Muddy Paws

The Alley

2009-07-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

The alley can be a place forgotten. The shadow of the garden psyche. Trash cans, debris, weeds ... sometimes nothing but the raw edge of a fence line. However, we have realized in the nine years of living in this space that our alley is the only reliable full sun in our yard. We've grown veggies in the alley (cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, and eggplant have all done well) but the neighborhood dogs show no discernment between the edible and non-edible in their criteria for "plants on which to pee and poop."

Therefore the veggies were moved just inside the fence and now our alley is home to ...

Two baby dwarf Arkansas Black apple trees, lavender, sun flowers, stargazer lilies, gladiolas, nicotiana, two large compost bins that are overflowing with pumpkin vines, and two new raspberry bushes.

Aren't the pumpkin vines out of control? I weeded out so many but had to leave some. We get such a kick out of seeing the "trash" of last year becoming the bounty of this year!

We frequently enter our yard from the alley - upon returning home from a bike ride, dog walk, or stroll to the library - so I wanted some fragrant flowers to welcome us.

The lavender bed is new as of this spring and seems to be thriving. The nicotiana (that's what it looks like, right?) are volunteers - they may or may not bloom, I'm not sure at this point.

The lilies have gone by and the glads are about to begin.

And the sunflowers! There is a constant commute of goldfinches to these unnamed sunflowers which are grown from seed saved from year to year.

I know the apples and raspberries violate our "nothing edible" rule for the alley, but the apples will be raised off the ground and the raspberries should be fairly well protected. All the same, next summer when we harvest our first raspberries, we will make sure to wash them!

In a small city space, simply ignoring the alley is not an option. Every inch of possible garden space must be exploited. It's taken us quite a bit of time to find the best way to use this space, but I think we're finally on the right track.

Fourth of July Fireworks

2009-07-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

These are all the fireworks I desire ...

Happy 4th of July!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2009-05-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG time since I've participated in Bloom Day! It's good to be back. Thank you Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting!

A "borrowed" bloom, my neighbor's New Dawn that graces our border.

Ground Orchids (belitilla striata) with climber "Zephirine Drouhin"

Another of my neighbor's plants along the border, a huge Snowball Bush (viburnum opulus)

My one and only blooming bearded iris.

The last of the amsonia flowers.

The pass along peony from my mother. It's fragrance is just unbelievable.

The last fading bloom of the baptisia.

Clemetis, unknown.

A rose that I dug up from a neighbor's yard (with permission!).

Zephirine Drouhin

Belitilla Striata

Siberian Iris

I love May!

Dog Paths in the Garden

2009-05-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

So. Dogs and gardens. I really have more problems than solutions. Luna is, ahem, shall we say, a bit uptight (aggressive) when it comes to defending the property. Since many of the dog owners in the neighborhood walk their canine companions through the alley, Luna spends much of her backyard time charging the gate and barking.

I have studied Cesar and the wonderful monks but, more than likely due to some terrible character flaw, I am unable to modify Luna's behavior. So I am left to modify the garden.

Most of the time she charges the gate, but frequently she will veer off and head for the southeast corner of the back fence - trampling the shade garden mercilessly. My ferns and hostas are having a tough time.

In the early spring I use cheap, ugly wire fencing to keep her out of the beds when the plants are young and fragile. It works surprisingly well considering how low it is. This is because when I first bought the fencing, I put Luna on the leash and walked her around the perimeter of the fence. Whenever she got too near the fence, I sprayed bitter apple spray on the fence and in her mouth. A bit harsh, but she now respects the fence.

Alas, I am currently unable to upgrade to some snazzy fencing that you might see in those clever garden books that address dog-friendly gardens. So after about 3 weeks (during which time the garden is just butt-ugly since the grass is still brown and dormant), I roll up the white, wire nastiness up and dump it behind the shed.

So then, what are my options for dealing with Luna's bad behavior in the garden? I will continue to remind her to stay out of the garden, however, I am not going to expect too much from her. Instead I have identified her chosen path (dogs are creatures of habit) and I will respect it. Which means, I am going to plant hardy, durable plants along this path - moving the ferns, cimicifuga, and hostas. I may even put down some pine tag mulch for her to run along.

I don't want to indulge her aggressive behavior, but I do want to be realistic about my chances of curing her of this habit. A garden path that is dog-friendly will help me relax when we are out back together. And maybe, possibly, one day, she will mellow and greet the neighborhood dogs with a friendly bark from the patio.

Worth the Wait

2009-04-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

This azalea was on the opposite side of our yard six and a half years ago. I moved it ... ahem ... I told my father and my husband to move it the week after I gave birth to Rosie. For some post-partum, hormone-influenced reason, it had to happen. In August. During the worst drought in years. No one dared to voice any complaint. We had a delicate balance to maintain.

After they lifted it out of the ground, my mother directed them to a spot under the oak tree and instructed them to dig a hole large enough to accommodate the huge root ball. She followed behind them planting all the small, spindly suckers that she had removed from around the larger azalea. None of us thought any of them would live but why not try.

The large azalea and all the little babies have survived, and survived with style. The spindly suckers are now 2' by 2' shrubs. And the flowers are breathtaking. However, this azalea family seems to have developed the biennial habit of blooming every other year. Last year none of the transplanted azaleas bloomed. Not one bud developed. This year however ...

It was worth the wait.

Making a List

2009-04-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Lunchtime in the garden

My favorite plant sale is fast approaching and this year I will be ready. I typically procrastinate and go plant shopping without a list and without a clue. I wander through the stalls completely overwhelmed and without any funds because I haven't prepared.

