Good Morning!

Every morning I wake up to a house full of animals that wish to be fed. The birds scold me for not filling their dishes quickly enough, the dogs look at me as only dogs can with those droopy eyes that say, "I'm so lovable so please feed me!", and Orkin is always at the front door knocking on it as if to say, "Hurry up and feed me too!" It is a delightful way to wake up each day and I wanted to tell each of you good morning!

How do you wake up in the morning?

in the garden....

Sunshine and a Taste of Master Gardener Training

Don't worry you all, spring is near and soon we'll be seeing the sunshine-lots of it. The above picture was taken last summer, and it reminds us all the sun is still here, and coming closer each day. Just look at how long the days have gotten already!

Today's post is a public service announcement for local residents, and it has everything to do with the sunshine and spring and gardening! The Montgomery County Master Gardeners are sponsoring a Beginner's Master Gardener Course next month.

What is a Beginner's Master Gardener Course you ask? Well it is an abbreviated version of some of the lessons you will learn in the full master gardener course. It is a fun course that gives you a taste of gardening without the pressure of having to do anything but listen and learn and have fun with fellow garden enthusiasts. Delona, hosta collector and gardener extraordinaire is in charge of this year's course, but you must sign up with the extension office. They can be reached at: (931)6485725. Ask for Karla.

The course begins March 4, 2009 and will end March 24, 2008. The classes will be taught at the Madison Street Methodist Church and the time of the classes are from 6:30-8:30 pm each Tuesday in March, with the 31st being held in reserve in case a make-up class is needed.

There will be a variety of instructors teaching a wide range of subjects. I will be teaching landscape design, and I plan to make it as fun as possible. Okay folks-we're talking landscape design here! How much more fun can that get? It's already near and dear to our hearts but a few principles and practical matters might be in store for you during my class. So come on out and meet some fellow gardeners for the Beginning Master Gardener Course scheduled to start in a few short weeks. The cost is $40 payable to Montgomery County Master Gardener Association.

in the garden....working on a landscape design class.

What a Day...A Fall Day

How much more perfect can it get then sitting back in a chair, watching the clouds go by and thinking about the garden? Low humidity, some rainfall, happy plants, and crystal clear days make fall the perfect time to garden.

How goes your fall? Great I hope! Mine is a bit hectic since we just returned from a long trip, but more on that later. For now I have to get....

in the garden....

The Tour Draws Near

The tour draws near, tomorrow. Yup, it is coming up faster than a Popsicle melts outside in the southern heat. Wow! What was I thinking? I know what I was thinking, how cool would it be to be on the tour? Yes indeed. Time will tell.

My friend Judie, a newly minted Master Gardener, was the one who threw my name into the hat for gardens on this year's tour. She tried to warn me before I got the call from Delona, but didn't catch me in time. I was shocked. Literally shocked. Then it all became clear once Judie reached me.

Judie and I attended the Tree Steward Class Karla put on in 2006. The class consisted of 40 hours of training, and a 25 hour volunteer requirement. Judie and I sat next to each other and got to know one another well. It also helped that she and I were the only 'county' folks in the class. We also happened to live in the same town, Woodlawn.

Judie loves my garden and has visited several times. I am tickled to see her come and visit because she is so enthusiastic about gardening. She and her partner stopped by one day and took a long tour. They have returned many times since that initial visit in 2006, but one memory was unforgettable for all of us. Anyone who is familiar with touch-me-nots, aka jewelweed, know that when they are ripe the seed pods literally explode. In your hands. Judie and Phil visited during the summer when the seedpods were very mature. I asked Judie if she would like some seeds and she said sure. I pointed out a seedpod and said to help herself. It was so hard for me to keep from giving it away! Well, you know what happened! Judie got a shock and could not believe it. I am sure she will never forget those exploding seeds in her fingers, nor will I or Phil.

