What would Jane Austen Grow?

Time flies by so fast.  The pre-tour for the Master Gardener’s “Through the Garden Gate” tour is this Saturday.  The official, public tour is the following Saturday, the 18th.  Mitch and I have been busy, developing new beds, planting, filling in, replanting and finish hardscaping.  This last week, we added 5 frog and fairy statues to the garden.  Duke, the black lab statue that my sister ordered for me to honor our dogs will be placed on Wednesday.  Right after Erica ordered it one of our dogs, Tumbles, passed away suddenly.  I think I am going to cry when the statue arrives!  We have yet to have a small burial for Tumbles’ ashes.  Mitch has been busy pressure washing.  It is amazing how dirty the eaves and vinyl fence were.  Mitch is also busy refinishing the outdoor furniture.  On Sunday he suggested that perhaps we should just buy new furniture.  Now that I have seen the condition of our furniture, I agree, but he has since decided that we need to stick with what we have.

Last night, we were working on my concept of a wine themed art piece.  I brought home 2 twisted metal stands that are primarily used for metal birdbaths.  I had envisioned a wine bottle pouring out on one and a wine glass ready to receive on the other.  Having never done any art like this, I waded in determined to see my idea through.  I bought epoxy and “glued” a bottle onto the first stake.  Then I filled the bottom/top of the bottle with fine gravel and put epoxy on that and placed an angled rock on that.  When that dried, I attempted to epoxy another wine bottle onto the rock.  That was the point at which Mitch intervened, as some portion of my creation had gone awry.  Apparently, I wasn’t applying the epoxy correctly.  I thought it worked like super glue.  Who knew there were 2 components and they had to mix!  So then Mitch got into the creative process.  He purchased more epoxy and last night we were ready to fasten the glass onto a base.  Mitch wanted to use the stem of a blue plastic wine glass as the base for the glass wine glass.  However, I had failed to mention that I wanted the wine bottle to be taller than the wine glass.  Remember, they are on the same height stake.  I had figured I would use a glass inverted on the stake, thereby making the wine glass basically it’s actual height not greater by the height of the “stem”.  Mitch thought it would be great to drill out the stem and screw it into/glue it to the stake.  I will admit, it did look a lot classier.  At some point during the epoxy process, Mitch thought it would be great to let it dry where it was actually going to reside.  So we traipsed outside at 9 or 9:30 at night.  It was getting very dark, so I had a flashlight.  As Mitch was preparing to sink the stakes in the ground, he realized what my concept was and that he would have to dig a deep hole to get the stake with the glass low enough for the bottle to pour into it.  So the two of us were manuevering a post hole digger, a flashlight, a stake with a non-hardened epoxy bound wineglass and another stake with the wine bottle.  Mitch kept pulling out soil, and a plant.  He kept going deeper, but it wasn’t deep enough.  He decided to pound the stake into the ground using a board (his foot wouldn’t fit in the hole to stomp it in) and a rubber mallet.  That didn’t quite get it deep enough, so he resorted to a hammer.  It was at that point that he broke the wineglass.  I had to giggle.  He was frustrated but not angry.  Here we were, out in the garden in the dark, with a flashlight trying to set-up this piece of art.  I realized I was married to the best guy in the world!  And we were having fun together.  Destructive perhaps, but still fun.  I enjoy creating with my husband.  When we really get into a project together, there isn’t anything that matches that.

Mitch is a very romantic sort (lucky me) and we have some wonderful “rituals”.  We visited the Chinese Garden in Portland and then had tea there.  That led to the purchase of tea leaves, a traditional tea pot, cups and a steeping cup.  We still enjoy tea together as a break from gardening.  We love to walk through the garden and decide what we are going to do.  Most people think we are wasting time, but we know that we are deciding together what we are going to do so that we only do it once.  When we haven’t had that process, we end up redesigning the bed multiple times.  Perhaps Mitch knows me better than I know myself.  He realizes that I need to think through the design until I come up with the perfect solution.  When I used to do landscape design for a living, I would agonize over the design until I was absolutely sick of it in the end and thought it was the very worst design possible.  It is hard to explain how someone can be so intimately involved in a creative process that they hate it when they are finished, but that is what I experienced.  Perhaps it is a defense mechanism.  I pour my entire soul into something but when I get to the criticism/judgement stage I cannot bear to have someone evaluate my design and I have to view it as fatally flawed.  That way, whatever the judgement it is still better than my expectation.  Okay, that’s kind of twisted!

