New Year and New Ways to Garden

As the 2007 year draws to a close and the new year is about to begin, it is a good time to reflect on the ways we have been gardening. As an educator for approximately 33 years, I find it interesting how teaching methods seem to come full circle. Each year, new methods are introduced, but time has proven that some of the old methods are still the best methods.

It is the same with gardening. Some of the best tried and true methods were those practices used by our grandparents and great grandparents. They did not have the benefit of pesticides, fertilizers and fancy garden equipment. They used simple methods and products that were readily available and affordable.

Many gardeners are now realizing that new is not always better. For instance, I still use what some might call a honey hoe to cultivate with. It was my grandparents and I have never come across one like it anywhere, yet it is the tool I grab first and foremost, whenever I head out to weed or cultivate my garden.

As our world experiences global warming, pollution, increasing rates of cancer and autism, it would benefit all of us to rethink our methods of gardening. Consider including drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption. Plant an extra tree to help reduce pollution, provide a habitat for wildlife and reduce consumption of energy for air conditioning. Grow more native plants and less invasive species. You will find that they do better in your locale and are more resistant to disease and pests. Cut back on the fertilizers and pesticides. Consider I.P.M. (Integrated Pest Management) or better yet go organic. Start using products that are better for our environment and healthier for you.

Take time and join a garden forum where ideas and practices can be shared. I would highly recommend The Organic Gardeners Forum run by Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser. Both are knowledgeable professionals that are happy to help each of us to garden in a more earth friendly way. You may just find that your methods of gardening lead you full circle to those of your ancestors.

How lovely are the sites of the holidays..I wonder what the critters think?

As I look around at the lights and holiday decorations at each home, I wonder what the critters think about this annual ritual. Do the deer think how nice man is to light up the outside so they can find their way to that tasty rhododendron? Or do they wonder if their under seige by the giant inflatibles? And what must they think when the lights suddenly go out? Do birds wish that someone would shut out the lights in their favorite pine tree so they can get some shut eye? I am sure they think that humans have some pretty bizarre practices.

Where did time go?

I spent most of Saturday cleaning up the last of leaves. Even though winter is officially three weeks away, it seems like fall decided to hang in there forever. It took until the last few days for the last of my dogwood and oak leaves to depart from their branches. I managed to collect the last of the leaves and deposit them into my compost bin while my husband started to put holiday decorations up on the house.

My husband and I hauled 7 trailer loads of compost home from the local municipality site this past May and June, and I finally used the last of it yesterday to put down on two of my perennial beds. As evening closed in, the temperatures started to plummet. My husband called it a day as I cleaned up the tarps and swept the walks before heading in. As I turned to put my the broom in the garage, I heard a familiar sound off in horizon. I waited and the sound grew louder. There up high in the clouds was a flock of geese looking for a place to bed down for the night. It was a wonderful way to say farewell to another growing season.

Tonight the wind is gusting and snow is falling. It seems like it was fall one day and winter the next. I just finished cleaning up my work area. There were canna and cala bulbs to store, the thawed hoses to wind up, tools to clean and pots to store. My husband was thrilled to see my area look organized again and ready for spring. I did not have the heart to tell him that I found two pots of hyacinth bulbs that need to be planted. I hope I can get them in before Christmas.

First Snow

The last couple of weeks have been daily leaf pickup and getting a few last minute perrenials and bulbs planted. As I watched the temperature drop while cleaning up my lawn last night in the dark, I am grateful for getting that new layer of leaves composted. This morning there is a good inch of snow on the lawns. I am sure it is the first of many to come. In the months of head, I will be longing for Spring, but today there is a special beauty to this first dusting of snow.