The upcoming tour will see many friends come by to visit, some for the first and only time, some will return, and some have been here many times. I am looking forward to seeing all visitors. Judie and Phil will be here helping out. They are both Master Gardeners and will be gaining some hours by volunteering. But that is not really the reason they will be here, they will be here because they are my friends, love to garden as much as me, and love my garden (now that she is over the shock). Geri will also be here helping out. She is not earning any volunteer hours, but is my friend who I conned into helping. And I just recently received an email from a Garden Club friend and a wonderful kind woman who has taught me much about gardening and life. The email said, "I am coming to your house to help out with the tour. I will be there around 9 am with something really good to eat. I need directions." Nancy knows I would doth protest too much as I do live a ways out here and would not want her working. Her email left no room for that, so I naturally sent her the directions to the house. What a great bunch of friends. I am not sure who else will show up as of now, but for all of you friends (and you know who you are), thanks for volunteering to help me! Much love. I think we have it covered. There are also a few Master Gardener Volunteers and I appreciate them offering to help out as well!

This will be a learning lesson for me, and a lesson I hope that is not too hard. It is one thing hosting friends, quite another allowing between 200-300 people to visit one's garden. I hope all goes smoothly and ask for not only myself, but the other gardeners on the tour that you all be kind. Our gardens are personal and our works of love we gladly share with you willingly. I know everyone has put a lot of work into their gardens and they are all looking great with this super weather we are having. I expect the weather tomorrow will be superb for a garden tour, hopefully no showers will fall on the gardens until after the tour. Be sure to say hi to the gardener or gardeners, but if they are tied up with someone else, either be patient or understand it will be a busy day for us all. I will have a guest book at my garden and hope everyone who visits will leave their name and a comment or two. Maybe you could tell me your favorite flower or feature in the garden? This would be a nice way for me to remember you and the day. The gardeners will also have a mailing list book for Master Gardener mailings, brochures about the master gardener program and upcoming fall class, and even tickets that you can purchase.

I must say a most, MOST appreciative thank you to my new neighbor, Denise. She has kindly agreed to allow parking at her new home next door. This has been a big relief for me. The last tour I went on in 2006, I found parking at some homes to be difficult. I think her allowing this is an awesome, awesome way to show me what kind of a lady she is and one that I know I will enjoy living next door to. I will be sure to repay her in any way I can. Okay Denise? See ya soon. All the neighbors around here are very happy to have you as a new neighbor and are looking forward to meeting you and your family.

After many years sans hollyhocks, they are back! I hope they continue to return. Hollyhocks are one of Judie's favorite flowers. In fact, I believe it is her most favorited flower. So for her and Phil, the picture of the white hollyhock (my only color) is for them. They have lots of colors in their garden, but one that is memorable is a black hollyhock. The white is a perfect foil for the black and I will gladly share some seeds Judie. :-)

Thanks Phil for sending the picture of this very distinct hollyhock-I think it does make a good counterpoint to the white hollyhock and it is beautiful!

in the garden....expecting visitors and grateful for friends and good neighbors.

Cyberland and New Horizons in Blogging

What is it that bloggers really like about blogging? For me I guess I would go back to why I began blogging in the first place for the answer to my question. I started this blog publishing through an FTP website. I had never visited blogs prior to beginning my blog and never had even heard of 'garden blogs'. My sole intent upon taking the 'job' of garden blogger was to reach out to my community and share whatever little garden knowledge and resources I had within my reach. That was my sole intent....in the beginning.


Now that I have been blogging for about nine months, faithfully nearly every single day (330 posts thus far), my intent has changed. My goal is not to reach out to my community and share resources and knowledge. No. I do still do that, but it is not my goal. I think now my goal has become to document my experiences in my garden while learning and relating to others here in cyberland. Yes, that is my intent now. I can truthfully say this. The big emphasis would be on relating to others with the same interests as me. It is hard to find people with your same interests in the real world. I won't even go into detail why I think this is so, but I find it to be true.


