Gardens, as places of escape...

Thomas Balsley, a New York landscape architect feels that gardens are places to escape; they are places where we can transform not only the garden, but ourselves in the  process.  

Garden spaces have to have meaning for us.

Many of  us never began gardening because we felt that we could never make our gardens like those in the magazines.... but I have learned that  we must use what we have...start from where we are now and head in the direction we want to go... much like life, I suppose.

When our gardens are bare at the end of winter, before there is any green to distract us, we can stand back and look beyond the obvious space; to the space beyond... perhaps our neighbour has a magnificent tree that we can use as a backdrop to our own garden. We can use that vista to make a plan of our own. Maybe we can find a way to draw our eyes to the sight of that tree by  using its beauty or size or colour as a jumping off point for our own design.

How about an arbour through which to view that tree with a path bordered by coloured flowers and plants along the way?  

Take a good look at what you have first and  use it your advantage.

Perhaps we could use trees and shrubs as we would art and learn to prune and trim them for shape and  health instead of classic round balls.  Take small spaces and find an amusing way to link them together.

Take your time. If you want trees in your garden but are not sure where they should go, buy them in pots and move them around until their position pleases you.

Don't be afraid to try something new.  There really are no mistakes that cannot be fixed with a shovel; I call it "shovel-pruning". And keep trying, ask questions, find a garden club or garden site that will teach you, and ask more questions, try  more things.  

But be sure to keep track of what you do, so when it succeeds, you can do it again or share what you  have learned... or not make the same mistake twice.  At any rate, learn through your garden, no matter how small, no matter how large.

At the end of the day, if you are a gardener, you should have twigs in your hair, dirt on  your face and under your nails.  Talk about reality !

"Perilously close to the wind..."

Today feels a bit like Spring... sort of... but today I feel perilously close to the wind... ( I just love that phrase) in other words, skating on thin ice.  If I were the crazy adventurous sort, I would be trying the ice on the lake.  Those days are behind me... lessons learned the  hard way are still lessons learned.

Today my otherwise 'lush-gardens" are still covered in snow... and when I attempt to step on the path, I go through the top layer to a slushy layer... ugh...

It is good to remember  not to tread on our gardens this time of year.  We only succeed in compacting the soil and in order for the roots (which, by the way, are very active right now) to get the nutrients they need, the soil needs to be loose and fluffy... hard to stay fluffy when someone's big boots are stomping on it... need I say more?

I know  how tempting it is to peer beneath the snow to see if there is ANY minute sign of life.  This time last year, no snow... no jackets... alas, this is now.

My friends on the west coast are lamenting their daffodils are nearly gone - I am lamenting mine are sleeping deeply - beneath 3 feet of snow.

On the other hand, these past two garden seasons have been more like they should be.  We had a real fall, with gradually lowering temperatures, then winter and then a gradual spring.  None of this going from winter to summer... the plants just hate that.  If we cannot adjust to that, how can they when their little clocks are the same each year.

Having said that, though, with spring this late, there is not much food for the migrating birds.  There are some good souls who take feed to them so they won't starve, and there are some who would  malign that kindness.

I say we do our best to all who need us to.

I am the Lush-Gardener

No, not in the sense of being "a lush" but of being a gardener who creates lush gardens.  Once upon a time I thought gardening was arranging and re-arranging pots of annuals on my deck.  Mind you, it always looked nice... no, not nice, downright gorgeously lush.

But then one day, life took a nasty turn and I, in turn, took to my shovel.  They say that it never hurts to get dirty and I say, it hurts even when you do.  But, at the end of the day, sore  muscles are better than a sore soul and sore muscles can be cured by a hot bath and some very good scotch - for medicinal purposes, of course.

Digging in the earth reveals many things about oneself.  For me?  A passion for flowers, and especially roses. I have moved my roses from 4 gardens now and at last, they are home to stay - being they behave themselves and forget to look ratty or die on me. (you can read all about my moving my roses in the blog called 'Roses on the Road' in blogger.com)

This is the middle of March and here is what I see from my deck.

A  year ago it was warm enough to sit on the deck.  Now the deck chairs are under the snow. Where has Mother Nature gone? In cahoots with Father Winter?  They need to get their lives  back to normal and start with Spring already.... I am a wee bit cranky that I cannot garden.  My garden journal is full of notes, my garden magazines are tatty and I have run out of patience.

When I find something to share about my garden besides snow, I will be back.  In the meantime, check out what I have done at www.lush-gardens.com