Putting the Garden to Rest

The leaves are falling. I'm getting ready to buy straw to lay on the beds. Most of the vegetables have been pulled up and the garden is turned over. I'm clipping back perennials and doing some last bits of pruning on the bushes. Winter is on its way. Every year at this time, I reflect on my garden accomplishments of the past year.

I filled in some holes in the garden with new perennials. This will be a main focus next season as well. I moved my vegetable garden, but I won't know if this was an accomplishment until next year. The vegetables were sparse and tasteless. Was this due to the new location or the odd cool and rainy weather we had? I built a "fairy garden" with my daughter and the fairies brought us two presents -- a smooth pink marble and a small beaded necklace. (The excitement was palpable when my daughter discovered the gifts. I would say that building her love for the magic of nature is a HUGE accomplishment.) I moved a few bushes and grasses, making room for more healthy growth. I added a new garden that will eventually serve as a grand entrance to my back yard...at least that's how I envision it. And yes, I can't forget...I finally figured out how to successfully cultivate compost. But... I guess my biggest garden accomplishment was out of the garden. I finally published the garden book I've been working on for a year and a half.

So, do the accomplishments outweigh what didn't get done? I haven't finished the garden path I started to my daughter's reading garden two years ago. I have piles of garden rejects -- twigs and branches, whole trees, and other scraps -- that remain behind numerous garden beds, creating an eye sore. (Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised next year and have a great supply of compost beneath the brush!) A tree is falling down in my woods. I didn't even know where to begin with that and hope that maybe it's really on my neighbor's side and not mine. I look forward to watching the snow drip from it. The invasive weed I hoped was eradicated last year was back this year. I didn't give it as much attention is I ought to have and fear that it will be back in full force next season.

A gardener's work is never done, but now it is time to put it all to bed. In another couple of months I'll begin puring through catalogs again, making sure I've got all my notes about the gardens in order, and dream of new projects.

Kids in the Garden

Each month I try to post ideas for kids activities in the garden. I realized that I missed last month. I need to set a day each month to do it so it gets done. So, since I thought of it today and today is the 19th...the 19th of each month will be the official day for posting about kids in the garden. I know of other garden bloggers posting "columns" the first weekend of the month, the 15th of the month, and the 30th of the month. I figure no one has a lock on the 19th!

Before I start with some new ideas for kids activities in the garden. I must mention that our sunflower house seems to have failed. I have very bad luck with sunflowers. They grow short and scraggly or not at all. Next year I will try one more time in the sunniest location on my property. The sunflower plot is backed against the woods this year and I'm afraid it is not getting enough light. The year before I think the chipmunks stole the seeds. We also wanted to participate in the Great Sunflower Project, but since we can't get the sunflowers to grow we have to skip it. I figure at least my daughter has learned that gardening is not perfect. We will have some disappointments.

One more update about a past activity...the reading garden is a huge success! Yesterday my daughter pulled her best friend into the garden and announced "No grownups allowed!" They sat on the reading bench together READING! Woohoo! Freedom in the garden is important. Creating secret hideouts and exploration are all important parts of their outdoor learning.

A new found garden activity that we enjoy together is singing. I explained that gardening is fun because it is such a quiet activity that you can chat or sing while doing it. So the little one pulled on her gardening gloves and started making up songs about mother nature. "We love plants. Plants are gooood, ooooooo." I decided to turn it into a little lesson. I asked why she thinks plants are good and she told me they are pretty. So, I told her about how plants take in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out. They turn it into oxygen so that we can breathe. "Plants are good...ooo...they make oxygen. yeah, yeah! oooooo!" (sing this song to your own tune or try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -- one of our personal favorites.)

Yesterday I encouraged my daughter and her friends to take a break from play to try some of the first raspberries and blueberries of the season. They clamored for as much as they could get. There is nothing like sharing fresh fruit off the bush with kids.

