Okay, everyone that has read this blog knows that my garden has been selected, potentially, to be on the June Albany Master Gardeners tour. Oh the stress! A long-time customer (and former design client) was out at the nursery and told me that she was on the tour. I was so excited for her. She also confided that she was very stressed about it. What a relief! I thought I was the only one that was stressed. So good to know that I am in good company!
One of the advantages of growing up in the family I did is that I have very creative mentors and examples to follow. My dad is a very creative landscape designer. My brother is a very talented landscape architect. Even my sister, who is not formally trained, is always a source of the newest and most creative. The flip side is that everyone has an opinion about my landscape. My job is to sort them out and meld them to my vision and my husband’s sensibilities. I used to discount my husband’s opinions about our landscape, but that was wrong. My husband has an artistic sentiment and has really good imput, really. So I have learned to rely on him. After all, it is “our” yard, and it should represent us. Back to the family. Everyone has an opinion. On the other hand, I have an amazing access to free, quality advice. Because they love me, I have at least 3 consultants. Most people would pay hundreds of dollars for that. The difference is that I am a trained and qualified designer. Whose voice and artistic vision do I give credit to? I have discovered that no matter what the suggestion, I need to reconcile it to my vision. My brother is very Italianesque in his design. My sister is along those lines. My dad is very much repetition based. I am very cottage garden based. And my husband…he hates to throw any plant away. However, after this weekend, I think I might be able to convince him.
We have been trying to get ready for the official tour and interview for the Master Gardener tour. We had a lot of work to complete before the ladies came to visit. There will still be a lot to do after. Do you realized how dirty, how really filthy, your outdoor living space can become? Mitch has power-washed the fence. I have scrubbed the vinyl fence. Whoever said low-maintenance in regard to a vinyl fence should be shot. Scrubbing, power-washing, etc. Ugh! It’s a lot of work. And then there were the patios. The concrete is amazingly algae filled. My husband, the incurable romantic that he is, power-washed around this heart-shaped dog water bowl we have. So now our patio has 2 heart-shaped patterns and one that says “Mitch loves Brenda”. How could anyone complain about that?
Anyway, we got a lot done this weekend. We planted everything I brought home minus 3. They did not have a place to be planted until something else is removed. Mitch single-handledly transplanted an oakleaf Hydrangea. There had been debate as to where it should be transplanted. However, since Mitch and my desire met with my Dad’s secondary suggestion, I still consider it a win. Mitch strong-armed the fern that several people had said should go. It almost broke him, but 3 segments of the fern are in the back end of his Jeep. They await my dad, my sister and the nursery. Our yard looks a lot cleaner than it did last week. I am feeling a little more confident. The new rose garden is planted. It is hard to say what impact this will have. We had a successful rose garden just a few months ago. Granted, it was planted too close to the sidewalk and my husband regularly got hung up on the rose bushes. Now it is redesigned. I like it a lot. We actually got one more rose in. However, whether it looks like an improvement is all in the eyes of my visitors. I just hope I pass muster.
More details on the remake of our rose garden. I made sure to replant my favorites. Peace and Ingrid Bergman were varieties that had to be accomodated. Although I am mixed, I chose to keep Double Delight in the line-up. It helped that I did not have to move the rose. We went with other favorites and suggested varieties for our zone.
Gardening in the rain is not fun! Perhaps my wet weather gear needs a revisiting. Okay, definitely it needs a revisting. I hate to work with my rain jacket on. Actually, I hate to work with gloves on. This weekend only proved it to be true. I purchased 2 pairs of gloves and hardly used either one. After the gardening, my hands were a mess. So I will wear the gloves and get used to them. I am fervently awaiting days with no rain, so I can work unimpeded of bulky layers of immovable plastic.
What would Jane Austen Grow? 
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