Fall Planting Marathon

The last few weeks have been a blur. My husband and I had our property resurveyed three weeks ago and then had the 30+ year old silver maple removed from our backyard. Our weekend plan of attack was to put in a split rail fence along the border of our property and our neighbors, plant six columnar junipers and four viburnums along the fence line and transplant several shrubs and trees. Of course we picked the one weekend in October where our area set a new weather record of 90 degrees. My husband rented a power auger for the weekend. We figured we would drill all the holes for the posts along with three to four holes for every tree and shrub we planned on planting. I was eternally grateful that we got the auger. Our soil was like concrete and full of rocks and tree roots. I now realize why my grass is in such horrible condition. There was not one ounce of evidence that there was any decent top soil under our grass. Apparently the top soil was removed when the house was built and nothing was ever added after the completion.

Amazingly, we got all the fence posts in, along with three junipers. The next day we finished getting the last of the junipers in along with the four viburnums. I lost four pounds during those two days. Although I was grateful for the loss of a few pounds, it is not the way I would recommend losing weight.

Each evening I would come home from work and plant one or two more shrubs before it got too dark to see. One evening, I actually put on the little head light my husband gave me for Christmas, just so I could get finished. I managed to get a new tree planted and another relocated. I also relocated one viburnum that got flooded for days after a severe summer storm that dumped several inches of rain in a couple hours.

The end results are fabulous. I can only imagine what everything will look like in a few years when the plants mature. It will be fun watching them grow. Seeing the fruits of ones labor is so rewarding.

Open Sky and Open Space

It is amazing what a difference one large tree removal can make in a landscape. For the past two weeks, I would look out of my guest bedroom window at the large silver maple that stood before my eyes. There I tried to imagine what that space would look like without that tree. I knew that it would look bare but you never really know until it is actually gone.

Opening up that space was like turning on a light bulb. The property beside me and behind me suddenly opened up. My husband said that our property suddenly looked much larger, and he was correct. Not only did the ground surface seem larger, but the air space was wide open. A smaller sugar maple that had been situated nearby suddenly looked deformed. For years the silver maple had grown toward the sun light and directly into this little guy, and because of that, the tree appears to be cut in half. My only hope is, that with the new space, its limbs will grow out into the space that originally should have been his.

Farewell Big Guy

Today my husband and I had a seventy foot silver maple removed from our small backyard. Even though we have a nice size lot, we have a small backyard. One of the things that we loved most about our home when we purchased it, was the mature trees on the property. We had four trees that were in questionable state. The first was a sugar maple that had the most spectacular fall color. This tree had lost most of its bark due to construction of the new addition on the house by a previous owner. We knew it would have to be removed because it was slowly losing limbs and dying back. Nearby, I planted a Serviceberry.

Then there was a silver maple bordering the neighbor's and our property. It had developed a serious lean toward our house and was becoming extremely close. We felt that while it was fairly small, it needed to come out. Our neighbor agreed that we could remove it because the property line was not clearly defined and neither of us knew which of us was the legal owner. Besides, they were moving, so it was no big loss to them. In its place I planted a red bud and a varigated cornellian cherry.

We also have a lovely white oak near the front corner of our house. I guess I should correct myself and say it is a white oak but lovely would not be the best adjective to describe it. When we first looked at the house, most of the leaves were shriveled up and falling off of it. We dismissed it as a result of a drought. In reality it had Jumping Oak Gall. Not only did it occur that summer, but it returned again the following summer too. We had an arborist look at it and found that it was extremely deficient and needed lots of ammendments to its soil. This summer the tree began oozing at that flares and we were told that it had some type of bacteria infecting it. So it appears that this tree is not long for our yard.

Some time, several owners ago, a silver maple was planted in our back yard. I guess it was probably put there because it was inexpensive and a fast grower. One of the previous owners had removed a huge limb that was heading toward the house. It never collared over, and had been rotting back into the main trunk. It was only a matter of time before the tree would need to be removed, so we decided that sooner was better then later.

It is not an easy decision for me to have a tree removed, especially one that is as large as this one. And so I comtemplated for several years as to what to do about this tree. Even on the suggestion of our arborist, it was with reluctance that I gave the orders to have it removed. I know that some people have little regard about trees. I found that they either love them or hate them. Its easy to tell who these folks are by taking a look in their yards.