I have definitely documented my experiences and shared some things from my garden and life, but I have learned a lot too. Gail has taught me Tennessee has its own coneflower and all the subtleties of wildflowers. And let us not forget her PPPP. She was the first blogger I met in person and I am ever so delighted to have met her. Her enthusiasm is refreshing. Frances has taught me viburnums need a pollinator, that when you share plants you really need to share plants, and she has taught me countless other things by sharing her wisdom. Frances is the second blogger I have met in person and that was a wonderful afternoon meeting a friend from online in person. The fact bloggers are willing to share their lives and take chances on new friends is uplifting. Dave has taught me how to start cuttings and how cool vegetable garden beds can really be when you take the time to design them thoroughly. He is the first blogger I really began talking to and he has helped me in many ways. We have been talking now for about seven or eight months and I feel like I know him and his family. Perhaps we will meet sometime, maybe at a plant swap. From DP I can follow along while she learns hows to grow vegetables in the Square Foot Gardening method. Pretty interesting. I've learned Jillybean makes really great barbeque sauce and is an excellent cook. Something I am not. I've learned from Aunt Debbi/Kurt's Mom about a special kind of soap that would help save my skin from poison ivy rashes. I wish I had it now because I have the rash all over my legs. Suzyq has taught me that no matter how many people read your blog, that doesn't necessarily mean they want you to talk with them on the blog. Annie in Austin has taught me gardening in Texas is really, really hard. All the gardeners in Texas must be ultra gifted to have so much in bloom all the time. She has been blogging for over two years now and hats off to her! Roses and lilacs and GGW taught me about French lilacs. Layanee has taught me to look at frosting in a whole new way. Cinj has taught me that even in cyberland, the real world is never far away or even totally separate from blogging. Sarah has taught me the world is not so big, even in cyberland. Sarah Laurence has taught me that the world is actually very big in cyberland, yet very small. She lives in England, yet is from my hometown and blogs about it-while living in England! She is actually the reason I started this post.

Sarah L.'s post today talked about meeting a fellow blogger and how neat blogging can be. This got me to thinking about my blog and not only my blogging friends, but also the non blogging friends and family I talk to on here. I guess the key to my blogging is being about to talk and have conversations with others, perhaps with the hope of becoming friends, or not, or perhaps just to relate to others who have similar interests as me. I never knew my sister Dawn was such a funny person until she began talking on here. I always knew my mother loved the computer. It was often a distraction when I would call to talk with her. Now we talk daily and it has been a joy. My old friend Anonymous stays very busy with her children and husband. Again, talking was difficult. Now we can talk each day.

Some new friends I have met on here are Nina and Lola. Both love to garden and work very hard at it. They also love sharing and we all enjoy reminiscing. I have met Nina several times and hope to one day meet Lola. If not, I am betting my mother will for sure when she travels to Florida this winter. Last but not least is Skeeter. Skeeter has been the most faithful person on this blog and it is truly a feat. She always has good conversation and adds to the talk.

The talk. That is the fun part I guess. Because through talk and sharing you learn and relate to others. Isn't this the way we learn to know others in the real world? And don't you sometimes find the real world gets in the way of relating at times? Blogging is work, but so is life. We all have to work at it each day, whether we realize it or not. Marriage is work, raising kids is work, performing your job is work, even vacationing is work, and it all adds up to life. But in all we do it is important to remember to enjoy life. Blogging is an enjoyable part of my life and the new and old friends and family on here have made it all the more enjoyable.

So I ask you all, why do you blog? And this goes to both the bloggers and non-blogging readers. Don't be shy! Is it to learn new things? Is it to go to open house each day at a new and favorite garden? Is it to make new friends? Is it to talk? Is it document your garden? Why blog?

The yarrow above is a passalong plant. A fine addition to any garden. I will be posting on it next week and you all get to get involved-so be prepared to vote!

in the garden....

Maturity

It seems that every single day there is a new surprise in the garden. I am always, always amazed at the growth, changes and beauty. The above iris is a late bloomer and just came into its own. It is 'Edith Wolford' and is a stunner. I knew of the bi-colors, but not of the ruffles. This plant is a new purchase and is already blooming beautifully, with more buds ready to open too. As I walked through the garden and spotted this, I also spotted another plant which has grown in my garden for over five years now and has never bloomed. This plant is Cimicifuga racemosa, aka Bugbane. What is it with plants? Some can come into their own so quickly and others take forever, still others never reach their hoped for potential and must be forgotten.

This question got me to thinking about life and people. It is the same with people. Children inevitably grow up to be people. Some mature faster than others, some never mature. Since the semester of Nashville State Community College starts this weekend, and my two new online courses are Philosophy and Entrepreneurship, I am going to be a bit philosophical in my ramblings today.