All I know is…I have poured myself into this garden project as if I have something to prove.  Why can’t I be satisfied with the process and the fact that my garden has personality.  I live in fear of being the person who wears two conflicting plaid patterns and thinking it is high fashion.  What if everything that I have planted, and therefore everything I am-for my garden reflects my personality-is cheesy, hokey, white trash, neon butterfly, grandma bending over in bloomers artistic sentiment.  And I don’t realize how unfashionable I am.  I never have.  I’ve had an inkling but….  And not to disparage the other set.  When I drive by a house with so much clutter that it makes me nervous, I think to myself that they think they are fashionable just like I do.  They are expressing their personality.  Just like me.  And who is to judge who is more creative, who has better taste.  Isn’t it about enjoying what you have?  Somehow I still feel like I am in high school.  I’m overweight, dressed by my mom, and mousy.  That is the girl who is going to present her garden on tour to a group of dedicated gardeners.  I’m afraid I won’t measure up.  I’ve always been afraid of that.  And I’m ready to release that and say this is me, take it or leave it.

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Here we are in another week.  I am no longer distraught over Tumbles death but only sad.  Tipper has redeclared her affection for Mitch.  We have a visitor, Francis, my dad’s dog.  She is bringing companionship for Tipper.  Life is still very quiet.

On the landscaping front, Mitch has been hard at work.  Planting, planting, planting.  I think we are about done with planting.  Next on the agenda is pressure washing the other half of the vinyl fence, repainting the outdoor furniture and finishing the wine bottle sculptures.  My mom’s birthday is Saturday and we would like to take a day off together.  We’ll see what happens with that.  I think I am through bringing home plants.  We are now at the finishing stage.  I hope we peak at the right time!  I did find out that it is better for the owners of the gardens being toured to be present during the tour.  That is outside my box.  I may seem like a glory hound, but really I am very shy.  We’ll see how that plays out.  I’d like to give kudos to my “yard slave”, my faithful and dependable husband, Mitch.  He’s also extremely sexy, witty, and my best friend.  I couldn’t fathom life without him.  Thank you, Mitch!

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Last week, I lost my best friend. She had four legs and a warm heart. Tumbles was my constant companion, gardening and at work. Although Mitch and I had two dogs, Tumbles was the “spokes dog”. She would sound the alarm to go potty and for food and treats. She was definitely the top dog in charge. She was affectionate, friendly and vocal. She was a moving force to be reckoned with and she accompanied me everywhere. At one point I wondered about ever having a single minute to myself. Last week she passed away, and I am ashamed to admit I even wondered about a world without the responsibility of pets.

Things are much quieter now. Our remaining dog, Tipper, is much quieter. At first, it was as if no one was talking at all. All three of us, Mitch, myself and Tipper, were speechless. We were leveled with grief. The hole left behind with the death of Tumbles was huge! Tumbles was larger than life. She was vocal. Now that she is gone, everything is very quiet! At first this was disconcerting. It was so quiet! After a few days, however, Tipper began to blossom. She actually barked. Then she began to enjoy the spoiling she was receiving. Her tail wagged and she smiled. She got extra bones and prime steak au jus and fat. Her focus switched from Mitch, who was her human master, to me. I was always Tumbles “human” but I knew I was definitely not the alpha dog. The alpha is always a male and we had clearly established Mitch as the alpha. I was the next one. Is that the omega or some other term? However, I was the demonstrative one. Anyway, long and short is that I am the loving one and the dogs always congregated toward that! Tipper and I are now melded. It is still quiet,but Tipper is blossoming. I am enjoying the connection.

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The tickets are printed and the poster is up. It’s official! My garden is included in the Linn County Master Gardener’s “Through the Garden Gate” tour on June 18th. If I can keep my husband calm and find time to actually garden, we should be ready by then. I had hoped to work in the garden today, but it was too nice, and I had to work at the nursery instead. Since that is my livelihood, I am more than happy to do that. And I don’t mind working in the rain, really. Here’s hoping Mitch and I get a lot done on Sunday.

