A blast of color

I did something a little unusual for me this past gardening season. Some would call it being lazy, others though might say that it was thrifty. Then, there are those who would say that what I didn't do was really showing some gardening heart.

Last fall I put out about 10 rather small mum plants, dividing them equally for the beds on the side entrances to the front of the house. They looked great and exhibited a blast of color that only a grouping of these plants can offer. I guess there are other plants that can scream color like these, but in the fall you turn to mums to get you through the last months of outdoor planting.

When it came time for the usual clean-up before spring rebirth in the yard, I noticed that these hardy plants were already budding new growth in my beds that are usually rotated with plantings spring, summer and fall. Well, I just didn't have it in me to pull these viable plants up by the roots and chunk them in the waste heap. They we thriving after all, having survived the harsh Jersey winter months.

So they lingered in the yard through spring and summer. I say lingered because their real show of purpose wouldn't come until at least six months down the road in the fall. Over summer they benefitted from rich soil and mulch, full sun and record rainfall. They grew and grew into rather big, deep green, ball-like shapes that added a rather sculptural sight to the yard – but no flowering or usual colors that I traditionally dedicate there. So the scene was green well into late summer. Panning from left to right, you'd see a collection of large green mums, mature azaleas of matching green tones and then another collection of large green mums of my rather symmetrical gardening layout.

Come October, the show was on. It was as if they were telling me all along, "Wait – you'll see." The months long anticipation was worth the delay for something I had that obviously was too enormous to have been bought off the lot of the local hardware store. The orange coloring was perfect for the month and as you turned onto my street, the blast of color in the yard could be seen from quite a distance. It wasn't something a passerbyer could possibly ignore. It was like - how can you not hear fireworks or notice what the product has to offer like its grand spray of boldness.

The show is almost over now. It was, as it turned out, a limited engagement. The heft of all the blooms weighed down the plant. The color is fading as is the sunlight that fueled its magnificent run out front. I will be pulling these up soon and getting back into the routine of rotating the area with seasonal annuals with limited time in these beds.

What to do?

Everyone knows that I am an animal lover. Singer Karen Carpenter shares my feelings with the melodic line "Bless the beasts and the children ... in this world they have no voice ... they have no choice." 

Well, Steve (another animal lover) and I had no choice but to tackle an outdoor problem with what we suspected was a rat den next to my garden. We have seen a couple of rats in our backyard, feeding from the bird feeder and my compost pile which is ripe with rotting vegetable scraps. I thought it was kind of cute one early morning, seeing the calico colored beast jumping from the small bird bath to the large bird bath before hitting the mother lode of the bulging bird feeder. I remember telling Steve who was upstairs to "quick look out the back window at the bird feeder" thinking he would share my sentiments of the cute romp around the feeding trough. His unexpected reply was, "We need to get rid of that rat feeder!" I guess part of a husband's role in this life is to snap his gleeful wife back into a healthy reality. Darn it! I am establishing this scene because I recently shelled out about $700 of repairs to my car after finding out that vermin had been living under the hood of my car in the winter months, leaving behind spent bird food castings and apparently flossing afterwards on the thin electrical wiring that is needed to keep a 2001 Saturn station wagon in peek shape.

So, Steve removed the bird feeder which was really only half of the problem. It is summer after all and I have lots of compostable material for the rotting heap. Most of it comes from my recession garden on the side of the yard by the driveway (out of Winston's reach – I have seen Winston, our yellow lab, pull a green pepper off the plant and devour it). 

Recently, before leaving for work in the mornings, I started seeing the making of a small hole next to the basil and green bean plants. I didn't think anything about it until it got to the point where something was moving straw from the garden to cover the now rather large opening and then the sight of the "do not disturb" sign was a dead give away that something was taking advantage of a good situation and thumbing their long whiskered noses at us. The nerve of some varmints!