But this year will be different. I have cleared out the beds and noted holes. I am getting rid of plants that having been lingering for too long in the garden (wild daylilies, black-eyed susans, blackberry lilies) taking up valuable real estate. I have researched and made a list. And most importantly, I have squirreled away some money.

Here's the list so far:

Lavender "Grosso" (5)

Basil

cilantro

tomato transplants

Lady in Red hydrangea

hybrid daylilies

calendulas

Thornless raspberries

Of course there will be other purchases - the kids and Peter will pick out some veggies and I'll probably fall for something pretty and cheerful for the shade. I can't wait! If you're in Richmond this Saturday, grab a wagon for your plants and head to Maymont!

25th Anniversary

Herbs Galore & More

Saturday, April 25

8:30-4pm

Maymont, Carriage House Lawn

$3 fee, free for members and children 12 and under

Snackscaping

2009-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

These May flowers will become July blueberries: Climax, a southern type variety.

I am a big fan of the print media. I love devouring a new issue of a favorite magazine - either skipping from article to article regardless of order or respectfully combing through the issue one page at a time. Either way, within a matter of hours the magazine is finished.

This past week, I read a column in Organic Gardening by Maria Rodale that I've been coming back to again and again. It was short, simple, and put a name to what I've been trying to do in my garden: Snackscaping.

I can't farm even on a small scale. I have .15 acres in the city. I can barely grow tomatoes because I have chosen to fill my sunniest spots with lilies, roses, and ornamental grasses. But I sure as hell can snackscape!

We've got figs, blueberries, alpine strawberries, sugar snaps, and lettuces that we all (and especially the children) eat just as a matter of course when out in the garden. One day when our fruit trees mature, we'll add apples and plums to the list. And later this spring, we'll plant cucumbers and peas. And yes, tomatoes. Sun Gold tomatoes. After reading Rodale's article, I hope to add raspberries and grapes to our list of garden snacks.

We belong to a CSA, so there's no pressure to harvest enough from the garden for meals (I am a lousy weeder/waterer in August when the weather is beastly) so snackscaping is perfect for me.

To read Maria Rodale's article on snackscaping please see the May 2009 issue of Organic Gardening (her blog - Maria's Farm Country Kitchen - is here). Also, to visit my favorite snackscaping supplier, click here to browse the Edible Landscaping catalogue (a fabulous Afton, VA supplier).

Revive

2009-04-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to just start posting again and completely ignore the fact that I took, ahem, 5 months off of garden blogging. Let's just say, I was dormant and now it's spring.

A Very Belated Pumpkin Party Wrap-Up

2008-11-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

Time has passed quickly here at Muddy Paws. The dog has turned two and is now absolutely no calmer than she was at one when we adopted her. However, the garden is surviving her.

And the garden seems to have survived our annual pumpkin carving party. We had over 140 people this year -- about 60 children between the ages of 2 and 12. That was crazy.

The best thing I did to protect the garden was to take the time to pound in about 40 stakes (maybe 2.5' high?) and to staple holiday lights to them.* It wasn't enough to be a true barrier (if someone just had to trample upon my scotch broom, they could) but it was a polite and gentle reminder to stay out of the garden!

We also moved the carving activities out to the alley. This kept the seeds and the guts out of the lawn and garden soil. I expect I will still have to weed out some pumpkin sprouts in the spring but fewer than in previous years.

It rained for one hour of the party, but then we had a tremendous rainbow and it was beautiful for the remaining two hours.

The pizza was delicious. The beer, our local Legend's Brown Ale, got rave reviews. The pumpkins were amazing. And check out this incredible flower arrangement my friend Jennifer gave us for the party!

It was a wonderful afternoon. The next post will be much more current!

*I'm not sure I would recommend this technique, I shocked myself twice.

A Final Fall Favorite: Nippon Daisy

2008-10-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

This flower has been blooming in my garden for a good month now. It is a cheerful, sunny spot in the fall garden. However, I am struggling to keep it compact and shrubby.

I have this daisy, also called the Montauk Daisy in two spots: one part sun, one full sun. Both spots get decent moisture. Last year both were in part sun. I tried pruning them back in May in order to make it bushier and fuller. Alas, by October I had barely a bloom. The problem may not have been when I cut it back however. This site indicates that one should prune it by half in mid-summer. I wasn't sure what to do, so I moved one to a full sun spot and did not prune either.

This year, lots of blooms on the full sun daisy, but leggy and sprawling. And on the part sun daisy? Nothing ... and leggy. This week I am moving the part sun daisy into full sun and I will cut both back by 1/2 in midsummer. I want these to become small semi-evergreen shrubs in the perennial bed.

For a nice round-up of October flowers, check out Adrian Higgins' article in today's Washington Post. I think I'm going to pop by the garden store to buy some asters!

A Fall Favorite: Physostegia

2008-10-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

By early October these vigorous bloomers (Obedient Plant) have started to fade, however they are the stars of my garden for all of September. When I say "vigorous," you know what I mean, right? Be careful where you plant them!

I devote one section of the perennial bed to them and then rip them out without mercy from everywhere else. They spread but grow well around lilies and help stake them up. Their toothy foliage makes a great backdrop and I like their shade of green in front of the zebra grass. I'd love to try the purple, white, or variegated varieties.

They thrive in sun, but handle shade as well. Physostegia has never seemed to be a picky, thirsty, or temperamental plant. So if you can spend some time controlling it's spreading -- try this out for a fall bloomer. Stop by for divisions in November, I always have some to give away!