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There is still a lot of planting to do! I have many of the plants laid out where they are going to go. Tonight, I brought home some gold-foliaged shrubs. What an impact they had. Sundance Choisya and Lemon Daddy Hydrangea brightened up the back and corner of my yard. They are positioned as a triad with Hakenachloa. I brought home 2 more pots to match my large butterscotch one. Things are getting refined. Tomorrow I will be planting and sinking in wine bottles around our Pinot Noir grape plant. I have to figure out something to do with all the corks I have accumulated, hoping to recycle them. Mitch is thinking mulch. I’m thinking art. We’ll see where that leads us. The garden and the pots are next. I want to finish the beds first. Plants are really beginning to fill in but there still is so much empty space. My game plan is to let it fill out, place statuary 3 weeks before and fill in any remaining holes with bedding plants the week prior to the tour.
There are certain plants I must include in my garden even if I do not have a plan for them. As soon as I find out they have arrived at the nursery, I sprint out to make my selections. One is a chartreuse foliage and hot-pink flowered annual called Talinum ‘Limon’. It’s flowers look like tiny balls. It reseeds in mild winters I learned. But it is cute and strange and adorable. I have to have it. Another must have is Heliotrope. To me it smells like vanilla. The dark purple blossoms and deeply textured leaves make it look exotic. I have a pot that I always plant it in. This year I had to have a new Dianthus, which got planted in that pot just to get it somewhere. Now I have to decide if the Heliotrope goes there as usual or if I step outside the box and find a new location for the Heliotrope. Somehow we had one random Persian Queen Pelargonium (aka Geranium) arrive at the nursery. Justin and I always battle for this prized commodity. However, Crystal must not have known it arrived in the mixed flat and a customer got to it first (gulp!) I am hoping that Crystal will be able to get more. Persian Queen has chartreuse (okay I’m obsessed with lemon/lime) foliage and hot pink flowers. Despite the intense colors, I do not consider it gaudy. It is rather demure in my estimation. More like a hot house rose. I have brought home 3 Sofie Cascade geraniums and 1 hot pink one. I am quite enamored with these free-flowering german geraniums. Not so common, I guess, is the reason I like them. I have always wanted to express my individuality. The most exciting thing is, I know there are more plants to arrive at the nursery. Who knows what will be the next plant I will crave.

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We had another walk through tonight. Erica planted 5 palnts for me. Dad had good suggestions for focal plants and repetition of plant varieties. He appreciated our pruning of the Yuletide Camellia. I now have a new art piece, an angel on a mushroom. I need to relocate it so noone will notice the broken wings! I am used to taking home the broken items and the not up to par plants. I had to laugh when my brother told me I had use large and nice specimens since the tour was a reflection on the nursery. I had jsut come to the conclusion that I did not have the time for the plants to mature. I had actually begun to select the biggest and best. It is a change of outlook for me, so the “broken” angel helped me feel more comfortable. However, I still have to obscure those broken wings.
It must be a full weekend of working in the garden, come rain or come shine. Hopefully it will be warm and not overly wet. I cannot garden in the rain gear that I own, so I will have to absorb any rainfall. Let’s hope Mitch gets a lot done on Saturday. Maybe we can work on Friday night. We’ll see what the weather is like.

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I can freely admit in this space that I have no biological children. It isn’t from lack of desire, but from lack of ability. What I do have is 2 beautiful step-daughters, who I wholeheartedly love, and 2 black dogs that depend on me. I have a mom who has been able to have any flower or gift that she ever desired and a mother-in-law who is unable to have any gifts with a scent.
So, it’s approaching Mother’s Day, and as the female in the relationship I need to be thinking about gifts. My mom, who I live by, will be out of town on the day. My mother-in-law lives out of town and I have to mail to her. What am I going to do? How can I be the most thoughtful daughter and daughter-in-law? All I want to do is sleep in on Sunday! Maybe something involving chocolate.
This should be one of the big weekends in the nursery industry. It all depends on the weather. Today, Tuesday, was wildly busy simply because it was sunny. This weekend is supposed to be rainy. So I get Sunday off because it is supposed to be rainy (and therefore not busy) but who wants to work outside anyway? And that’s the reason I want to be off. Okay, sleeping in and reading the last 3 Sunday’s newspapers is high on the list. I guess I could approach my art/craft projects involving gluing glass to metal and creating garden art. I envision chaos. Do not trust me with scissors or anything sticky, fast-acting glue especially. I am the biggest mess maker and klutz you have ever seen. Ha, ha, ha! Seriously! If something needs to remain in pristine condition you want me as far away as possible from the object. Even my mental telepathy creates chaos. I am not dirty, like Pigpen, but I am very, very, very messy. There must be a virtue in there somewhere.
I figure this is my last week for planting things that must grow significantly. I have a few weeks to plant bedding plants and then a couple weeks for finishing touches. I am fast approaching the point of hating my creation. This has always seemed to happen when I am involved in a creative pursuit. I throw myself into it so much that by the time I am done I loathe it. It seems to me to be pure crap. Totally unredeemable. I am fast approaching that phase. So I will meet you next week and I’ll let you know where I’m at. It should be interesting at least.