So, what is an animal lover to do? We thought about trapping the thing and releasing it at a nearby nature preserve or hope that one of the cats that roam the neighborhood would take care of the situation, leaving us with a clear conscious. Steve stepped up and said that we should just get some rat poison and be done with it. Images of Templeton from "Charlotte's Web" popped in my mind. Couldn't we just have an outdoor pet rat? Then I thought about the assault my car had withstood and it was pretty much decided what we had to do. The image of Templeton was quickly replaced with an open purse with the wind carrying away my hard earned dollar bills from what can be a stressful job. Lots of dollar bills. The sequence of the cash fluttering away seemed to go on for a very long time before I snapped out of the vision.

As I write this, one gray mouse has been buried and another is still taking the bait Steve is leaving at the entrance of the hole. An ugly ending for two big hearted animal lovers who would rather be putting their money toward the good life instead of the nearest Saturn dealership.

Preventing weeds

Yesterday was electronics recycling day at the Maplewood Recycling Center. Whenever there is mention of a trip to the center, my gardening instincts kick in and I think about the piles of free compost and mulch the city offers for those who can haul it away. And haul it away they do – by the truck loads. 

Before heading out, Steve packed our old Mac computer screen, hard drive and keyboard into the back of the Saturn station wagon. Keep in mind that the earlier models of Macs can take up lots of car space and I was thinking about how I may be limited in the amount of "black gold" I can bring back. Darn it! I was able to get in two rather big muck tubs so I was happy and already thinking about my morning and spreading the organic stuff.

So while Steve took care of getting a tax write-off for our old computer at the center, I was shoveling the brownish-black mulch which is a mix of composted dirt, partially decayed tree bark and leaves and other matter rich in nutrients. I will use this on my side flower bed to thwart weed growth and maintain some moisture for my daylillies, irises, alysum and other plants that get lots of sun. Without some sort of ground cover, crabgrass takes over! The look of the dark mixture is just right against the green and white colors in the area. So nice!

Another weed preventer I use is marsh straw. This ground cover is sold in bales like pine straw is in the South. Pine straw is really difficult to find up here which is unfortunate. I love the beautiful orange-brown color of recently fallen straw or even the darker brown tones found baled in stores or sold from trucks on roadsides. I remember buying pine straw in Birmingham for les than $2 a bale. This marsh grass is sold at a rather pricey nursery in town for $16 a bale! I cringe admitting that I pay that much for this but you do get a lot of it and I usually have some left over after the growing season. It is a nice compliment to my vegetable garden and I like the fluffed-up look of it around my green beans and cucumbers. Most importantly, it prevents weeds and saves me lots of time working in the garden.

My new gardening toy

I have been wanting one of these for years. A rain collection devise that will prevent unwanted water from draining into a low area of our backyard and will also provide water for my hydrangeas and other plants in the far reaches back there. I feel as though I am killing two birds with one stone. When we had our garage roof and new gutters put on about four years ago the guys put the downspout on the back which allows water to drain into what has become a persistently wet area. Had the guys placed the downspout in the front of the garage, the water would have most likely drained down the driveway away into the city sewer system. I'm sure they had their reasoning for doing what they did. However, I can't wait to see if my new rain barrel which holds 50 gallons of water will help prevent the usually muddy area turn into a drier area. I am also pretty excited about having a water source in the back and not having to lug the hose back there during dry times.

I considered getting one of the more typical rain barrels but decided on the terra cotta look which actually has a pot area on top that I plan on planting some shade loving plants in. This model seems a bit more attractive than the alternative industrial look. It is currently more than half full after the steady morning and afternoon rain from yesterday. When full, there is a small drain at the top back for overflow.

I can't wait to use this. I routinely do lots of watering during the spring and summer months and I am hoping this saves me a little bit of money and lots of frustration!

Spring gardening

When I lived in Birmingham, I couldn't wait until February because I knew this was the month to get out in my rather large garden and start turning the soil. I had read that potatoes were OK to plant then and plant I did for several years with good returns. The rest of the spring garden would have to wait until after Good Friday or the middle of April when the last threat of frost had past.

