens so I can watch the joy unfold there, too!
• a few of our older gardens got rehabilitated, so now I'm eager to do an extreme makeover next year on some of the others!

I'm leaving the gardens early this year.  It's almost their bedtime anyway, the leaves on the ground are telling me that.  While they hibernate, all nestled and snug in their beds, I'll be with Willie Nelson, On The Road Again!

TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVES

Oh geez. I'm taking very deep breaths very frequently these days. There's a huge change coming, one that I'm madly excited about ~~ my brand new, never-been-done-before adventure is barely four weeks away! That's when I'll lock up my little travel-trailer-home and spend the next six months traveling the southwest with my oldest daughter in her brand new motorhome. We have BIG plans. We're going to the Hot Air Balloon Festival in New Mexico. We're going go up in one of those balloon contraptions and see our world from a whole new perspective (actually the entire trip will be seeing from a new perspective).

The issue that I'm dealing with is this: my plans, exciting and amazing as they are for me, means I must leave my "garden post" six weeks early. Which, in turn, means there are important garden chores to be delegated.

I'm not a good delegator. To me, delegating is transferring a responsibility to someone else, when I should be doing it myself. Oh, wait a minute: isn't delegation a big plus, don't effective managers do it all the time, so what's my big deal? Maybe, just maybe, I have a fear that the job won't be done as well as I could do it.

Oops. That kind of thinking is really out of sync with my professed belief system, a belief that everything works out the way it's supposed to, a belief that trusts Life, a belief in having a positive mindset.

No WONDER I feel torn! Get over it, Jeanne, and get on with your adventure! The garden gods will take care of the tasks, and you'll return in March to see the job was done even better than you would have done it. Let go, lady, turn loose, and stop all that deep breathing before you hyperventilate. Silly, silly lady.

THE SOUL GARDEN

Gardening is my greatest pleasure. In early spring I do hard physical labor removing last year's debris and last fall's mountains of leaves. I want to hurry before the first signs of life break ground (crocus, daffodils, tulips). Time to clean up leftover useless thoughts and feelings in my own soul.

Then I get to do whatever soil amending is needed, to give this renewed life the best chance of being really happy. Let's replace that old useless stuff with some life-giving thoughts ~~ like, how lovely the day is, how pregnant with new possibilities.

Finally, planting time arrives (more or less around Mother's Day. GO SHOPPING for annuals that will add instant color to the gardens, and for perennials that will be with us for years to come. Spend some time finding inspiration from the soul gardens of writers; books, online blogs, conversations about the value of living well.

Then: all summer long, during the prime growing season, dedicate myself to the daily chores of weeding, watering, feeding, deadheading, and loving the gardens. Be responsible for keeping my heart and soul cleared of impatience; take time to appreciate the way life unfolds at its own pace; count my blessings; bask in the warmth of friendships.

As fall arrives: begin removal of spent plants, keep the gardens looking neat, and don't cry as the gardens become less delicious. Accept the circle of life, go with the flow, have faith in life's need for rest, look forward to the rebirth that's coming.

In winter: think about new garden projects, make notes of what to repeat and what to try new, develop new ideas. Spend time sorting through thoughts and feelings, try new ideas on for size, take time to not think at all, and rest well.

WANNA BUY SOME FLOWERS?

My gardens are very important to me (OK, they're not "my" gardens, they belong to the campground where I work) and I'm very protective of them. I'm out there every day caretaking, keeping things happy and neat and as weed-free as I can. I feed and water, and yes, I do talk to the plants -- more fun than talking to myself, dontcha know.

So, yesterday evening I was doing some watering, and a young boy about 10 or so came up to me and said "hey lady, wanna buy some flowers?" For an instant my mind went blank. I'm surrounded by flowers, why should I buy more? Then the light went on, and I asked, "where did you get the flowers?" "Over there." He pointed to one of my gardens.

After my inner scream subsided, I took a deep breath and said, as kindly and gently as I could, "you know, these gardens are for our campers to look at and enjoy, but not to pick." Then he went blank for a second. I said, "so you won't pick any more will you?" "No, ma'am. I'm sorry I picked your flowers."

