Don't Try This At Home!

Asian Jasmine used as groundcover

Asian Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) is one of those plants that gardeners have a love/hate relationship with.  On the one hand, this plant is a much-used groundcover in the South (zones 7 to 9) which will grow so thick weeds do not have a chance.  And isn't that the purpose of a groundcover?  Evergreen, this plant will grow to 6 to 12 inches above the ground in a solid mass.  Not particular, it thrives in either sun or shade.  It sounds like the perfect groundcover, right?  Read on!

Asian Jasmine neatly trimmed

Do you want to know the truth about this plant?  Asian Jasmine is horribly invasive.  It sends out runners that will cover everything.  And I mean everything!  I have seen this plant take over entire bushes, walls, benches, trees, parts of houses, - you name it - if left untended.  It will eat the entire garden if left to its own devices, and I've heard lots of horror stories.  I believe every one of them.  Told by flashlight around a circle, those tales can be downright scary.  In broad daylight, the horrifying sight of a neglected garden completely devoured by this beast is worse than any tale of a bogeyman, and will bring a gardener to their knees.

Asian Jasmine escaping

So, if you plan on using Asian Jasmine for a groundcover, be forewarned that you will need to treat it like a toddler: you can't leave it alone, or the outcome will probably be a diasaster.

And still more escaping

I was well aware of this plant's tendencies toward invasiveness, so I planted mine with hesitation.  And I surrounded it with concrete.  And still I must trim it.  Not just once, not twice, but several times a year. (Weekly would be better, and probably required as it matures.)  So, while it is very good at what it does, it is not easy care.  Definitely not a good choice for the lazy gardener.

And even more.....escaping

So, try this at home - if you dare.  But if you don't want your garden to be eaten by a green monster, be prepared for quite a bit of maintenance.

The Sound of Spring

The fish pond has been one of my favorite garden features.  Sweet little fish that come swimming up, mouths open, eager, and always thrilled to be fed, are some of the simplest joys in the garden.  During the winter months, all that ceases.  Sometimes encased under a layer of ice, they lay motionless on the bottom of the pond, silent, still, as though even time itself has slowed.

The fish pond last year

The pond's pump is unplugged during winter so it won't freeze.  Yesterday, though, all that changed.  The water in the fish pond finally warmed enough for the fish to come back to life.  They remember the cue I have for their feedings:  a swift sequence of knocks on the side.  Back to swimming up with their little mouths open, it brought a smile to my face.  Then, Mr. Holleygarden did something wonderful.  Magical.  Almost spectacular.  He started the pump.

Suddenly I realized how much I had missed the sound of the water splashing in the fountain.  This, to me, is the ultimate sound of spring, though there are many.

Birds, of course, are quite vocal in the coming of spring.  The individual sounds of mating, building nests, and their calls of warning, are all fascinating.  The quacking of geese in their wiggly, irregular V as they fly north on their long journey is a welcome sound to any southern garden.  So, too, is the buzzing of the bees.  The clicking of the hummingbirds as they fight over abundant nectar is humorous.  But the funniest thing about the hummingbirds is how they know where that nectar comes from.  When low, they will fly close enough to peer in the windows as if to say "Hey, you in there! Come fill up the feeders!  You're falling down on the job!".  In their mind, we are obviously their servants.

There is a creek below the house.  We will sometimes walk to it as quietly and silently as possible.  We do this in order to hear the hundreds - possibly thousands - of frogs that carry on their numerous conversations until we are detected.  At that moment, they all fall silent.  It is humorous to us and we wonder what kind of conversations we are missing.

One last sound of spring could be the hissing of snakes coming out of their hibernation.  Usually not heard by me, but obviously identified immediately by the cats, because we had the gift of a silenced snake on the doormat this morning.  So sweet, I suppose, in cat language.  I'm just thankful their gift was already dead!

I hadn't thought of the silence of winter until the sounds of spring began to register.  What sound signifies the coming of spring to you?