For some beautiful October plant ideas, stop by Nancy Ondra's fabulous blog: Hayefield.

A Fall Favorite: Tricyrtis Hirta

2008-10-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

Every year at the end of October, we host a huge party. Our garden is packed with kids and adults and pizza and pumpkins. I always spend the first few weeks of the month stressing about the state of my garden -- filling in the holes, deadheading, raking, mulching -- only to find again and again that no one really notices. Not the children trampling the perennials to hide in the shrubs nor the adults cutting through the lilies to get to the bar.

This year will be different. I will straighten things up but I will not purchase new plants. Most importantly, I will rope off the garden with stakes and Christmas lights so I don't go insane from the foot traffic in the garden beds.

Here is one of my fall faves:

My toad lily (tricyrtis hirta) was a welcomed surprise last week. I had given up on it -- it dried up last fall, turned brown, and was gone by October. This year I saw some foliage but never expected much. What a pleasant surprise!

Now while it won't win any awards for it's size and health, I am just thrilled that the wetter weather agreed with it. My plan is to leave it here for another year, pay closer attention to it's moisture, and check on it again next October.

Stay tuned this week for more of my fall favorites!

I'm Back

2008-09-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ahh. Back to the blog. After over three weeks of seriously tricky computer problems, I'm back. Thank you to Kindnessgirl's dear hubby, Jorge, for getting me up and running right before the arrival of dear Lyra Grace.

What has happened in the past weeks? Any gardening? Well, not exactly. I've exploited my Gardening WOOs, but have not had any nice big blocks of time to tackle the restructuring that needs to happen.

Here's what's been going on instead ...

Visiting the river to kayak, swim, and play with the dog ...

Squeezing in some daytrips to Sandbridge ...

Cleaning up after Hurricane Hannah and enjoying late summer weather on the patio ...

Working for Change We Can Believe In ...

And staging a professional photo shoot of the girls and their cousins for my mom. Allison (the photographer) was amazing ...

There will be some gardening content soon. I swear.

Garden Guests

2008-09-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Some might consider guests like these to be pests. I only see them as baby Black Swallowtails.

I love them. I plant extra dill, fennel, carrots, and parsley just to entice them into the garden.

The host plant usually survives despite looking quite scruffy. This fennel is actually doing quite well considering the many caterpillars climbing on it.

You can't have the beautiful butterfly without the very hungry caterpillar.

Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! Oh Pampas!

2008-08-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted some of this fairy-tale-esque grass in my garden. Finally, after a spring trip to Colesville and very little attention, here are the plumes!

dwarf pampas grass (cortaderia selloana)

Her beauty makes up for the nearby "struggling border" -- next summer this wildflower patch will be alive with butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, but for now, I hope, seed, and water.

Backyard Parties

2008-08-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Sustainable Gardener and Garden Ranter Susan Harris has asked readers to show her some pictures of "party gardens" or spaces in the garden for entertaining. So here we go ....

Preparing for a party for Rosie's class this past spring

Since all of our parties and gatherings include lots and lots of kids, we use every square inch of our garden. Most often, the kids attack the paths, swings, and old tree stumps while the parents hang out on the patio or in front of the pizza oven. For unfussy dinners, we simply thow a tablecloth over a folding table. For our larger parties (150+), guests find space wherever they can!

We had our patio installed six years ago, right before Rosie was born. It looked so small and insignificant surrounding by the sparse plantings and scruffy lawn. One friend actually questioned why we had payed so much for the patio when our yard was so unpleasant (she used nicer words).

Four years ago in May ...

A bit lusher in August, 2008

Today, the patio is my favorite part of the entire house. I would rather be sitting on the patio than anywhere else -- with the possible exception of right by the oven when the pizza are cooking!

August Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

2008-08-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting GBBD! Please visit her website and check out all the wonderful gardens!

I dreaded going out to the garden this morning knowing that I would find few post-worthy blooms. And yet, when I took the time to overlook the drooping hydrangeas and brown patches, I found some gorgeous flowers.

My favorite flower right now is this mystery hosta that I got from my mother. It is intensely fragrant and seems to be the hummingbirds' favorite as well. I have them planted all over since they tolerate sun fairly well but have most of them outside the kitchen window by the patio. Since we've had cool weather recently (what a blessing) and the windows have been open, the kitchen is filled with their wonderful perfume.

Here's a rundown of the August bloom action ...

My mystery sunflower -- it stands about 6' tall with multiple blooms on each stalk

The phlox is still hanging in there.

The scarlet runner bean won't stop! It's incredible!

My garden stalwarts -- what would I do in August without these little soldiers?

The blue haze by the patio is actually this caryopteris "Longwood Blue" which I love, as do the butterflies and hummingbirds.

Mandevilla climbing up a birdfeeder pole.

Melanpodium

The weeds are growing nicely.

Sedem Autumn Joy

Is this Costa Rican Salvia? It's been here a few years and I've forgotten what kind it is ...

Wild, unruly campanula -- it lives in the alley since it can't behave itself.

The glads are still going strong, this one is just starting to open. They are just lovely.

Where's My Plant Mojo?

2008-08-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but I've been avoiding the garden. With the remarkable exceptions of today of yesterday (beautiful temperatures and low humidity), August has been the typical hot and humid. The city of Richmond has begun voluntary water restrictions and the river is low and mucky. Our favorite kayaking spots are drying up.

