I am spending next Sunday discussing a not-so-interesting book but after the discussion I have arranged a kind of dessert for myself: A good friend and I will have a seedfest—we're going through umpteen seed catalogs and ordering for next summer. ( When you're 70, excitement is different from when you were 22. Fortunately, I can still dance two or three times a week. )
I have my eyes on seeds of rose campion ( magenta/deep pink flowers and gray-green foliage—three feet tall, perennial and it often reseeds ) and also Johnny-jump-ups to fill in blank spots in my borders as well as maybe some kind of purple or pink agastache AND ( if I can find seeds ) a new variety of giant Jack Frost Brunerra ( white large leaves with green veins for shade ). The last will replace a poor but healthy Montauk daisy that has stretched two-and-a-half feet sideways reaching for sun.
This has not been a wonderful winter, but actually it has been rather mild—my outdoor fish pond has never frozen. I hope this weather doesn't affect my ( was it 500? ) bulbs—I put much mulch on the whole yard. ( The neighbors helped—I can imagine their musings: "That crazy geezer wants my leaves? Well, yes. I'll deliver them!" They did. )
I've been checking out a little book about housekeeping: The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. It sounds cutesy-pie but it is not.
It certainly is working inside my house and I'm thinking some of its principles could also apply to the garden: 1 ) If a plant or garden object doesn't "spark joy" in you, then recycle, discard or give it away. Kondo says ( hey, it's her method ) one should physically touch the plant/object and figure out what you're going to do with it. If you're getting rid of it she says to ( out loud ) thank it for being part of your life but now it's moving on. 2 ) Sentiment counts—if your mom gave it to you keep it even if it doesn't quite fit. 3 ) Go through your garden shed ( for example ) all in one day—lay out all your tools and supplies on the patio or grass. If you've got 4 or 5 identical shovels, get rid of 3 ( allowing the chance your spouse might help ). Have you never used that fertilizer in 5 years? Out! 4 ) Try not to stockpile unless you have multiple sheds and staff.
Here's your recipe for this column: mustard grits with dill pickles. Ingredients: chicken broth ( 1 cup ), apple juice ( 1 cup ), yellow grits ( 1/3 cup ) 1 dill pickle, diced fine, crumbled goat cheese ( 1/3 cup ), prepared yellow mustard ( 3 Tbsp ), chopped dill ( 1 and1/2 Tbsp. ), salt and pepper to taste. Directions: Heat broth and juice to boil. Whisk in grits and cook according to package. Stir in pickles, goat cheese, mustard and dill. Season with S and P.
Mother Earth News recommends Perilla ( Shiso or red beefsteak plant ) for your garden—as an herb, a medicine and an ornamental. It is a self-seeding annual about 2 ft. tall and will grow in sun or partial shade. It can be used in stir-fry, to color pickles ( purple ) or as an ornamental. "Red" is a misnomer—it is a deep purple/black with no hint of green and is beautiful. Mother Earth says you can add it to vinegar and saurkrauts for color and flavor ( anise ). I got mine from a 95 year old Japanese-American neighbor lady down the street. Many friends have collected seeds from my specimens!
Tidbits—Afraid of dragonflies? Don't be—they're perfectly harmless to people ( can't bite or sting ) and they eat mosquitoes and flies.
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Like those little spring bulbs, Snowdrops? Turns out there are many varieties such as a double yellow kind ( "Lady Elphinstone" ) available from Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Bryn Mawr, Pa. ( carolynsshadegardens.com )
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While natural colored planters and garden art are soothing every so often gardeners need to kick up their heels and throw in a splash of color—I'm going to copy a wooden stand painted bright purple filled with bright red geraniums for my upper deck.
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Want a Magnolia Tree? Try the "March til Frost" variety which re-blooms through the growing season, is hardy here in Chicago, has pink flowers, and maxes out at 20 ft. high.
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Speaking of re-blooming— I think anyone who gets new ( zillions of colors ) daylilies that don't re-bloom is crazy!
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You think only deciduous plant leaves change color? Try a "Chief Joseph" Lodgepole pine which turns bright golden in fall. Color and needles stay all winter. Hardy here—eight feet, max.
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Did the plant in your wire hanging basket die? Pull out the planting medium, put an old plate in the bottom and voila, a bird feeder.
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Well, what appeared at my bird feeder the other day ( when I didn't have my camera/phone ) but a two-foot-tall brown-and-white hawk. There were no other birds around for some reason.
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To return to my tidying friend for closing, Ms Kondo recommends that you, by yourself, thank your house for sheltering you and giving you a place of refuge. I think that would be a good thing to do for your garden too. See you at the next garden club meeting!