The boy's immediate (and correct) response softened my ire, and I had to smile. How nice to have an innocent, polite, and cooperative kid, picking or not. He showed me and the gardens that he respected us. I really like that because nowadays it's a bit hard to come by from youngsters who've just been turned loose in a campground. They're like little wild animals who've been caged in a small place, and here they are, set free in acreage, with so many places to go and explore; probably they don't realize that they're trampling on some precious plant or new seedling, and I know this is a risk that comes with the territory. It won't make me stop gardening, anyway. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.

When I told the story to some of the other staff here (who know how protective I am), they laughed to the point of tears. Now whenever they see me, they ask "hey lady, wanna buy some flowers?" Brings a smile to my face!

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

Here I am smack in the end of the middle of the gardening season, still focused on keeping all the gardens happy and blooming, and I realize that in less than six weeks I'll be storing up my travel trailer for the winter and joining one of my daughters in her brand new motorhome for a six-month trek through the Great Southwest, where neither of us has spent any quality time!

My routine ? A drastic change. I ADORE change! Once we hit the road, this blog will no doubt gravitate to a travelog of sorts: my role as gardener will fade to the background while me-as-wanderer will be taking center stage. I expect to uncover some fresh insights stimulated by things I've never seen before!

Stay tuned for SIX MONTHS OF THE SOUTHWEST, beginning mid-September! Be sure to check out our trip site at

http://web.me.com/sara.justbe/Our_Great_Adventure/Welcome.html

MAKING PEACE WITH NATURE

Ah this is not always so easy. Especially after several HARD rains, the kind where raindrops each weigh about five pounds and wash away roads. My proud stand of zinnias took a hard hit last week, so hard that many of the plants actually broke off at the base of the stalk.

I kind of felt like an undertaker as I took these broken plants away. Then I felt like a grave-robber as I cut whatever "fresh" blooms I could for a bouquet for the office. Then I just felt really sad when I took the remains up to our compost pile.

All these feelings were negative, and I don't live well with negative feelings, so it was time to put on my Regain Perspective Hat and sit and think:

• Heck, sh*t happens -- I'm not in Paradise yet
• Don't mess with Mother Nature
• At least the office has a really cheerful vase full of flowers
• Next time, stake the darn plants before this happens
• Time to roll with the punches, go with the flow
• Suck it up and move on

Moving on I am:

• I took a deep breath, gave thanks for all the plants that didn't get flattened (the Mexican Sunflowers are awesomely strong).
• I just planted a new batch of Cosmos and Hollyhocks. They WILL be staked.
• I'm going out to buy a new supply of stakes.

GREEN THUMB OR NOT?

My boss told his young-but-wise grandson that I have a green thumb. AJ answered, "she does not!" So, who's right?

My gardening and landscaping endeavors have been, for the most part, quite successful. I bask in the daily oohs and aahs of the campers walking the various garden paths; I humbly say "thank you" a zillion times a week when I'm told how wonderful the lavish gardens are. But for all that, I can't say I have a green thumb, just a great passion. I'm no professional, just a hobby gardener who learns as she goes and who relies on internet sources for her continuing education, and who, with the help of all the garden gods, continues to create happy accidents in these gardens.

To help me believe that I do indeed have a green thumb, I'm seriously considering painting my thumb green (or having it tattooed). Sometimes a person just believes better with visual aids!

LIFE'S LITTLE SIDE TRIPS

Here I am, all settled into my routine of summer garden job in the north and winter vacation in the south, always the same places, and very content with this arrangement. Along comes a daughter telling me she's quitting her corporate job, buying a motorhome, and she and I will travel the southwest U.S. for six months.

OMG, panic in the streets of my mind! What, get me out of my comfy little rut, and make me think again? How Dare You. Now I have to learn how to winterize my trailer, something I've never done before. Now I have to find a keeper for my truck for the winter. Now I have to make lists of what to bring on this new adventure.