I know nothing of philosophy, just what I have looked up on the Internet and what I have heard throughout my life. You know, the Great Philosopher Aristotle said this....and that. Really, I know nothing but surmise philosophy has to do with reasoning, logic, common sense and life, mainly with life and questions about life. So how can I apply all this to my question regarding why some plants mature faster than others? And why is it the same as with people, even pets, and really any living thing when you truly analyze maturity levels of living things.

I think plants, animals, and people are genetically predisposed to mature and grow at different rates. Not only are they genetically predisposed in their habits, personality, growth rate, and so on, but the environment plays a big part in the growth of the living thing, be it people or plants or animals.

I have found if one plant does not do well in one spot, move it and it may do well in the new spot. It is so true of people too. Of course we can't necessarily change the location of our children, but we might change their growing conditions. Just as we do with plants. While plants may get less sun and more moisture in one location, enabling it to grow and mature faster, people may need a special diet, more or less discipline, a new group of friends, or more rest. Change the environment! Ah, maybe this is what I need to do with the Jimster, who, as a teenager is going through some growing pains.

Now, to the maturity level and why it all makes sense. Part of my frustration as a gardener is failing to realize not all plants thrive under the same conditions as its neighbors, and even if it did, it may just be hardwired to take longer to mature, like the bugbane. The iris is a fast maturing plant and pretty easy going, not so with the bugbane. My mistake is in treating them all the same and in not being patient with their desires and needs.

Perhaps MY attitude needs to change towards the plants, and my youngest son. Surely I can be more patient and understanding when it takes FIVE years for one single plant to bloom, and surely I can be more understanding when the Jimster takes much longer to fully understand responsibility and hard work? Yes, I think I can. Perhaps my maturity level or expectations are not quite in sync with the plants and the youngest child. We shall see! At least there is hope, the bugbane looks as if it will finally bloom, and Jimmy will mature into a fine young man, I just know it and I have faith....now on to the patience thingy.

in the garden....

Sensation

Ever hear of a new sensation that's old? I have, and I'll explain after a few.

Memorial Day weekend is the start of the growing season here in Maine. One of the things I like about this weekend is the lilac festival held every year at McLaughlin Gardens, it starts the Saturday before Memorial day and runs until Tuesday. I believe its the only lilac festival in the state of Maine.

Bernard McLaughlin was truly an amazing gentleman. His homestead [was] is in the heart of South Paris at one of the busiest intersections in town. It is a century old farmhouse complete with a red barn and has two acres of garden land. Behind the barn is one of Maine's premiere wildflower and fern gardens.

Bernard McLaughlin started his gardens in 1936 with no formal horticultural training and single handedly tended his beds of mature hostas, phlox, daylillies, astilbes, iris, sedum, cimicifuga, sempervirums and over 2oo varieties of lilacs beneath a canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees. At one point, the farm, with its splendid garden, was opened to the public. Bernard did this at a cost of no fee, just a small donation box nailed to a post at the opening pathway.

A 20 year writer for DownEast magazine, Jane Lamb, recently published a book titled Master Gardeners of Maine. She dedicates it to many gardeners, Bernard McLaughlin being one. She writes: "Bernard McLaughlin who died in 1995 at the age of 98" thought "the secret of a long healthy life.......[was] is found in the garden." Interestingly she also dedicates her book to Currier McEwen who started gardening almost by accident in 1956 and spent the next 45 years developing spectacular iris hybrids. My mom has spoke of him as he was a long time resident of her area. Curiously enough, Mr. McEwen died at the age of 102.

The McLaughin Foundation has assumed the functions of Bernard's estate since 1996, its main mission is to keep the 20th century garden with all of its integrity, preserve the 19th century home and barn, and to create an educational center where horticulturists, hobbyists, and enthusiastic gardeners can experience all of the senses of life. The foundation, a nonprofit organization, has established a tea room where coffee and pastries are served. A gift shop that retails books, cards, prints and clothing. They have onsite volunteers that manage and run plant sales, rental of the facility for wedding and birthdays, and conduct many instruction workshops during the summer months. The educational center is a library that contains over 1000 books relating to gardening and botany, many of them being from Mr. McLaughlin's collection and many of them being donated. The Stephen and Tabitha King foundation has pledged funds to the library. The foundations infrastructure is a board of directors and a volunteer advisory committee who have worked very hard to open the garden gates to the public, and still .....admission is free.