Now that I am living in New Jersey, I usually have to wait about a month longer to get outside and get my taters in. We had some beautiful weather last weekend and I couldn't resist whipping the garden into shape, getting out there Saturday afternoon. It actually whipped me and am rather glad that I have a small plot to hoe these days. I planted a single row of red potatoes and will have to wait for the plants to emerge and and their tops to flower before digging into the soil with my gardening pitchfork to see what has materialized underneath. Planting them is easy and I used store bought potatoes, cutting them into fourths, making sure each section has an eye where it will sprout roots and several potatoes.

I expanded my "recession" garden to just a bit larger than last year. Apparently from what I have read, I am following a national trend. It is, I'd say, about seven feet by 10 feet and is by the coal shoot of the house. Whenever I am digging in this space I always find small chunks of coal. They are easy to spot because its surface shines in the sun unlike other rocks. I have quite the collection of coal now that I save, clean and place in a container in the kitchen which holds my potted African violets. I can't imagine living in a time when house furnaces burned coal and how dirty the air must have been, especially in a tightly housed community like ours. I wonder if the air was dimmed with the soot.

So, I am finally writing about gardening on this gardening blog. Tis the season, finally!

Beth in New York City

My niece Beth was up this week visiting the city with the rest of the Pelham High School Marching Band. Steve and I were thrilled to be able to spend some time with her early Sunday morning. It isn't often that we have family up! We met the group at Rockerfeller Plaza and just walked around, checking out the sights like NBC's Corner of the World, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Radio City Music Hall. They all seemed to be having a good time on their first day in Manhattan.

As most of you know, Pelham's "Tower of Power" Marching Band did Alabama proud in the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. They got special recognition on the local NBC broadcast – a really shining example of all of their work over the year.

Here's a video of the group stopping for some photos before moving on to the next block: 

Volunteering at the shelter

Last week while spending some time at the Maplewood/South Orange animal shelter, I was bitten while taking a cute cocker spaniel mix on a walk. The bite required a trip to the emergency room and four stitches. The event was a real eye-opener (in more ways than one) and made me realized that you can't assume that a dog doesn't have a past and no matter to what degree you consider yourself a "dog whisperer," unpredictable behavior is just a second away. 

Going into work with a brace and ace bandage contraption around my thumb and wrist brought on lots of questions about what could have possibly happened to me. The general reply I would give is, "I was petting a dog at the animal shelter I volunteer at with my left hand and it turned around and bit me on my right. I didn't know this, but apparently this dog had been abused before coming to the shelter. Sad – huh?" Then I would get the reply, "Oh my gosh! Do you have your rabies shot?" Then I would hesitate and say, "Yes, I had a TETANUS shot about a year ago." So funny! 

The other question I got a few times was if I would go back to volunteer. My reply to that one was "Of course." There is such a need at this no-kill shelter and I am so glad to be a part of it. I joined in Jan. 2008 and have found that whatever you can contribute, they will accept gladly. So I walk the dogs, clean cages (sometimes), buy supplies like dog collars, cat litter, and poop bags and donate our New York Times in bundles. Steve and I have gone to the shelter occasionally which is only five minutes away from our house to cut grass, pull weeds and sweep the parking lot. Steve loves spotting the ferrel cats that mingle in the woods surrounding the shelter and I often have to tell him to stay on task of the yard work! The shelter feeds these cuties and offers outside housing from the cold. Once Steve and I were picking up trash along the street and hurling huge limbs further back into the woods and saw four deer admiring our work. Ahhhh, nature! Anyways, the shelter has its hands full with its limited paid staff and I truly feel like what I do is a community service and is so rewarding. I also get to play with lots of cute dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. Four stitches in just a year's time I think is a pretty good average. Have a look for yourself (click photo for a larger view):