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!