Instead of spending time in the dry yet mosquito-y backyard, I've been busy with knitting and food, only stepping into the garden to water the most vulnerable and harvest seeds.

The Knitting -- see details here. That's the lovely Kindness Girl as my model!

The Food -- besides all the canning we've been doing, I've been making delicious chocolate ice cream with cream and eggs fresh from the farm

The Seeds -- I wish I knew this sunflower variety, maybe Velvet Queen?

Now, with some cooler days, I'm back in the garden, trying to clean things up a bit and looking for my plant mojo. I know it's around here somewhere ...

Family Time

2008-07-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've entertained in the garden, or in the house for that matter. The spring was busy with increased responsibilities at work for the BackBou and end-of-school/planning-for-trip duties for me. And following our trip to Norway, we were quarantined due to some unwanted lice hitchhikers from the old country (is anybody itching now?).

We're already looking ahead to our big pumpkin party before Halloween and thinking about how to accommodate friends, pumpkin carving, pizza eating, and crazy children. (I know it's early. What can I say? We're planners.)

Nora and Rosie create pizzas under the watchful eye of the BackBou

But for now, as July dwindles to an end and the dog days of August loom ahead, we focus on family time and food: homemade pizzas, baked in an ancient way and served in the warm evening air.

We are enjoying the laziness of summer.

Playtime in the Garden

2008-07-22T04:26:00.000-07:00

Small gardens have to fill lots of different functions in one space. When I originally designed the garden, I wanted it to hold mystery for the children: paths, crowded with plants, that could be entrances into other worlds; a green space to lie down and gaze at the stars or the clouds; fruit, veggies, and herbs to snack on during playtime.

Nora's Sunflower, unmarked seeds from last year

My two girls each have a small 3.5'x4.5' garden box of their own. They pick out the seeds and then are primarily responsible for planting and nurturing the beds. My initial attitude was that they, of course, needed my help and that I would be their teacher and guide. It turns out, they are much better gardeners than I am. Their garden boxes are gorgeous.

When my children had friends over last week, they first had snack on the patio and then went in search of adventure.

They may have been pirates sailing in search of treasure.

Or wild animals hunting prey.

Or simply farmers inspecting their crops.

Whatever the case, they struck gold in Rosie's garden.

Exploring nature, making discoveries, losing yourself in imagination ... and then getting to eat your treasure -- what could be better?

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - July 2008

2008-07-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's my first Bloom Day post! In my enthusiasm, I photographed every living thing in the garden. Then I had to cull. Here are the blooms that bring me joy right now. This is how I'm "praying with my eyes" and with my nose in regards to the jasmine and lilies!

I've been received some intense aromatherapy from the white oriental lilies and the jasmine by the patio. The late evening perfume is delicate yet powerfully affecting.

I found a little zinnia poking out of the crocosmia -- when will the crocosmia bloom? Must I wait much longer?

This Pentas was one of the plants I bought when blueberry picking to fill in spots after my manic culling of the ugly. I wonder if it will survive the winter since I'm not technically a zone 8, but some zone 8s winter over for me. It will be interesting to see what happens since I like having it here.

I find playing with the whites and greens so soothing in the mid-summer Virginia garden. When temps rise to over 95 degrees, the variegated foliage of the yucca and the simple whites of the phlox and the hydrangea paniculata are like a tall glass of limeade.

Before we left for our trip, I threw some old Scarlet Runner Bean seeds in the alley by the gate. They are running for sure now! Over the spent astilbe, the roses with black spot, and the struggling clematis. I'm going to do this every year, the spots of red are a nice focal point all the way in the back of the garden.

Rosie is growing these cosmos in her garden. As with the runner beans, these are old seeds from the basement fridge. What an incredible orange color.

The giant rudbeckia are a good 5 feet tall. No staking needed yet. I can't wait for the goldfinches to start flocking.

The globe thistle is fading, but it is still one of my favorite garden plants. Gorgeous in the garden and in flower arrangements, it's worth the staking. Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the pictures!

Mid-Summer Mania in the Garden

2008-07-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

I love returning from a trip ready to incorporate new discoveries into my daily life. After this trip, I brought home: a newfound love for cultured milk, cloudberries, and black currants; a determination that our family needs to camp more often; and the will to overcome my dislike of hardboiled eggs. I also returned with a more objective perspective on the garden.

The most arresting outcome of this new perspective is that I am actually making changes. I am removing the ugly from the garden. Old scraggly mums ripped up. Blackberry lilies that had naturalized to the wrong places torn out. And the native daylilies banished to the alley.

I am taking back prime real estate. I tucked some perennials and some annuals into the spaces that opened up and I'm just thrilled with the changes.

Why is it that I wasn't ready to act during October, November, or February? Why am I full of executive energy now that it's the worst time to transplant?* I should be simply weeding, watering, and deadheading.

And to top it all off, I've decided to transplant ... hydrangeas. Hmm. Now let me see, prudent? I think not. (However, I felt a bit vindicated after reading Susan Harris' admission that she also will give in to the urge to transplant during mid-summer.)

Here are the hydrangeas in the spot where they get full sun (they didn't when I planted them, but a neighbor cut down some trees and now, sun).

One has been moved (I'm watering it often with a soaker hose) and the rest will go soon.

The spot will become full of native wildflowers and grasses. I'm combing through the book Wildflower Gardens and hope to have something spectacular here next year -- full of mid-summer beauty, bees, and butterflies. Maybe something good will come out of my mania ...

*Full Disclosure: I was transplanting then. I just never stopped. I can't stop. I'm always moving things, ripping out, tucking in ...