Stylish Blogger Award

 Do you remember Junior High gym class?  Our gym coach would choose two team leaders, and they would then proceed to pick the classmates they wanted on their team.  Not being very athletic, I was always a little delighted and surprised when I was chosen.  That's the way I felt when I was chosen by PlantPostings and A Rose is a Rose... for the Stylish Blogger Award.

Thank you, Beth and Masha.  I am honored.

In receiving this award, I must choose to follow the rules, which are:
1) Link back to the person who gave me the award.
2) Share seven random things about myself
3) Award 5 to 15 new or recently discovered bloggers and notify them.

#1 - I've linked above (and here) to PlantPostings and A Rose is A Rose... blogs.  They are both great blogs and I know you will enjoy reading them, if you haven't found them already.

#2 : about me
1) My favorite movie is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".  It always puts me in a good mood.
2) My closet is always in a horrible state of disarray.
3) I rarely spend money on anything, except the garden.
4) I can not resist ice cream if it is in the freezer.  I will eat it until it is all gone.
5) Plants in the ground outside are pampered; plants inside are barely kept alive; plants in outdoor containers are always forgotten.  I'm going to try to work on that this year.  But I say that every year.
6) Midnight, the cat, exercises with me.  I exercise to DVDs; she stretches.  When I start the DVD, she always comes running.
7) I'm growing my hair out, but don't know what length I want it to be.

I've been thinking about this award.  Since no one seems to know how it got started (I checked wikipedia), I was wondering about its merits.  I feel like this was probably started for a couple of reasons.  First, so other bloggers could find out a little bit more about the new bloggers.  And second, and most importantly for the new bloggers, to have new bloggers reach out to other bloggers, in a sense of community.  And help expedite their success.  I hope the bloggers I award this to will accept this award and appreciate its merits.

And now, without further ado,
#3:  The envelope please.

In no particular order, I am awarding the following 10 blogs The Stylish Blogger Award.

 Edible Landscape
 My Garden Diary by Kelli Boyles
 MacPlanting
 Handlebar Gardens
 Sunray Gardening
 Stupid Garden Plants
 It's Not Work, It's Gardening!
 The Garden State
 Juggling and Jellies
 Lincoln County Garden Girl

Congratulations.

The Fight

It seems like the fighting never ends, though there are breaks now and then.

And now, it's started again.  On go the gloves.  Back goes the hair.  I'm ready.

Round 1
So many weeds!  Mother Nature!  It's only February!  Pow!
Mother Nature - 1, Holleygarden - 0

Round 2
These weeds are coming up pretty easily.  So glad I've got soil that I've amended for years.  Kaboom!
Mother Nature - 1, Holleygarden - 1

Round 3
Hey!  That's not fair!  You're taking half my soil with the weed roots!  Bam!
Mother Nature - 2, Holleygarden - 1

Round 4
Mother Nature!  How can that be?  These weeds are flowering already!  Is that legal?  Whack!
Mother Nature - 3, Holleygarden - 1

Round 5
I've weeded this bed so many times it's almost weed free!  Bop!
Mother Nature - 3, Holleygarden - 2

Round 6
How can you get these weeds in the ground cover like that?  And under the tree roots?  And - not fair! - right on top of the bulbs I'm not supposed to disturb!  Blewy!
Mother Nature - 4, Holleygarden - 2

Round 7 
What kind of weed is this?  It itches!  I'm itching all over!  My arms are turning red!  Oh, wait - that's sunburn! Pow!
Mother Nature - 5, Holleygarden - 2

I'm tired, coach.  Thanks for the water.  Can I just sit here for a minute?  OK, OK, I'll go back in.  I'll go back in for all the gardeners.

Round 8 
I'm mad now, Mother Nature!  I'm determined!  I'm getting these stinking weeds out of here! Take that! Whack!
Mother Nature - 5, Holleygarden - 3

Round 9 
What a long root!  Oh, you almost won that one - but I got it!  I got it all! Bam!
Mother Nature - 5, Holleygarden - 4

Round 10
Hey, Mother Nature!  Again I call foul!  Fire ants!  Aagggghhhh!
                  1-2-3 OUT!

Knockout!  Mother Nature wins the match.  But the fight will go on.  Tomorrow's fight might get bloody, though.  Mother Nature has put briers in the rose bushes.