All the pictures of the lilacs are photos I took on a trip to town on Memorial day. The garden was full and had no parking places......so most of the pictures are in the back of the garden. I was very surprised to see the two people sitting so close to the lilacs and wondered if they were volunteers weeding the area. One of the nice ladies asked if I wanted her to move and that's when I saw they were having a picnic!! Apparently they had the same idea as us. The two pictures before the last one (the one with the lady) are photos from the intersection/parking area and it is the front of the garden. You can just see the farmhouse off to the left. The last picture is of a rose lilac....interesting.

Oh yes, a new sensation that's old? It was developed and sold as a new variety about 15 years ago, named Sensation. It gets to be about six feet tall, and looks ordinary until it opens its flower.......

It's planted in my yard, started about 12 years ago.......and is blooming for the first time.

New.....but old to me.......

Purple AND white rimmed, happily sending suckers this year.

I think this is the prettiest picture of all. Can't you smell the heavenly scent?

Having a long, healthy and sensational life....in the garden.....

Anticipation......!

This time of year we gardeners all anticipate with joy and glee the first opening of our flowers. It doesn't matter what type of flower-just that it opens! The flowers with the largest buds pique our interest in a big way.

Rhododendrons, irises, and peonies are flowers that have large buds. So large and so 'pregnant' with beauty that the anticipation is almost too much to bear. I picked one of the peony buds to force it open. My plan really did not work well. I guess I will just have to live with anticipating the opening of these flowers just a bit longer.

I have a confession, I am cheating since all of these buds have already opened by the time I am posting this post. But it ok, as you all UNDERSTAND the feeling of anticipation-don't you?!

What do you anticipate the most? It does not have to be something in the garden. For me it was always my retirement date from the Army. Now that it has come and gone, it is now my husband's retirement date from the Army, and visits with families (few and far between unfortunately). Buds are neat but not as neat as the flowers themselves. What do you anticipate the most in your life?

in the garden....

Life's Lessons From the Garden

I have heard this poem before, but it bears publishing and refreshing of the memory and mind. Nina sent me this post in an email. I always love the lessons in this poem. Nina always goes to her garden while the dew is still on the roses...anyone else do this? It is a lovely time alone with nature.

How To Plant Your Garden of Friends

First, you Come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses....

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:

1. Peace of mind

2. Peace of heart

3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip

2. Squash indifference

3. Squash grumbling

4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce be faithful

2. Lettuce be kind

3. Lettuce be patient

4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings

2. Turnip for service

3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for God

2. Thyme for family

3. Thyme for friends

DON'T FORGET THAT EVERY GARDEN NEEDS SOME FLOWERS, SO I PLANTED SOME GLADS.

1. Glad I live in a free country

2. Glad for all my wonderful friends.

3. Glad I'm free to worship God!!

4. Glad for another day

5. Glad for so many blessings!

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.

THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. NOT BAD, HUH?!

Thanks Nina for sending me the lessons from my garden and life.

I was quite pleased I got a few white camelias this year. The spring blooming Camelia sasanquas in my yard often get nipped by late frosts. These flowers are doing fine, though some earlier blooms on the shrub were nipped, turned brown and fell off.

The above pansies, purchased last fall, are a lovely dark color which I love. Dark colors can fade into the background, and these do, but that is ok. They are best enjoyed up close.

in the garden....

Jury Duty

I recently served on a jury trial. Wow! What a learning experience! I waited my whole life to be called and was quite excited last year when I was finally sent the qualification form. Then I had to wait another six months to finally be summoned. The odds of ACTUALLY sitting on a jury are only about 10-20%; I was in the odds.

It sounds kind of like it is a bummer, but no, I found the experience to be a rewarding learning experience. Lessons I learned:

1) Our justice system is fair to both parties.

2) Judges are very powerful and revered people.

3) Jurors are teams.

4) Patience.

5) The process is painless.

6) It is my civic duty to serve.

7) Many people do not want to serve or unable to serve due to a wide variety of reasons.

8) Lawyers work hard.

If you are in one of the jury pools, report with pride and be prepared to do your duty. You will truly be rewarded and learn a great deal about our society.