But I believe these stately giants deserve a place in our world. With so many new developments going in, the tree is losing ground in our landscapes. Their benefits are numerous. They provide a home for various wildlife and shade on a hot summer's day. If planted in an appropriate location, they can be a natural form of air conditioning for our homes. They add value to ones property whether we like them or not. And lets not forget they remove air polution and provide us with oxygen. So it is with regrets that I remove this gentle giant. I do however, promise to replace this tree with a new one,; for my yard would not be the same without one.

And so I say goodbye to a my big old tree.

Fall's Second Wind

It is amazing how the heat of summer seems to take the steam out of one's desire to garden. Now that fall has sent cooler nights, lower humidity and a decrease in daylight, the sudden urge to work in the garden has stirred the gardening bug in me. Perhaps it is knowing that it will soon be time to put the garden to bed or the fact that I will be shut in during those cold days ahead and wishing I could be outside. Either way, I feel like I have been given a second wind to garden.

Now is the time to plant all those items that have been sitting in pots patiently waiting for a new place in the garden. This past spring, I promised myself that I was not going to impulse buy and then rush to get them planted before frost. I did not impulse buy, but I am rushing to get things planted.

I am also trying to get those fall tasks done. I put down the milky spores and limed the lawn. Now I am trying to get a layer of compost on my sad looking lawn. The lawn is the one part of gardening that does not appeal to me and I am trying to make what lawn I have, resemble something vaguely similar to those of my neighbors. I have always tried to practice a more organic approach to gardening. If my plants did not survive, then they had no business in my garden. And if my lawn looked bad, it was because I did not want to dump harmful chemicals on it just to make it look green and weed free. Besides, grass is just a ground cover.....right? But now I live in a new neighborhood and lawns are a coveted commodity. One neighbor cuts the lawn as soon as it grows a quarter of an inch. That could mean three cuttings a week. Another removes every leaf or twig that lands in the grass. And here I am with dandelions, violas and ground ivy. I can only hope that all my efforts will show an improved lawn come spring. I can hope, but I am not going to hold my breath.

Photo Walk

Today, I talked my husband into going on a photo walk. He likes taking photos and I wanted to see if I could capture some nice photos of morning sunlight. What started out to be a half hour walk ended two hours later with us exploring a well kept secret in our area. During an earlier walk, I discovered a well secluded park in my community. It has no signs indicating its existance except for the one posted sign at the entrance. The park is located on a long dirt road where only those that reside there dare wonder. What we found was a charming track of land that was purchased by a local doctor and donated to our township. The park appears to be maintained by some local boy scout troops. There is about a one mile trail loop that circles around a natural pond and then meanders through a woodland and meadow. What a wonderful surprise to see such a natural preserve tucked away in a residential neighborhood. Apparently the scouts are attempting to plant lots of native species in the wetland area.
As we left, I can say that I look forward to a return to this natural area to explore the local wildlife and plants species.

Loss of a Special Friend

Last month I lost a special companion and friend. I had my sweet mutt of 14 years, put to sleep. Chance was like a well weathered tree that had suffered many battle scars from many wicked storms. At age 3 1/2, I discovered a lump on his rear leg. The biopsy showed that it was cancerous. My option was to do nothing and remove the tumor when it returned and risk the cancer spreading to his lungs, amputate his leg or take him to Cleveland, Ohio for fifteen days of radiation treatment at an outpatient clinic. We opted for number three.

During the last week of treatment, Chance had to stay over night because the radiation machine broke down. He had to be taken to a human lab to be radiated. When he returned to the dog clinic, he backed out of his collar and took off. We returned to Ohio and spent 10 1/2 hours searching some of the wealthiest and most dangerous sections of Cleveland. In the morning, Chance was spotted by a technician, who came early to help search for him. After another hour of looking, I found Chance at the intersection of two fences in an industrial park. One fence backed a major interstate and another backed a major highway. There, laying in some dried grass was my dog. The reunion was like a scene from a Lassie movie. Tears flowing and lots of licks on the face. It really was a miracle that we found him at all. Chance beat the odds of being found again and he beat his cancer.