Reflections on Norway

2008-07-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have so many half-formed posts from our trip and also from the return home. There's been so much action in the garden! I was gone for two weeks and 3 days but by the look of the garden, you'd think I was Rip Van Winkle and away for 20 years! I will try to intersperse Norway posts with current garden posts ...

Norway, Southern Norway anyway, had previously suffered from a dry spring with wildfires in the countryside. Our arrival seemed to invite a break from this -- it rained off and on almost the entire trip. And it was cold. Long sleeved shirt, polartech, rain jacket, wish-I-had-packed-mittens cold. But when the sun came out? Perfection!

However, we were prepared for anything and I have a deep soulful love and understanding of moody weather (could it be the Irish heritage?). We chose to go to Norway to honor Peter's family roots and to visit with relatives but also to be humbled. Humbled by magestic landscapes and the progressive, innovative Norwegian people. (And also to check out the incredible Norwegian knitting traditions, but that's a post for the other blog!)

I was amazed by the lupines, the lilacs, and the alpine wildflowers. The exquisite plants that thrive in the harshest conditions illustrates what I have witnessed from my counseling experience. What does not kill us makes us stronger and, if we let it, radiantly beautiful.

Jet Lagged

2008-07-03T17:19:00.001-07:00

I'm back from Norway. I'll try to post some pictures soon. But I have to post my favorite flower of the trip. If I'm not mistaken, this is a Northern Marsh Orchid. I saw many on a hike in the Lofoten Islands, above the Arctic Circle. Someone please correct or confirm if you know for sure!

I'll Be Back

2008-06-15T08:26:00.001-07:00

We're off for Norway! I'll return with (I hope) lots of incredible photos of the awesome Norwegian Wilderness and the very green and civilized Norwegian cities and towns. I'm at my parents' home in Northern Virginia now marking time until our flight from Dulles, trying to keep the girls from going bonkers, and gathering my peace and calm for our flight.

Farewell for now!

I Take What I Can Get

2008-06-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post -- and I'll admit there hasn't been a lot of gardening here. I've been content with some watering, weeding, and deadheading early in the day and surveying the garden for likes and dislikes in the evening. The rest of my time has been spent finishing up the school year with the kids, completing some knitting projects, and preparing for our family trip to Norway next weekend.

The garden is in a lull right now. The purples and pinks and whites of spring have given way to varying shades and textures of green and lots of yellow. I try to avoid yellow (it makes the summer garden feel hotter to me), but many of the flowers that do well in our hot, sticky summers are yellow or orange. Hopefully, in a few weeks my Costa Rican salvias, Oriental lilies and Russian sage will be providing some respite to the incessant yellow.

I do have a non-yellow spot in the garden -- the hydrangeas. Now, I am not a big fan of the blue. I like a pink or purple hydrangea. In previous years I've added lime to the soil around them in order to get them to tend away from blue but to no avail. One year, when I added lime throughout the summer, I was able to get some purple. When do I add it? How much? I could never quite figure it out and so this year, I did nothing. And look ...

Macrophylla Buttons N Bows

The blooms start off white pink,...

move to pinky/purple,...

then settle on blue.

I'll take it. I'm not sure if my pictures capture the pretty variations of color, but I quite like them.

Get Your Eyes On

2008-05-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

I live and garden beneath a large, gargantuan actually, pin oak. My emotions toward this tree define a love/hate relationship. We considered getting rid of it for a brief moment in time (we thought that would be the answer to our kitchen remodeling woes) but have realized the beauty of it's presence in our lives. However ...

It drops leaves (and the leaves, they are many) from November until February. That's four months of heavy raking. We spend a ton of money replacing the slate on our roof after hurricane season every year. And some years the acorn drop is so thick, we advise just staying under the patio umbrellas for safety reasons.

You would think that spring would be the season when I just unequivocally love the tree - no leaves to rake, no acorn missiles, no hurricane winds propelling limbs through the air. Just the shade, the wildlife haven, the cooling effect on our home ...

and yet these buggers keep popping up ... everywhere. The squirrels have not done their duty. They buried. But they did not recover and eat.

Have you read "The Omnivores Dilemma?" Michael Pollan writes about how mushroom hunters "get their eyes on" for their particular mushroom. Well, I get my eyes on for these oak babies. I can sense them hiding under the hellebores and almost smell them tucked amongst the coreopsis. After a particularly good day of hunting, I see them every time I close my eyes. I see them in my sleep.

I love the first day after a good rain when I can pull them out easily (of course without stepping in the garden and compacting the soil -- that's for all you garden professionals out there). Tomorrow will be that day and I'm ready for them. Watch out pin oak babies. I'm coming for you and I've got my eyes on.

A Spring Favorite

2008-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was given a hardy orchid (or bletilla striata) as a pass along from my mother about 8 years ago. They've always done pretty well but I've never had a year this good. A late frost usually burns the leaves and the blooms that followed were never anything to crow about. But this year with the mild, moist winter ... oo la la!

Do you have some moist semi-shade in an area to receive some protection from a late frost? If so, this is a plant worth having.

How Green are You?
I'm greener than some, but not as much as I'd like to be! That's what I learned from the Greendex Survey. Now, unlike Garden Punks or our dear friends the Farleys, I don't think I'll ever get down to 5 kWh/day or running off solar panels (remember that big tree?). But I know that I could switch my computer off at the surge protector to stop the phantom drain and walk to pick up the kids from school more.