I selected this silhouette of a tall and strong oak to represent our legal system. It has the framework in the form of the many branches, the backbone in the form of the tree trunk, and the basis for our system rooted firmly in the soil.

in the garden....

Puppies and Babies

As some of you may know we recently fostered some adorable little golden retriever mix puppies here at the Ramsey home. I have found puppies and gardens do not go together. Specifically, my little garden. It may never be the same.

Generally I love wild things in my garden, the birds, cats and the dogs. Puppies ARE dogs, are they not? Turns out, no. Puppies are babies; which are VERY different from dogs in my opinion.

Jimmy and I brought them home on Monday night. Even though my backyard is fully fenced, I was still nervous the little ones would find a crack and wiggle out or get lost in the backyard. Since my vegetable garden is almost completely fenced with rabbit fencing, I decided to block off the three gates and safely place the pups in the vegetable garden. Turns out that was not such a great idea for the garlic (the entire yard smelled of garlic and let's just say no vampires will bite these pups). The garlic will be fine. I am not worried about it or the perennials (though I would still rather they not eat them all). It was when they got to the woody ornamentals that I really, really became worried. Talking to the babies, uh hum, puppies, wasn't working.

I had two very nice vines in my vegetable garden growing up a large arbor. One was a sweet autumn clematis, and the other a double Carolina gessamine. I say had, but honestly I think they are still there-somewhere. When spring comes we will see. I decided the vegetable garden was not a good place for these little pups, out they came.

Maybe the whole garden would be better? More distractions and less of a chance for any one woody ornamental to take the full brunt of the puppies teething assault. Nope. Not a good idea either. Whenever one puppy attacks a shrub (something I have a lot of), ALL six pups join in. Uh oh. What to do now? Well, I tried to do what anyone would do with babies when they want to change the baby's point of focus-distract them! This worked for awhile. I would try to persuade the little ones to attack my tons of plastic plant pots, which are not important and might even feel good on the puppies teeth. That worked, for about five minutes. Oh yeah, babies don't have long attention spans either, do they? On to the plants then and all those gardens. Oh dear, what next?

After about an hour of playing in the garden I finally decided the what next was a playpen, in the form of a huge doggie crate in the middle of my small living room. Getting all six in without losing one or two into the house was not an easy feat. Especially since early on Jimmy and I had to carry all six up the deck stairs. It never fails to amaze me how when a baby, or in this case, a puppy is able to do what he or she wants to do, but not when we want him or her to do it. These puppies can climb stairs when they want to come in the house and to their playpen, but when we call them and we want them to come, they of course can't climb. Isn't that how it always works?

The above picture is of only four, but there are a total of six. They are from left to right, Dade (my very favorite), Lamar, Bruiser and CJ. Jimmy named three and I named three. The other two are Baby and Mia.

Oh yeah, no sleeping through the night tonight.

in the garden....

What is in a Name?

What is in a name? A name is the one thing you have your whole life that is yours. It can never be taken away from you. It is up to you what you do with it, and what you make of your name. You can have a good name or a bad name. I have always told my children their name is something that always starts out good, and they need to make sure it stays good. They have done a great job at living honorable and good lives, and I am proud of all four of my children. (Even the teenager though he doesn't always think so:~)

The year I deployed to Iraq was my first year visiting the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. I have since attended four more times and I have enjoyed each and every trip, but the year 2003 was a very good year for visiting this show. While there a vendor had a bunch of iron letters. I searched for what seemed like an hour or two and had HIM search for all of the letters of my name. I was very fortunate he had them all in stock as these letters are made of iron and came from a foundry which has since gone out of business. I am sure you could probably buy them online, but I haven't checked to see if that is so. I have my entire last name and I love the name Ramsey. These letters are prominently displayed on my Wisteria arbor/Privacy wall (I will do a post on it later) and remind me every day of the good name I possess. This year's Lawn and Garden Show at the Nashville Fairgrounds is going to be 28 Feb-2 Mar.

Jimmy, the teenager in the house, has a hard time understanding good names. Two summers ago he went to western North Carolina to spend quality time with his paternal grandparents. While there they took him to the mountains where the Ramsey family originally came from. Jimmy was in awe when he saw a whole cemetery filled with Ramsey family members. He couldn't believe his name and family were so important until he saw the full breadth of how families and generations just seem to go on in perpetuity with the same name. Treasure your name always as it is as uniquely your own, as is your garden.

in the garden....

