Gardening Tips

I can feel it coming…that irrepressible urge to do some major renovation to the garden. When my husband sees the warning signs ie the poring over gardening books and magazines, the sheets of paper used to draw vague plans, the faraway look I get as I gaze into the garden from the kitchen window…he throws his hands up in despair knowing full well to expect mess and a certain degree of chaos in the house as the garden becomes the major focus of my life

This time, it’s a secluded back section of my backyard that’s in continual shade through most of the year which tends to get boggy if it rains too much (not that we’ve had a lot of it lately) but then suffers the effects of dry shade because it’s under the canopy of established trees. Currently it’s got some grass and native violets that are trying valiantly to survive but the plan is to pave over it and have some box hedges enclosing an area with a feature in the middle - I haven’t quite decided what yet - maybe a bird bath or if I feel extravagant, a cherub statue on a pedestal. Stay tuned for before and after pics. Wish me luck!

I thought I’d seen it all but this has got to be the most unusual gimick that I’ve seen for a while. It’s called a pet-tree. It’s not really a tree, it’s a cactus that’s been encased in a plastic capsule. At just over an inch and a half high, it’s certainly novel. It comes with a clip on attachment which you can well clip onto your keyrings, your mobile phone, your handbag zipper…It’s literally the size of your thumb…touted to only require watering once a month, all you need to do is to dip it into a glass of water - like a teabag. See it for yourself at www.compactimpact.com

Not everyone’s cup of tea but you’ve got to admit that it’s certainly very novel.

Now I must admit that I’m rather partial to blue flowers and none more so than Dutch irises. There’s something about their tall stately stature and the glorious blue with the faint hint of yellow that just begs attention. If you are planning a bulb display, consider planting them in huge drifts for massed effect. Whilst yes, your garden would look rather bare after they are past their peak display times, during their peak you’d be blessed with this carpet of blue to adorn your garden beds! Just glorious! Also note the undertones of white - combinations of blue and white are easy winners in any landscaping stakes - classic cool colors that mellow the landscape.

When all the world around me falls apart, I retire to my garden sanctuary. That’s how it’s always been. My garden is my solace, it gives me time to just be, to just sit back and take a breather. It may not always be a time spent on a garden bench listening to the gurgle of my pond, in fact there are times when I spend my time in frenzied activity whether it be turning soil or paving another section of the garden or planting something. Still, I think the promise at the end that I never leave disappointed is what brings me back time and time again for its therapeutic powers. Gardening is therapy. Scientists put it down to being outdoors, breathing the fresh air, getting enough sunlight. All too technical for me. I just know what I feel and it’s that invigorated feeling of being truly alive. Marvelling in the goodness that is around me. My garden doesn’t protect me from harsh realities. No, oftentimes these harsh realities are there to behold - the hail affected fruit and tattered leaves, the heliothis infestations that decimate my tomatoes…so what is it that is different between my garden and the world outside that gives me peace despite all its similarities? I think it has to do with the promise of better things, better times if only we hold out long enough and persevere. I find that harder to see in the developed world with all its clutter and confusion. I see it more clearly and evidently in my garden - which is why I am forever thankful that I am a gardener. It keeps me sane far from the madding world…

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live totally independent of all the daily conveniences that we are so used to nowadays and to be self sustaining, so it was with great interest that I continued in the life and times of one such couple daring to baulk the trend and to attempt to attain domestic sustainability (see http://www.lintrezza.com). Their struggles and day to day adjustments in attempting to go 6 months without spending a dollar was mind boggling. This is reality TV in the flesh and a rivetting read to say the least! I admire their perseverence, their tenacity, their ingenuity and I guess deep down I wish for a similar sort of simple life. I think however, if you ask them they would say that it’s NOT simple, if only because of all the adjustments they have to make to get by.

For myself, I want to achieve semi-sustainability. I don’t think I can survive without my luxuries and I’m not sure I have the time and patience to bake everything, grow everything etc. I do harvest rain water. I re-use the rinse water from my washing machine to water the garden and I use low phosphorus detergents so that I can do this. I have contemplated using a composting toilet and to purchase an electric bicycle for those trips that are just too long to walk and too short to justify using a car (I live in a hilly area and I can peddle up some but the steeper ones I have to get off my bike to push). I think for me I just want to be able to live as organically as I possibly can and to leave this world with as little rubbish (landfill) as is possible and to leave a legacy of being ‘a gardener who tried’.