Luckily, being a vegetarian helps as does living in Central VA where we have delicious local fruit and vegetables (and tofu!) for most of the year. We decided not to grow veggies ourselves this summer since we belong to a great CSA (we do have alpine strawberries, blueberries, and figs in the garden). Instead we'll be focusing on putting in a great fall/winter veggies garden in August and munching on yummy homegrowns during the "off season."

Green it up, folks!

A Carbon Sequestering Rock Star

2008-05-08T05:41:00.001-07:00

Immediately after reading Adrian Higgins' article in today's Post, I dashed into the backyard to measure my trees in order to find out how much carbon my backyard sequesters. (Carbon calculator is here.)

Unfortunately, our ancient Pin Oak has a diameter of 176" and the largest diameter that I could enter was 43". So let's just multiply my result by 4, shall we? That would be 2,308 pounds of carbon sequestered a year.

2,308 pounds. Dude. My backyard rocks the air quality big time.

A Visit to Colesville

2008-05-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago, two friends and I took a quick junket to Ashland, VA to visit Colesville Nursery. For years as I travelled up I95, my eyes had searched the nurseygrounds that would taunt me from the highway wondering what interesting plants lay in the fields and hoop houses.

I came with a tight budget and a short list of plants. A short, boring list of plants. A very tight budget. Oh well, I figured I could have some excitement vicariously through my friends who had bigger budgets and far more exciting lists.

Here is my personal take on Colesville. We had an extremely positive experience. We were lucky enough to hook up with nurseryman Tom who guided us in the right direction and even carried us to some spots in his golf cart. I was especially impressed with how willing he was to chat with me about my garden and how I garden. He is a Japanese Maple collector and, though one is not currently in the budget nor on the list, he gave me the names of his favorites for my yard and growing conditions. He also showed me some other plants that he thought I might enjoy based on my interest in color -- I didn't buy any, but a Lady in Red hydrangea is now on the list for my front yard garden.

I would definitely checkout their website before visiting, especially this page for new visitors. As I've said, we had excellent customer service although Tom was busy trying to fill orders for landscapers while he was answering our questions and checking inventory for us.

The prices for trees and shrubs were less than I could have gotten at a nursery in town (I'm trying to avoid buying plants at big box stores) and well worth the drive to Ashland. I can't attest to the variety of selection since I'm not a collector nor a plant expert. However, if Tom has anything to do with it, I'm sure they have a nice selection of Japanese Maples. You can see their entire inventory here.

The perennials were disappointing both in terms of selection and price. I was looking for flats of mondo grass and they were $6 more expensive per flat at Colesville than at The Great Big Greenhouse. I bought an Arborvitae Emerald Green (boring but looks stunning in the garden and was on the list) and a scotch broom (Dorothy Walpole, which was on the list). I also bought a dwarf pampas grass (cortaderia selloana) which was not on the list but I have a hard time not buying some kind of grass when I'm at a nursery.

All in all, a wonderful shopping adventure. We wanted to have time to stop at Little Five Azalea Farm on the way home, but as it was, we were barely in time to pick up the kids from preschool. Little Five will have to wait for another day ...

A Morning of Pizza and Fun in the Garden

2008-05-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was wonderful. I would post pictures of the 30 children and adults enjoying conversation and pizza in the garden except my camera died (so predictable -- and all my backup batteries were not charged).

Here's what the backyard looked like before the party (when the camera still functioned):

It was a beautiful day with bright sunshine and cool temperatures (please note the full green lawn -- we have a lawn!).

I left a basket of baking and gardening themed books by the bench under the weeping cherry.

Here is the businesslike yet cheerful pizzaiolo with his trusty companion.

We really had a wonderful time! And the children were incredibly respectful when I asked them not to climb on the weeping cherry and to stay on the paths. The garden survived quite well with the exception of a hosta that, truth be told, was crowding the path anyway and needed to be moved.

Luna is sniffing around for dropped pizza.

All ready for the next party!

Pizza Party Prep

2008-04-29T18:12:00.001-07:00

We're having my daughter's preschool class over tomorrow morning for a field trip. They are going to learn about our earth oven and make their own pizzas. I have spent way too much time weeding and cleaning up the yard since, in a matter of hours, 18 five-year-olds are going to have their way with my garden.

Spring Fever

2008-04-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

These days after I wake up and throw on some clothes, it's time to grab the dog and head out to the garden to see what new exciting things have popped up overnight.

I arrive at school to pick up my children late with catkins and inchworms stuck in my hair and mud patches on my jeans. My hands are always dirty.

I wander the patio before bed to get one last sniff of the lilacs before I sleep and I'm up by 6:30am to see if more blooms have emerged since sunrise.

I have big and little jars of flowers all over the house and everything is covered with yellow pollen dust since I refuse to close the windows. The heat will be here before we know it and I want to enjoy the air while it is pleasant.

I love spring.

The Dog Whisperer I Am Not

2008-04-08T10:32:00.001-07:00

When last we left my fine canine friend, she was learning a new way of interacting with the garden. Learning how to play nice with the plants. Learning about boundaries. Learning about bitter apple spray.

And now? Well. Luna is still a rambunctious teenager. But after an excellent beginner obedience class and almost the entire first season of The Dog Whisperer, we may have made some progress. There are conditions however. (My dog trainer says that the behavior is not truly learned until the dog can perform the task under any situation. Bah.)