Years past and Chance spent many lazy summer hours laying by my side as I weeded, planted and brought in the harvest in my garden. He chased the neighboring cats out of our yard whenever the squirrels sounded their alarm. It was almost an duty and obsession of his to protect these critters.

Six years ago, Chance was diagnosed with diabetes. He began two daily injections of insulin. During the first year, he received too much insulin and was taken to an emergency clinic. Despite our mistakes and our probing for a good injection site, he always sat like a perfect gentleman until receiving his shot.

Five years ago, his eyesight began to fail as he developed cataracts in both eyes. We were told he would most likely be blind within the first year of his diabetes. Chance defied the odds and took two years before his cataracts needed to be removed. He had undergone surgery to have them removed and the doctor was able to put in one artificial lens. He underwent lots of doctor visits and received lots of eye drops.

Two years ago, he developed an ulcer in one eye and needed a tissue plug placed on it to help it heal. More surgery and he still persevered.
Then in the fall of 2006, he developed a slight cough. It was treated and had returned. In January, it turned into full blown pneumonia. His prognosis was not good. He was not expected to survive a week. But again, he defied the odds, and rebounded. The doctors were amazed. But as we weaned him off antibiotics, the condition returned and eventually the antibiotics no longer worked. I came home from work to find that he was having difficulty breathing. This was his final stand.He had gone through so much but his immune system was finally failing him. That night we put him to sleep.

Whenever I see a weathered tree I will always think of this sweet creature and all the storms that he battled throughout his life. There is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded about him. Maybe, it is because the older I get, the more I realize just how fragile life really is.

In Loving Memory of Chance

Today is a beautiful day! The rays of light filtered through the sentinels of trees this morning. I sat by the creek and contemplated. I missed classes, but somehow it didn't matter. The serenity and beauty of my feelings and surroundings completely captivated me.................

I thought of you. I discovered you tucked away in the shadows of the trees. Then rediscovered you on the smiles of the flowers as the sun penetrated the petals ........ in the rhythm of the leaves falling upon the stream ........... in the freedom of the robin as he flew searching as you do.

I'm very happy to have found you again. Now, you will never leave me, for I will always find you in the beauty of life.

Ah......If Trees Could Talk

Late last fall, a wind storm took down the old apple tree at my childhood home. All that held it to the ground was one massive root. The entire inside base was completely decayed. I spent 8 hours cutting up branches so that my 83 year old father would not be burdened with the mess.
The tree was the last apple tree to stand on my great grandparents home sites. The land was filled with fruit trees, grapes, raspberries, flower and veggie gardens before my father built our home on the site.
On Monday, my husband, father and I cut down the remains of what I did not get done in November. Amazingly, those branches that remained were covered in apple blossoms. In its last moments of life , the tree was decked out in such a lovely and sweet smelling bloom. The bees were busy pollinating as we removed the last limbs.
As I turned to check on my father to make sure that he was not over doing it, I could see a tear trickling down his face. I knew that memories were flashing through his mind. I sat down next to him on his cedar swing to share some memories. As a child, I use to climb up that tree and let my imagination soar. My sister and I had many a tea party under its canopy. My dad hung a big old rope on one of the big limbs and we swung on it. I would chase my dogs around it.
My dad told me that he remembered the tree as a small whip when he was just a boy. Five generations had emcompassed their lives. The woodpeckers drilled lots of holes in it looking for insects. A section of our locust tree blew off and hit a big limb off of it. The wrens faithfully returned each year to build a nest in the birdhouse that hung on one of the branches. The squirrel would sit in one of the decaying branch cavities and eat sunflower seeds that my father would place in it each day during the winter months. Now it sat in neatly stacked piles, waiting to be transported to my house to be burned in my fireplace. Ah,.....if trees could talk, what stories they would tell.