A Two Year Process

I was asked on a comment on my last post about how long I had been working on my garden.  I couldn't quite remember.  So much had changed that it was hard to remember back to what it was.  I had to go back to my photo files.

 This is the way it looked when we had our first look.  There was lawn under the snow, on both sides of the fence.  The clothes line was the dominant feature of the side yard.

In May of 2009, a little more than two years ago, before we even took possession I was pulling the weeds away from the few daffodils hugging the side of the house.  I remember the former owner asking if I wanted to buy her grass trimmer.  My answer was that I wouldn't need one.  There would be no grass to trim.


As soon as we moved in we got rid of the fence and the tree stump and the tree whose roots were causing damage.  I started digging up the grass, and planting what I could scrounge up.  I also bought a couple of rose bushes on sale.

I knew a field where flat rocks were available and our city has a compost site not far from us.  I used newspapers underneath the raised beds of compost to discourage weeds from coming through.

I was able to get quite a few annuals for next to nothing when the beds were done because the season was half way over.

I also planted a few vegetables like cucumbers in the planter and beans, both as a border and for climbing.  We picked up the bench arbor at an outlet that had it cheap because it was missing a couple of caps.

It wasn't until the second year(last year)  that I painted the deck white.  Last spring I was able to get one of the grape vines that I had started at the last house we had.  I didn't expect it to do much the first year, but it took off.

Even though during the summer of 2010 I was at the hospital with my husband most of the time, the garden continued to mature and bless me when I came home exhausted at night.  And even when I was away for almost a month in Toronto while Bruce had his heart valve replaced, the garden kept up a cheerful front.

I thank the Lord for the outlet of my garden during those trying days.  The beauty of God's creation can really be a healing balm in times of trouble. 

This year I have expended a lot of effort into vegetable gardening in two different plots, but my flower garden continues to bless both my husband and myself, as well as being a way of interacting with my neighbors and their children.

Making the Decision

I had almost decided to remove the blaze rose that was attracting so much attention.  (See Why can't I be satisfied?)  I was making a deal to swap roses with my daughter, Anita.  She had rescued my new dawn rose when we moved up north.  But I always liked it and wished I still had it.  Its pale pink flowers were beautiful while still being soft and restful.

I was going to wait till fall and then make the trade.  But then things changed.  It wasn't so much all the people, some total strangers that would stop to exclaim over the blaze roses, they had been doing that all along;
 
and it wasn't even the fact that other flowers in my garden began to compliment the blaze; I was convinced that the blaze was overpowering every other plant. It was something far more weighty.

 

I have always been the gardener in the family.  My husband had never taken an interest in any of my gardening activities, especially not my flower gardening.  But life is changing around our home.  Bruce spent most of last year near death. I didn't expect to have my husband back again, but through God's divine intervention and the restorative nutrients He placed in the lowly coconut,my husband is now well.

But things have changed.  Although I still do most of the gardening, Bruce is often outside with me.  And he has opinions.  Bruce likes the blaze rose bush. 

We often eat our meals on the deck and this is what he sees:

And so it stays. and I am now quite happy with that.

To Prune or Not To Prune...

That always seems to be the question from my customers and gardening friends. The answer is always... Prune! Don't be afraid to prune - when in doubt err on the side of cutting that plant!

I don't even worry too much about when. I know most garden books will say "best pruned in fall or cut back in the spring." That may be true but my theory is "If it needs cutting do it now". God created plants to grow back. Nothing is more unattractive in a garden than a leggy plant. Besides, every time you prune, you create the opportunity for the plant to put out more branches and leaves and flowers.

Look at the before and after of this Autumn Joy sedum.

Before

See all the new growth on the "after" picture. Every one of those stems will produce a flower.  I'm sure there are plants out there somewhere that don't respond well to pruning but honestly I don't know of any.

To get more blooms next year on your Hydrangea, prune it after the blooms fade. If you prune before the plant blooms in the spring you will prune off this year's flowers. Hydrangea bloom on new wood so if you cut the flowers off as soon as they start to fade, you will get lots more branches and lots more blooms next year.

Azaleas, viburnum, spirea, weigela, petunias, geranium, butterfly bushes, coleus are just a few of the plants that benefit from pruning.

After

There is much controversy about cutting back clematis. Remember it takes at least three years to establish a Clematis vine. I have grown Clematis successfully for years. I prune mine when they get too big for their trellis or if they seem to have very thin week vines. I prune all my varieties in the fall - I can't make myself prune off the tiny buds in spring. I know the books say there are three types of Clematis and they should be pruned according to the type - I pretty much ignore that and prune as needed in fall. So far in 20 years of beautiful Clematis this has worked for me. The fall pruning causes more vines to come up the following spring. I have pruned a big overgrown vine in summer and been rewarded with a new flush of flowers in the fall.

Get your pruning sheers and don't be afraid! The plants will reward you with lots of foliage and flowers!

Clematis and Siberian Iris

I planted a pair of clematises together and the effect is striking.  Since the roses haven't quite started their show yet, and the irises are mostly past their peek, it's nice to have this wow spot in my cottage garden.

Just to the right of them is this Siberian Iris that my daughter found for me.  I have had it for a couple of years and I finally get to see what it looks like.  I love it.  It almost looks like a painting in this shot.

The soapwart is another old faithful. I started the mother plants from seed three gardens ago and kept bringing volunteer seedlings from place to place.  This one actually made a detour to my daughter's garden making this at least the fourth generation of seedlings.

Behind the soapwart is the beauty bush I just planted this year.  The spot is under an awning and gets very little rain.  There was a small orange rose bush there, but I didn't want orange in this garden, so I gave it away and got the draught tolerant beauty bush. 

What I wasn't told was that the center of the beauty bush flowers are orange. I give up!  What good is a cottage garden without a little color variety anyway!

No regrets

I find it amazing that when the time comes to leave my garden that has been my pride and joy for a time, I have no regrets.  I am happy to get on with the next project.

 I do look at certain plants like my pair of clematises and wonder why they give their best display when I am on the point of saying good bye.


But then I look at my wide open land and the beautiful topsoil and I get all excited.

 It's a new beginning, and I love it.