The conditions are these: If there are no dogs or humans in the alley, if there are no trash trucks, if there are no threatening squirrels, bouncing balls, taunting cats, or cheeky robins, she does a fine job of staying out of the garden beds. She seems to respect the ugly white wire fencing most of the time. Oh yeah, I forgot chipmunks -- she'll forget every durn bit of training for a chipmunk chase.

Unfortunately, we've had to change our fence line a bit (pictures to come soon) since she jumped the fence three times to chase after dogs in the alley. I also orchestrated some "training time" by asking neighbors with dogs to walk down the alley while she is on the leash so that I can correct her (don't worry, my correction is just saying "settle" and getting her to sit or lie down). I may bump it up to the apple spray if her ugliness continues, but it's difficult since I don't want to ignore her natural protectiveness, I just want her to relax more.

Luna and I are both in process on this one, but I feel as though we're making headway since my tender spring plants are doing well.

And the grass?

I took these photos last Thursday -- a week after installation. It's getting greener! Our constant rain has helped. Now we need warmth. Thanks to Nancy's positive comment about Bermuda withstanding dogs and children, I'm feeling much more positive about how it will weather our abuse!

The Front Yard

2008-04-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken 3 years ago.

It looks much the same today (minus the houseplants, box, and beautiful painting).

Every year since we've lived in this house (we're approaching 8 years) I've wanted to rip out the front yard and put in a garden. We have a two-story brick colonial built in 1945. Smallish, but big enough for us. The neighborhood, our block in particular, is the real attraction (that plus the full-sun in the backyard -- a rarity in this neighborhood filled with large pin oaks). My friends live on my block. We hang out together, share plants, watch each other's children, run races together, and cheer each other on.

I designed a front yard brick courtyard with a small-scale knot garden (Colonial Williamsburg-esque without being too rigid) where I could sit on a bench chatting with neighbors while the kids rode bikes or jumped rope.

I've always had great reasons not to implement any plans: we were told our sewer line needed to be replaced; we don't have the money for the new hardscape; we don't have the money or time for the plantings ...

But maybe I can do a little bit at a time. Start ripping up the sod while saving for the brick courtyard. Get a 2nd opinion on our sewer line and start amending the soil. I think this fall is the time. I've waited long enough!

Do you have a front yard garden? Plans for one? Do you need inspiration? Those clever, talented folks over at Gardening Gone Wild are hosting a Garden Bloggers Design Workshop on Front Yard Gardens. Check it out!

Gardening is about faith ...

2008-03-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

... or is it hope? In any event, it's about believing that despite all evidence to the contrary you can make your garden look a certain way. Say, for example, as if has a lawn.

Easter weekend found me ripping up sod. Ripping up sod is easier when you actually have some sod to rip up. This was more about leveling. I ripped, I edged, I graded, I added lime. I did a lot of weeding in the garden beds too -- it was hard to ignore the pervasive wild strawberries.

By Tuesday I was done, but exhausted. I didn't think it would take me more than a half day, but with Easter egg hunts, cooking, spring break (for one child), and school/homework (for the other -- can't we all get on the same schedule?), it took 3 days of working a few hours a day.

Thursday finally arrived and Enfield Farm installed their Riviera Bermuda sod. I guess I had built up some high expectations. It will be beautiful! It will be instant lawn! It will transform my garden! I will feel like the most accomplished gardener!

My garden still looks like crap.

Here's where I make myself feel better: They didn't bring enough sod, so there is an unfinished area, that will look better as soon as they come back today. The grass is still dormant. I knew that it would take 4 weeks to emerge from dormancy and take root. Just give it time. It does look better than it did: it's a uniform light brown instead of a patchy green/dark brown. The green mesh (you warned me Marta!) will disappear once the lawn thickens.

I will try to have faith (or hope or patience or whatever). I will try to remember that good gardens take time. There are no quick fixes. It takes time to set down roots and transition from a dirt pit backyard to a lush, inviting garden.

I am going to water, fertilize, and concentrate on how wonderful my perennials look. I am going to enjoy the warm weather. I am going to sit with my knitting on the patio and bask in the sun before it turns humid and buggy.

And I will remind myself that it will look better soon ... right?

Iris Comeback?

2008-03-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

The little spears of iris foliage have been appearing daily. My irises were almost completely wiped out 2 years ago because of iris borers. I recovered some (rinsing the rhizomes with 1:10 bleach:water solution) and last fall I went a bit wacko at the Iris Society booth at the Lewis Ginter Plant sale last fall. (For the knitters out there: you've seen similar behavior at the Socks That Rock booth before.) I hope to enjoy some iris blooms this spring! Take some time to read this essay from today's Washington Post. And for you Richmond Iris lovers, here is a short article on our "alley irises."

Contrary to the author of the Post article, I do not call my Siberian Irises weeds. They definitely are "vigorous" but live in harmony with my poppies as long as I share them with friends each fall.

Celebrate the green in your garden today ... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Creating a buffer

2008-03-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

Since we live in a very neighborly neighborhood, I was very happy when, during the destructive Hurricane Isabelle, we lost our ugly 6' privacy fence. The BackBou built a nice picket fence to match the one of our neighbor to the right so that now I can wave at friends and neighbors in the alley.

I also really like the look of the old brick garage to the left in this picture. And I was fond of the view of my alley neighbor's yard ... until they put up a huge privacy fence. No more borrowed view. And their garage (on the right) is not a thing of beauty. I need a screen. Not a wall, but a screen.

My restrictions: I can't plant anything too high since I have a veggie garden to the right and on the left side of the picture, two Arkansas Black apple tree babies (almost two years old and not much more than whips). I don't want to block too much sun.