Remembering that the difference between a rut and a grave is that one can still climb out of a rut, I'm loving every minute of this! New Adventure is the name of the game, and this is my opportunity to join forces with this daughter in new ways, as we not only explore the great outdoors of the southwest, but also the great "indoors" of our inner truths. We're not a religious lot, but we are spiritual seekers.

Life's little side trips add such richness to the equation; the unexpected can be so delightful; each little trip gives us the opportunity to say YES! to adventure. Look out World, here we come (beginning mid-September)!

DOING THINGS THE OLD WAY

No rain in sight . . . gardens are thirsty! I fondly remember the early spring days when we had frequent gentle ground-soaking rains, and I never had to water. I had time to finish up garden prep, and do all the needed planting. Now, as I drag my watering hose from spigot to spigot, I think an irrigation system would be wonderful.

Oh, wait --- is that what I really want? With my hose, I get to seriously visit each section of the garden as I water. I get to see who needs deadheading, and who has weeds that are pretending to be flowers (and I pull them as I see them). I get to notice all the new little buds that promise continued blooming. I get to be surprised at the first hibiscus bloom, and can imagine what our "hibiscus hill" will look like when all seven plants are in bloom and look forward to getting pictures of that! Our first giant sunflower just opened fully, what a delight, and there are buds there too. I get to notice what garden insects are active, and I get to capture that darn japanese beetle who thought he was hiding in the rose.

When I water I see so much detail that I might miss if all I do is walk through the garden. This way, I'm standing in front of one section at a time. It's the difference between driving through a neighborhood and walking through a neighborhood. When you walk, you have the time to wave at people, and stop for a friendly chat.

OK so I don't want an irrigation system after all.

PICTURES, AS PROMISED

Our newest garden area: a former grassy field has been transformed by a gazebo surrounded by small gardens and pathways. Less grass to cut and surely easy on the eyes!

This first picture taken in April is of the "naked" garden areas, ready for planting. . .

This was my first-ever experience at doing it all, from laying the bricks and gravel paths, to planning then digging the gardens, hauling lots of compost to amend the soil, to setting the borders, to doing the actual planting. There's color for every part of the growing season! The rest of the pictures were taken a few days ago; all planting is done for this year and there's room for more next year.

Of course we're not finished: there are more areas to be transformed. Saving that for another time; Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

Campers want to know what the plants are, so I've placed labels for the more unusual things we have growing. This sparks so many nice conversations with our visitors!

They're surprised to see we have herbs scattered among the flowers. . .

And these final few pictures are of some very happy faces!

FINALLY, MIDSUMMER!

I've been working toward this since March: the time when our summer perennials begin their blooming! I see buds everywhere: blackeyed susans, coneflowers, mexican hyssop; daisies have opened, the zinnias are too. The hollyhocks are in full bloom. Our ten hardy hibiscus bushes are even sending up buds, with promise of another spectacular show -- one of my favorites! The roses continue their blooming, they must like the food I give them.

Best news of all (knock on wood) we haven't been overrun by japanese beetles. We decided to NOT put out the beetle traps this year; instead we vigilantly search for them (very few so far) and get rid of them one by one, via smashing or capturing in a baggie.

This is not to say all's been planted that will be planted. On this little piece of our planet, the campground owners continually come home from a shopping trip with "oh look what we found!" And they bring forth more perennials: several russian sage, and shrub roses that will grow to a width of ten feet, and a few other things. Here's my challenge, the one I love the best: where the heck do I put these things?? The two russian sage plants when fully grown will be about 4' tall and 3' wide -- each. Heck, there's just NO ROOM in the existing gardens! And the shrub roses? Who knows?

After studying different areas, I caved in and simply built a whole new little garden area for the russian sage. This will be a specimen garden, unlike the other gardens that dance with a wonderful mixture of flowering beauties of all colors, shapes, and sizes. As for the shrub roses: we just happen to have an appropriate area along one of our pathways that will accommodate a 10' wide shrub.

OK: I promise to take pictures this week!

WHAT THE HECK?!?

This morning I was up early, wanted to get to work before it got too hot outdoors; worked til lunchtime; had lunch, took a nap, went back to work later in the day. So far, so good.