Playing with garden creatures is super fun stuff. (Just don't let your child name a frog it finds and then find one that looks like it dead in the pool the next day. "Mom? MOM! Is that Jackie frog? What's wrong with Jackie frog?!" Tip: The best thing to do is to empty the strainers and scan the pool before your child goes for a dip.) We've begun hunting for butterflies since they are starting to frequent the garden more regularly as their favorite plants are flowering. My daughter has a net to catch them. We then transfer them to a bug house and watch them for a few months before releasing. We have also included other bugs in our hunts. We had grasshoppers and ants visiting at one time. Hunting for small bugs is a great activity because a. It keeps the little one busy for an hour and b. it encourages the child to focus, looking really closely at nature to find really small things. Our intention is to pick up a bug identification book this summer so we can learn more about them. My sister Liz, who is still known for her butterfly catching prowess twenty five years later, sent my daughter a Live Butterfly Garden for her birthday. The set we have is made by Insect Lore. The box contains a cage for the butterflies, but you have to mail away a postcard and three dollars to get the caterpillars and food. (I thought it was a little cheesy that they want three more dollars from us after my sister bought this nice gift. If they really need the three dollars, why not charge it right off the bat? Three dollars isn't a lot, but it seems like they've already been paid...Perhaps I'm just being too cynical?) We will let you know how the butterflies grow.

We have also spent time pressing flowers. We have a fancy press (two pieces of woods with large screws at each corner) from Oriental Trading Company. Most of my life I've used heavy books with pieces of papers in them. My daughter and I go for bike rides and she collects the wildflowers in her front basket. We have wildflower identification guide that encourages her to check off what she finds. Some of the specimens we use for drying are also from my flower gardens. The skinnier the flowers work the best. Flowers with fat blossoms take longer to dry and sometimes mold or turn an ugly color before we complete the process. I'm sure there is a fancy way to prevent this, but this is a pretty simple project. The drying takes about a week. When the flowers are ready, we make collages, taking photographs of friends, cut pieces of colored paper, and adding our own drawings. These make great cards! When I was young, my mother and I put the flowers in our photo albums. As an archivist I must add that though this is quite pretty, it is very bad for your photographs. The organic matter will eat away at the papers. Instead, make copies of photographs or better yet, photocopy the flowers. (My high school art teacher makes beautiful pieces of art out of scanned flowers and has exhibited the work in SoHo.) Allow kids to be creative with the originals, scans, or photocopies. Hone their artistic talents while teaching them about science.

With bugs, fresh fruit, flowers, and musical entertainment we are having a great summer. I hope that you are too. Happy exploring!

Finishing Projects

I started painting my gazebo the other day and then it rained. My gazebo sits -- half white, half brown -- waiting for my attention. I have big plans for the space, formulated while whitewashing and dreaming, enjoying the sounds of chirping birds and scoping out my gardens. As I painted, and was eaten alive by the biggest mosquitos I've ever seen, I began considering screening in the space. I also envision flowers dripping from flower boxes hanging on the rails of the gazebo. I will fix up the roof, which has loose tiles. I will somehow get up to the dilapidated cupola and replace missing panels. At least while I used my powerwasher on the space, no creature came flying out! (I had feared there were bats in there.) I also hope to place a nice brick patio-like area in front of the gazebo steps. But now, after a short break, I wonder how much of this project I will actually finish.

First, I consider how wise my ideas are to begin with. For example, what is the point of screening in a gazebo on the edge of the woods? When you open the door, won't all the bugs go flying in and wait for you inside? I picture them poised and ready when I am not on my guard. There I will be thinking I am kept safe by the screen, while really it will only provide a false security. I then consider how much time this will take. Do I have time to do this on my own? Will my daughter allow me the large increments of time I need to finish my duties over the summer? How much time will this take away from planting, weeding and my regular garden activities? Also, do I have the talent to get this all accomplished?

I think about the garden visions I've had over the years. How many have I accomplished? I was able to line my whole driveway with rudbeckia at my last house before I left. But I was never able to get anything growing in the backyard, spending all of my time in the front. I also think about my non-gardening projects. My master bathroom has been screaming for attention for two years. I've done as much as I can without spending a lot of money, with my limited tools, and my limited demolition skills. In the rest of the house, I envision retiling the hallway, sanding the wood floors, etc. etc. How much will I actually do? will my priorities change over time? which projects should I tackle first?

I have grand visions. Perhaps dreaming up new projects is part of the fun. Or, is it just a sign of an overactive imagination that is never totally satisfied? I am somewhat disturbed that thus far I have never fully achieved a total vision for my living space. I wonder how others feel about their own ongoing projects. How long does it take you to finish projects once you start them? How many project plans do you have on your plate? Do you ever feel close to finishing your list?
Do you try to accomplish your tasks on your own or do you hire "experts" to help you?