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Wow!  I managed to have a sunny Saturday off.  Mitch and I had Good Friday and Saturday off together.  We really plowed ahead with the yard work and got a lot accomplished.  I was in my usual mode of trying to fill in every hole I saw with plants.  Mitch labored with soil prep and installing edging.  I went to work on Sunday and he did some more and then overseeded what was left of the lawn.  I still don’t know how the yard will look good enough for a garden tour.  Mitch wonders why I didn’t notice his “deer in the headlights look” when I told him about the tour.  It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t decided that this was the perfect opportunity to redo and fix everything that I thought was wrong with the garden.  Perfectionist, you mutter.  Overachiever?  Okay, I confess that is me. I’m always wanting to try something new, never satisfied.  Continually digging, the life of a serious gardener.

What did I accomplish and what did I learn?  I planted a lot of plants, but there was still room for more.  You have more room for plants if you plan in blooming sequence/layering.  In early spring the bleeding hearts appear, but they disappear by mid-summer and are overtaken by grasses and Echinaceas.  Tulips, daffodils and crocus pop out where later there will be Rudbeckias and more Echinacea.  Through barren Hydrangeas I can see the Anemone blanda and Tiarella in the background.  In another month, they will be hidden.  I love the fact that I am seeing so many worms everywhere in my yard and the soil is becoming crumbly in spots.  The seeds I have started, Nicotiana sylvestris and breadseed poppies are ready to transplant.  That is a project for one day this coming weekend.

This week, I am focusing on the pots, the garden and finishing my small plantings.  There are still 2 major plants I have yet to select.  They are weighing heavily on my mind. I am hoping that the “perfect” plant arrives in the nursery this week so I can be done with it.  I figure I have about 2 weeks and then I need to begin the finishing touches.  I’m hoping for some nice late evenings and warm weather helping all the plants to grow and fill in.  By July, it will be a jungle!  We’re shooting for perfection in June, however.  If things haven’t filled out, I will fill in with annual color and art.

In the end, I have to remember that it is not about impressing other people (although that is difficult for me to have to acknowledge) but rather creating a space of enjoyment for me and my husband.

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Thank goodness for 2 consecutive days of sunshine. Now if the temperature would rise above 60 for two consecutive days we’d be set. As a garden store owner, this is the most depressing spring I’ve experienced. As a lover of nature and order I will say I have enjoyed this spring. Everything has bloomed in the proper sequence: Snowdrops, Crocus, Magnolias, Plums, Pears, Cherries and Crabapples. There has been no explosion of blooms with 3 things blooming at once. The flowers have lasted forever, not blasting out in a heat wave. I don’t remember seeing Daffodils this late in April before. Now if we could just get out and enjoy the flowers without freezing to death.
Mitch and I have Friday and Saturday off together this week. Yeah! This is our last focused session of planting in preparation for “the tour”. When I am gardening, I tend to have attention deficit disorder. I can be extremely focused one minute and the next flit off to some other task. I may think I know exactly what I want to do with a certain bed and then change my mind a dozen times before finalizing the planting. Worse yet for my poor husband, five years later I decide I want to do something entirely different.
What I do know is that I am looking forward to working in my garden with my husband and my dogs. I am anticipating relaxing with a glass of wine after a hard day’s work. I am hoping to make all my artistic ideas come into being. And most of all, I am looking forward to communing with God. I need to remind myself that the process is equally as important as the end result. Make it fun! Perhaps Mitch and I will have tea in the garden in the late morning and discuss our plans. The glass of wine and celebration of our accomplishments is guaranteed.
There are details I need to iron out. I want to have a “reserved for Tipper” sign to mark the spot where she always lays. It is bare ground for a reason, that is her napping spot while I am gardening. Tipper is the “princess” in the family, so I was thinking a tiara would be an appropriate marker. I was thinking a rock but decided that would look like a grave stone, so now I’m trying to come up with another cute, but simple sign. Same for Tumbles, although she is more of a weedy mess than a princess. We’ll see. Until then, I have one more day of work, which includes the shopping for the final plants. 36 hours and I am in heaven in the garden.

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I’m in love! Whether it is with Clematis or Raymond Evison is the question. The recent photos I had seen did not prepare me. This morning I looked at an older book authored by him and was immediately enamored. He looked very much like Colin Firth. Upon meeting him I was immediately charmed. His accent, his looks and his very British pinky ring left me utterly enchanted. I even got an autograph. Mitch is very jealous and is even affecting a British accent. He has nothing to fear. It is all simply horticultural celebrity swooning. I promise I will be back to my normal self soon. I’m going to enjoy the one or two days until then!

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