I crawled into bed at 10pm tonight, with plans to repeat today's schedule. Then it happened: I lay there, sleepily musing about some good stuff in my life. One thought led to another, and yet another, things/people/events I'm so darn grateful for. I kept saying, in between these thoughts, "time to sleep now, let the healing begin" (I consider the dark sacred night a healing time while I sleep) but the thoughts continued. At 11 pm I got up, had a glass of milk, went back to bed.

At midnight I was up again. Still wide awake. Turned on my computer, did some surfing, and now it's 1:30 am, it's tomorrow, for goodness' sake! What the heck?!?

Oh, no --- can it be that FINALLY I've had enough sleep? Am I reaching the time in my life like my grandmother's, when she said she only needed four or five hours of sleep a night?? Please no, I really like sleep!

Panda, my little dog friend, dutifully followed me from the bed to the couch. She looks at me and wonders what's up. Is it morning already? It's still dark outside! I think this gratitude thing is backfiring on me, I might need to turn it down a notch? Nah, I think not. I'll just sign off here and work on my to-do list for today when the sun shines. If I'm awake then.

OOPS --- HOW TIME FLEW

MY BAD! For the past three weeks or so I got so caught up in planting, I didn't even think about blogging. One of my 'keepers' reminded me how behind I am. Time to catch up.

All the zillion plants we bought are now in the ground or in container gardens or in hanging baskets. All are doing very well -- I think because of the rain we've had. Rainwater is SO much better, the plants tell me.

Couldn't rest on my laurels, though. The owner reminded me that in his greenhouse he has a truckload of flats, all seedlings he planted earlier, and they're ready to go. Zinnias, Giant Sunflowers (the 8' tall kind), Mexican Sunflowers, Cosmos, Daisies, Marigolds, and a number of things that are no longer labeled (labels blew away). I finally got all that stuff planted this week. The unlabeled ones were fun to plant, and it will be fun to watch them grow, and fun to discover what they are, and fun to see if I planted them in the right place! I'm hoping they want a full-sun home, because that's where I put them.

Good spring rains is a two-edged sword: the plants love it and thrive, and so do the WEEDS. Much of my time has involved weed control, as in pulling them. It's not that I love pulling weeds, it's that I love the end result; but it's like housework, it's never finished. That's OK because I guess I like being on my hands and knees --- I have the callouses to prove it. My one weeding knee (the one I'm always using to kneel on) has a marvelous callous, also known as body armor.

Even though our perennials aren't in full bloom yet, the campers here are already raving about the beauty of the gardens. They ARE lush with greenery, and the annuals we've put in give the needed color, and we have an incredible variety of plants (see the April 4th post for a list). I tell the campers, please come back in midsummer and you'll see a REAL show!

What's next on my to-do list? A bit of tree-trimming: got to raise the canopies to get more sun onto some of the gardens. I wait for the gas-powered pole saw to be fixed, because I'm so ready to trim!

FINALLY, TIME TO PLANT

Two days ago the bosses and I went plant shopping -- a good four hours of finding annuals and perennials for our extensive gardens. We hit two large nurseries in the process, and came home with a trailer load of goodies. This annual event is like binge-shopping

While at the nurseries, I watched the employees tending the plants and I thought, 'what a great job to have'. Reality set in and I realized MY JOB is so much more fabulous: the nursery employees nurture a billion young plants, and that's so important; but I get to selectively adopt plants, bring them home, find the right spot for them to live and grow and bring pleasure to lots of people, tend to them for years on end (the perennials, anyway), keep the beasts at bay (especially those darn japanese beetles) and grow a long-term relationship with them

Yesterday I began the planting: I put together 24 container gardens then began putting plants in the ground. I'd envisioned working until nightfall because we have SO MANY to plant! But, no matter how willing the spirit, the flesh just wouldn't last that long, so I had to give it up for the day. Ah, that's OK: I also can't eat a half gallon of ice cream in one sitting, nor have I ever been able to eat an elephant in one bite. This means, beautifully, that for the next very many days I will be planting, and planting, and planting . . .

