I should have gardening in my genes, it should come naturally but it doesn't. My paternal grandfather had a huge garden, full of flowers, vegetables and fruit trees. My ancestry is full of farmers. But in the past, I've struggled with keeping things alive. I mean, I have a husband who has access to any type of soil, compost, or bark that a person can imagine. This shouldn't be this difficult.
When we bought this house in 1991, it had a very overgrown rock garden. In fact, we didn't even notice it, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law did. They were very excited at the time but Kevin and I were "Meh" because it just wasn't important to us. So they took clippings for their gardens and we just kind of let it be.
Now the only thing that still exists from that garden is a giant rhododendron that has been relocated twice, once by excavator. Now it stands about about ten feet tall and provides a place for the bunnies to escape from Lucy.
When we built the house we live in now, Kevin made friends with the contractor. Our house sits over an embankment that previously was just grass and trees. The trees had to be removed due to their hazardous location and we had to do something about drainage because Washington = Rain.
So, Kevin and the contractor came up with a tiered rock garden idea and got it started. The state required us to plant X-amount of native plants to compensate for the new house. We went to the nursery, handed them the list (that they promptly called bullshit) and they gathered up what we needed. So that gave us tamarack bushes, rhododendrons, ornamental firs, and junipers. We buried those and figured that would suffice for now.
Kevin and I disagree with the amount of native ferns that grow. (which can be a lot) As a result, he and his brake cleaner (a.k.a weed killer) has been banished from the garden. But again, because Washington, I am constantly battling alder seedlings. I will spend an entire morning doing nothing but pulling those frustrating little trees. Kevin brought home super expensive, high quality bark that he makes and guess what alders love? that bark! Ugh.
Then I discovered the clearance racks at Freddys (Krogers) This has been the best thing ever for me. Once I learned to look for perennials instead of annuals, it was off to the rodeo. For $3, who cares if it dies? My inner child also bonds with these plants that have been rejected because they're not quite good enough. I always tell them they can come grow at our house. Like shelter dogs, only plants.
There are also these things call SEEDS that people use! This is the first year that I tried those and so far the only thing that has grown is larkspur. (which grows native here, actually) Maybe some daises but I can't tell if they're weeds or actual flowers. (short attention span, again)
Which is the other thing. I have forgotten from year to year what I've planted. So this is the second summer that something has grown and I have no idea what it is or where it came from. I'd like to take credit for it but nope, it's the aforementioned attention span.
Lucy is pretty good about the garden. She does like to dig under the giant hydrangea to be in the shady cool and daisies must be tasty for puppies. Oh, and day lilies are way to fragile to withstand Lucy patrolling the garden every day. (we call it "walking the wall") She just looks at them and they're all "I'm out." Otherwise she is very skilled at critter removal in the garden.
Now that I've figured all of this out, I enjoy it. I do whine about the hour it takes to water during the heat waves but even that forces me to relax. I mean, standing there holding a hose and listening to the birds isn't a bad gig really. I eventually find it therapeutic pulling the weeds, especially when I call them names as I'm doing it.
My father-in-law is now working on a section that we've always left wild. It's hard clay mostly and steep. I've started planting things there just to see if it will grow and I've been mostly successful. But it's hard work because of the soil and elevation. I told him to do what he wants and I'll be happy with it. We'll see how that turns out and I figure anything is better than the dandelions that happily grow there now (and everywhere.)
Then I mentioned during family dinner that I was considering doing a container vegetable garden. The whole family suddenly jumped in and I had to rein them back. "I SAID: CONSIDERING" Calm down, family. Also, I figured it would be a hard no from Kevin and he threw me under the bus with his support. What the hell, Kevin?
Now the weather has turned the corner into Fall so it's too late. I'm off the hook until the Spring then I'll think about it again.
1 comment:
Favorite part: "My inner child also bonds with these plants that have been rejected because they're not quite good enough. I always tell them they can come grow at our house. Like shelter dogs, only plants."
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