Category Archives: rambling thoughts

Enjoying a Loss of Control

backyard bed, rambling thoughts, the Lot

Both Memorial Day and Labor Day are usually busy weekends on the Lot. I utilize the 3-day weekend to either get the garden ready for the season or begin to wind things down for the arriving autumn. Today I had a long list of items to begin:

  • divide and move the Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
  • move the  ‘Burgundy Bunny’ dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) since it isn’t receiving enough water
  • move the Himalayan Cinquefoil (Potentilla atrosanguinea), ‘Dazzleberry’ sedum, and ‘Dark Reiter’ geranium (Geranium pratense) since they are no longer receiving enough sun
  • plant the ‘Advance Blue’ bellflower (Campanula cochleariifolia), leadplant (Amorpha canescens) and 2 unknown red sedum that have been sitting in pots for way too long as a gardener decides where they should be placed
  • divide (maybe with a jackhammer?) the Maiden Grass
  • research how-to and hopefully divide the Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum)
  • mulch newly build beds

However, Nature will do as she wishes. She doesn’t really care if a gardener has a to-do list for the weekend. As I was digging, the rumbling in the already overcast sky began. Within the next several minutes the rain started. I ducked into the garage to see if the storm would blow past. It didn’t.

As I stood in the doorway looking out at the backyard, I was able to notice the sights, smells, and sounds of the garden during the soaking rainfall. It was beautiful and so relaxing. I caught a bit of it to share.

The Lot Levels Up

education, loki bed, native plants, pollinators, rambling thoughts, the Lot

As I’ve wrote (preached?) about multiple times, the Lot is being arranged, planted, designed, arranged again for more than The Other Half’s and my benefit. I enjoy spending time in the garden and will not turn down garden compliments from anyone willing to shower them upon me. But as I’ve continued to learn about gardening, I’m wanting more and more to develop a tiny ecosystem on the Lot to support a whole variety of critters.

Enter Swamp Milkweed

In 2014 a handful of native plants were integrated into the assortment of flora on the Lot. One of these plants was Asclepias incarnata or Swamp Milkweed. This perennial plant likes full sun, though it can tolerate a bit of shade. It’s happiest in medium to wet soil.  When you see it in The Wilds, it often is near wetlands. It has a tall, slender silhouette growing 4 to 5′ that does not require staking. Swamp Milkweed can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 3a-8b. Here is a shot of the plant in bloom on the Lot during July of 2015.

Monarch Nursery

Swamp milkweed is also known to attract monarch butterflies, not only for a nectar source but also as a host plant for their young. Monarchs will lay eggs on the plant, the eggs hatch, and voila there is a buffet awaiting the hungry, hungry caterpillar.

I have waited SO long for what happened today. Mom G and I had returned from a day wandering a beautiful lavender labyrinth and herb garden and then participating in retail therapy at a great nursery. I was placing an anise hysop near the swamp milkweed because I plan on expanding the bed and making it a pollinator patch. I was moving to straighten up again when I came eye to eye with this little one.

The Other Half has joked my squeals of delight (in regards to plants and kittens) reach beyond the audio range of the human ear. This was one of those times. I literally was dancing in place and motioning Mom G over to take a look. On the swamp milkweed was the first monarch caterpillar I have ever noticed on the Lot.

Plant It and They Will Come?

There are many, many guides online that will coach you through which plants to select for monarchs. However, your best bet is to get your facts from a university extensions page or an entomology department. Here is a monarch plant guide from the Michigan State University Extension office.

Also, I’ve read numerous times for any pollinator garden, larger stands of the plant have a better chance of attracting that pollinator you desire. In the front, South bed I noticed I have the most pollinators when the large stand of purple coneflowers is blooming. As mentioned above, I’m installing a stand of plants this year that will hopefully serve as a big grocery store signal for bees and butterflies. I’ll keep notes on its progress.

Oh, and then there’s patience. ARGH.

Who Are We Gardening For?

education, rambling thoughts

Last weekend I attended the Smart Gardening conference. It is held annually in March and provides a perfect green fix for gardeners in my state who are really, REALLY wanting to be out in the garden right now. The day long event brings speakers on different topics and photos of many plants. The keynote speaker this year was Paul Zammit, the Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. I was able to see Paul speak before on containers at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. He’s a dynamic speaker who delights the audience, albeit startling them a bit at first.

What is the Cost of Perfection?

Paul shared with us a conversation he had with his grandfather who grew lemon trees. The newly informed horticultural student was eager to share his knowledge on how to prevent scale on the fruit. His grandfather told him only once had they treated for scale, and during that season no birds visited the garden. Paul’s grandfather pulled a lemon with scale from the tree, cut it and squeezed it into a glass of water he then handed to his grandson. He asked “Does it taste any different?” Of course, it was still delicious.

We as gardeners are constantly making choices when creating and maintaining a garden. We can choose the perfectly shaped, fake topiary for accents. But that same choice will lead to the eventual discarding of the weathered artificial tree into a landfill. Do we need the larger, scale free produce? How important is it to have altered beautiful, double blooms whose many petals then keep pollinators from accessing the pollen and nectar of the plant? When we clear our perennial plant stalks in fall or early spring to make the garden look more tidy, do we realize we may also be removing habitat our solitary bees could use?

Gardening is “Messy”

“Gardens are alive and ever-changing,” Paul shared with us. Over these past years of tending the Lot, I’ve become comfortable with the idea of letting plants be plants. Loosen up on the reins, gardeners! Be okay with edges not being perfect and plants being a bit bug nibbled. You’re tending not just a lovely garden, but a possible thriving ecosystem. Paul recommended a book by David Culp I also really enjoyed called The Layered Garden. It’s a great resource for gardeners who would like to build a garden bustling with life, but still maintain a bit of visual order.

Public Gardens and Education

Gardens are also opportunities to connect people to nature. Not only do gardens offer a space of respite for urban populations, they are also great classrooms. The opportunities I’ve had to teach kids about gardening have been some of my favorite in my volunteer work. Kids naturally seem to share my awe and excitement about gardening. However, Paul asked why are we focusing on just children? Why not bring in their parents for families to learn together? Why not indeed. What a great idea!

Who am I Gardening For?

As gardeners, we make choices every time we buy a plant or pull out a hedge that have an effect far beyond ourselves. I don’t think Paul meant for any gardener to suffer paralysis by analysis after his presentation, or even to feel any guilt. Instead, I feel his presentation challenged us as gardeners to revisit our approach to gardening. Who do we garden for? Pollinators? Birds? Future generations? Personally, I felt even more empowered after listening to him speak. We’re super heroes! As a comic book fan, this delights me. I’m even more excited than before to tackle this growing season. Let’s do this.