NEW AND DIFFERENT, EVERY YEAR

My first spring at this campground began on March 15, 2007. When I arrived from warm humid southwest Louisiana, it was COLD up here (Maryland) but I needed to get to work right away. There were a good three to four inches of leaves that obliterated all of the rock gardens, and those leaves needed to be removed. Because of all the plants and shrubs, it had to be done mostly by hand. As I worked (and it took a good three weeks) I noticed I was trampling on the new shoots under the leaves, of the season's first arrivals: the tulips and daffodils and crocuses and irises. I cringed every time I uncovered one of my victims! It all got done, though, and we had a great "crop" of flowers once the mountains of leaves were removed. It was a great and exciting first year at my new job of gardener/landscaper.

The following year I decided to wait until April 1st to arrive (I was remembering how cold it was the previous year and I was chicken). I arrived to find a young man had been hired to get the leaves out of the gardens, and he'd used a rake; had raked the gardens SO vigorously that some of the new young plants had been removed along with the leaves. Ah, well, life goes on, doesn't it. This particular spring was cold for a long, long time and it seemed forever before things poked their heads through the ground. Our planting season was slighty delayed due to the late-arriving spring, but the weather turned suddenly HOT and we really scurried to get new planting done quickly. Remembering how much time I'd spent watering during the last summer's drought, I laid soaker hoses in all the large gardens so that I could spend my time doing other things while the gardens were being watered. It worked well.

THIS year I returned in mid-March, wanting to be the one to do the garden cleanup. Yes, it was cold but I was being brave, and gardens were cleaned up without disturbing any plants. No trampling this year! However: the new experience is the rain! It's like living in a rain forest, I think. The ground has been thoroughly soaked down to about China. I have several new gardens in the works and I'm eager to build up the soil and get things planted in them, but the soil right now is like mud soup. No sooner does it begin to dry out and we get another four-hour deluge or all-day-and-night soaking steady rain. Temps have been cool, too -- good for tulips lasting a longer time than usual (until we had four days of freakish July weather which ended the tulip season), the nurseries have been slow in putting out their inventory due to the cool and wet, and we're behind schedule in creating our forty or so container gardens and almost as many hanging baskets. I'm just hoping for an extended spring so we can get all the work done before the really hot weather arrives for good.

Gee, I wonder what will be new and different NEXT spring!

P.S.

Thinking more about what I said yesterday: years ago, I was a bricks-and-sticks homeowner because I had a family to raise, and that was part of the deal. So perhaps there are others in that boat, taking care of business in the best way for them. You know, the home site, the stability factor, giving the kids good roots and good memories for later. The stability factor is a big one, I think.

I'm just glad I now have the freedom to be unstable. LOL.

DOING IT MY WAY

Yesterday a friend asked me if I ever get tired of living in a camper. Yeah, right! If he knew how I love housework (my idea of cleaning is to sweep the room with a glance), he'd know I never, ever want to go back to living in a real house!

A real house is for domesticated folks, folks who like having roots in one place, who dote on having lots of stuff to mess with. They probably enjoy dusting and sweeping and mopping. They must feel comforted by being surrounded by family heirlooms, or fine art. Many of them have serious collections of stuff that need to be displayed. There are lots of pictures on the walls, in every room. Of course they surely enjoy entertaining their friends.

Hey, you know I like all those things too. The only difference is, I'm not so domesticated; I'm at heart a feral animal. I like my roots to be nestled comfortably in different places at different times. I enjoy the heck out of cleaning THE GREAT OUTDOORS!! I love to dig up weeds, and rake leaves, and grow and tend to plants. Pressure washing is a really fun way to clean stuff. My family heirlooms and fine art are the trees and flowers, and the sounds of nature. My alarm clock is the birds in the morning, who seem so happy for the return of daylight. My pictures hang in my heart and on my computer. My collections of stuff are planted in the ground. The one thing I've never been good at is entertaining. I never learned how to host a party. I recently learned, however, that after five glasses of wine I am apparently very funny. I guess that's a form of entertaining.

Yep, I'm sure not regretting selling that house and all that stuff, because now I'm really free to live the way I want to live. It's all so good!