So here is my current plan:

Since I recently went to see Richard Bitner's talk "Gardening with Conifers" I knew that I had to try some of his recommendations. However, I love camellias and they grow so well in my yard. I also think I'm going to go with the Juniper "sky rocket" instead of his recommendation of a Thuja "Emerald Green." I'm still on the fence about that. Arborvitae are everywhere (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and I like the color of the Juniper better. The two small blobs are pinus sylvestris "fastigiata" and pinus strobus "nana."

I was going to put in an espaliered Asian pear by the veggie garden, but I think I'm going to have to go with the much easier Hardy Kiwi from my favorite people, Edible Landscaping (they also supplied the apple trees, my blueberries, and alpine strawberries).

I can't wait to start moving and digging! But I will have to wait for at least another month I think ...

Is eco-sod a contradiction?

2008-03-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

The current sorry state of affairs with our so-called lawn

This has been a protracted conflict. I have not come to this decision easily. I've had years now to attempt various strategies. I've never fought the weeds, but realized that the weeds were telling me what my soil needed. I aerated. I added lime, compost, and clover. I mowed high. I left the clippings to compost. I let the grass go dormant in the summer to save water. I created garden beds. I hardscaped. I mulched a third of the backyard for an oven area, raised veggie beds, and a play area for the kids.

And yet. I still want just a bit of grass for a little lawn. So we can play a wee bit of soccer. So we can frolick with the dog. And yes, so it can look pretty.

Grass seed never would take. We are outside in the yard too much and just couldn't give it a fighting chance. So much babying. But I hated the idea of supporting the typical sod farmer in the Richmond area whose farm is by the Chesapeake Bay. Sod Farms are exempt from the typical run-off regs for farms. They are one of the biggest polluters of the Bay (not my opinion, but my friend Joe who lobbies for The Chesapeake Bay Association). Yet I didn't want to get my sod from outside this area because of the eco-cost of transportation. I also wasn't ready to hitch my horse to the sod wagon without talking with an expert about all my options. Maybe I just hadn't met the right groundcover yet.

Enter Jerry Carter. When my friend recommended Jerry, I was prepared for the typical landscaper guy. All fescue lawn and double-shredded hardwood mulch. But I was wrong. My first email reply from him was to inform me of the many environmental issues concerning sod and who in the area was attempting organic sod. And then he asked: "do you really need sod?"

This is what won me over. Because let me tell you. Richmondians love their lawns. It takes a brave, clever, enlightened landscaper to suggest that maybe lawns are not the be all and end all of a yard.

We met. We talked. I decided. Since:

I really do want a small lawn (I don't have the specific dimensions, but the space is about 200 square feet),
we need it to be drought tolerant,
we need it to be durable (dog, lots of entertaining, lots of running kids),
and it must establish quickly (see above),

we are going to call a sod farm (in the central Va area that is experimenting with organic techniques) about some Bermuda Grass sod. I'm also going to plant some dwarf mondo grass in an area semi-covered with flagstones. I'm thrilled.

So while environmentally-friendly sod is probably not possible in the strictest sense, I'd like to think that I've found a way to solve for the lawn issue while not completely over-riding my environmentalism.

The Early March Garden

2008-03-05T03:55:00.000-08:00

Pretty things in the early March garden ...

Operation Dog Storm

2008-02-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

After a weekend with temperatures hitting 60 and a Saturday filled with fabulous gardeners (I met Helen Dillon!), I am inspired!

Sunday found me outside pruning the fig tree, finally painting the back fence, and putting into effect phase one of Operation Dog Storm. Everyday, 2-3 times a day I walk with Luna around the garden and spray her with bitter apple if she steps foot in the garden. I put up some really ugly fencing (temporary!) to show her the border (since I will admit, with the lack of turf and winter garden, it's hard to tell).

I'm doing some research on dwarf conifers (Richard Bitner spoke on Saturday and was just amazing) and am interested in getting some asian pears to espalier (Hosui?). I know that I'll be dealt a seasonal smack-down in a few days when temperatures drop, but for now I'm just thrilled that Spring is on it's way!

Ready for Inspiration

2008-02-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

Luna looks innocent, but I know better

I head off this morning for the Down to Earth Gardening Horticulture Symposium at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Speakers include Helen Dillon and David Howard. I am desperate for some inspiration.

On How I Got Here

2008-02-01T04:59:00.000-08:00

... or Things were looking pretty good around here until the dog showed up.

I became the proud owner of a rescued Golden Retriever, Luna, last August. She turned one in November and is frenetic force in the garden. My garden is approximately .15 acres in the Westover Hills neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia (zone 7). I live with my husband (the BackBou) and two young children.

My garden July 2007

The BackBou's pride and joy: his earth oven

We moved into this house right after my oldest was born and I have worked hard to train them to walk on the paths and to treat the plants with great respect. My eldest has her own garden square and my youngest get hers this year. We have a mulched area for their swing set and a small patch of lawn, ... well, I guess that should be "we had a small patch of lawn."

The dry conditions over the summer, my lack of enthusiasm for watering turf, the arrival of the dog with her crazed runs and, deep sigh, digging just about ruined any chance of a lawn by September. And then we host a 100+ person party in October (which this past year followed 3 days of drenching rain). We had to put hay down for the party -- the yard had turned into a mud bowl.

Now I can't blame this all on Luna. But my biggest gardening struggle right now is learning how to garden with this beast. I'm having to learn a different way to garden -- I have to garden tougher. This blog will chronicle my journey ...