I'm tired, I'm sunburned, I'm itching, I've got fire ant bites.  I'm going to the showers.

Enthusiasm Found!

The weather has not been what was forecasted.  The forecast was for bright, sunny, beautiful, warm days.  Instead, the last few days have been misty, cloudy, very windy, and just generally yucky, to be technical.

So, my attention has turned once again to an inside project I've been working on for months.  Making curtains.  Which should have only taken a couple of days.  But I've drug it out because I have no enthusiasm for it.  I want to be outside.

However, today was "The Day".  The day Mr. Holleygarden said he would help me hang them - if I finished sewing those dratted curtains.  So, I did.  And he did.  And I had an epiphany.

Stay with me.

My back room is a hodge-podge of colors - red, yellow, green, brown, a touch of pink.  So, I decided my curtains needed to have all those colors in them.  And I didn't realize until they were hung that they were perfect.  Perfect!

Perfect because of all those colors.  You see, those windows look out to the back walking garden.  The back walking garden that has the colors red, yellow, green, and a bit of pink.  Essentially, unconsciously, I brought the outside in.  And when the flowers bloom, the entire room is going to come to life.  As if I wasn't before, now I'm really anxious for spring to come and the flowers to bloom!

Colors in my back walking garden:

Colors in my curtain material:

Isn't it funny the many ways our gardens influence us, even when we don't realize it?  And now that the curtains are finally finished, I can devote all my time to the garden!  Well, weather permitting.

Riddle Me This!

Many years ago, during a marketing class I was taking at the time, a professor asked us this question:

What product:
Has been around for centuries
Needs no advertising
Has had no noticeable improvement for decades
Yet everyone needs this product
And the average household has seven!

We could not think of the answer.  Can you?  It's scissors!

How valuable scissors are in the garden!  Pruners, loppers, shears and even just lowly, plain scissors are very much needed and appreciated by the gardener.  I remember reading that HRH The Prince of Wales' gardeners (not being English, I hope I titled that correctly!) go around cutting grass edges with scissors.  Not grass shears.  Regular scissors.

Working each area around my garden, plants are not safe from my cutting tools.  I trim the dwarf indian hawthornes that encroach onto the path.  Ivy is cut back.  So, too is the asian jasmine.  Hedges are given a good trimming.  Roses are pruned.  Even trees are not safe!

In this picture of a relaxing area in my garden, there are holly hedges, boxwood hedges, roses and trees that have all been subjected to one type of scissor or another.  Like a good haircut that enhances the face, this garden would be completely different if not for the annual trimming it receives.

This week I am busy in the garden using all the different types of gardening scissors.  I enjoy this chore.  I know when I start giving the garden its haircut, summer's beauty is not far away.

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet."                            - James Openheim

Feb 2011 Bloom Day

A couple of years ago I began to contemplate the idea of a garden with blooms all year.  Could it be done here?  Certainly in California it is possible.  In the north, probably not.  It would be hard to find blooms under the piles of snow.

Here, however, our climate is a little of this, a little of that.  A little bit of freezing, with a sprinkling of some snow some years.  Still,  I wondered if I could get some plants to bloom during the coldest months of the year.  So, I began to plan and to plant.

Then, digging around on different garden blogs,  I found a fun monthly group of participants engaging in a garden game of sorts.  Called Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I realized this would be a test of my garden, and of my skill as a gardener.  I did have a bloom in January.  So, I was optimistic, but still a bit worried about February, especially after the unusually long freezing temperatures we sustained.

Well, I'm tickled and pleased to present my first addition to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  A camellia bud just beginning to open:

Camellia japonica 'Professor Charles Sargent'

If it had opened earlier, it would have frozen.  But it held off, even though I begged and pleaded with it to hurry and bloom.  (Thank goodness it didn't take my advice!)  It is now opening slowly, but surely (I've been watching it every day), and even though it's in bud stage and not technically a bloom, I'll take it.  Of course, as every gardener knows, each year is different, and I may not always have a bloom, or even a bud, to share.  But I've always loved a challenge.