Happy New Year!

The days are getting longer and it is now a new year. Time for new beginnings which will lead to happy endings. Gardening of course! The new crop of garden catalogs should be coming in en masse to a mailbox near you. If not, just let me know because I have plenty of extras.

Before you know it, the time for starting those seeds and planning for your 2008 garden will be upon you. Time passes by rather quickly when you really think about it. I never worried about time when I was a kid. Now that I am older I do. My youngest son doesn't worry about time, but he is painfully aware of its passing-rather quickly I might say. That is not a good thing.

So, my whole point is this, while the year is young, get ready for planting and don't waste any time in anything you do. Enjoy life, whether it is in the garden or elsewhere.

I will post Part 4 of Winter Gardening tomorrow. It will cover texture. Have a great day!

in the garden....

Happy New Year's Eve!

I always get melancholy this time of year. I guess most people do. I use the end of the year as an opportunity to reflect on the passing year and to make goals and aspirations for the new year. When I look back at 2007, I find it has been a good year. My family was blessed with the birth of a healthy grandson, we all have our health, were able to travel to Maine to see our oldest daughter graduate from college, saw the Niagara Falls (a dream of mine my whole life), my husband is a successful Army Recruiter (the HARDEST job in the Army) and was promoted, I graduated from college and started a new college program, and the garden is still the garden even though it suffered tremendously in 2007.

I look forward to 2008 and to prepare for the new year I think ahead to what I hope will happen. It is kind of a "get prepared now and you will know how to react when it happens" mechanism. I have had many years of looking ahead and back and many, many changes in my life. Most all have been great and everything seems to turn out fine in the long run. Moves are the biggest changes and challenges that the new year used to bring to my life. No more moving so now life's priorities have changed. Here are my top ten hopes the new year (in no particular order): Some relate to gardening, some everyone can relate to, and some no one but me will desire.

1) World Peace

2) Continued health for family and friends

3) My children will continue to grow and prosper in life

4) I will find the right job for me AND for the job

5) Jimmy will enter his first year of high school and finally realize it is COOL to get all A's

6) My husband's stress level will be greatly reduced because his recruiting duty will end after more than three long years.

7) It will rain between 1-2" each and every week this year, and only in the early morning hours when I am not in the garden.

8) The voles will change their dietary habits and instead of eating my perennials and shrubs, they will now eat only dandelions and plantains.

9) The adjacent property owners will finally sell their house and move. The new owners will be great neighbors and wonderful people. (As a bonus at least one will be a gardener and/or appreciate plants)

10) I will continue this blog and get to meet more super people and learn new things about gardening and life.

Last year at this time, our family was preparing for a much anticipated and long awaited trip to the Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus in Nashville. And because I love stories, here is how we wound up at the circus. Jimmy was born in 1994. Because 1994 was the 125the Anniversary of the Ringling Circus, the Circus, in conjunction with Family Circle, offered every single child born in 1994 a free ticket for one circus performance good for the child's lifetime. It took us nearly 13 years to finally use it, but we did and had a great time. Circuses sure have changed since I last saw one!

Be safe this evening and may the New Year bring you all of your dreams, hopes and aspirations.

Happy New Year and make it your best every day!

in the garden....

Gifts and Families on Christmas Eve

It is finally Christmas Eve. I know the stockings are stuffed and all the kids tucked into bed in anticipation of tomorrow. Such excitement! Think back to when you were a kid and try to get that feeling too.

Since it is Christmas Eve and a time for family, I thought I would share this gift from Mr. Fix-it. He and I recently celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. Life with him just gets better and better everyday; which is saying a lot because life with him has always been great. Anyone who knows us and him know this to be a true and concrete statement. He is just a kind and family oriented man. A true gem. (He usually doesn't read my blog posts so I am not getting any brownie points)

Anyhow, unknown to me he commissioned this etched mirror with a custom picture. A friend of his etches glass as a hobby and SSG Moore did a super job! I have a thing for mirrors. Mirrors in the garden and mirrors in my home. Every single room in my house has a mirror or two. The porch also has a mirror and I have glass in the yard. Putting a mirror together with an etching just seemed the ideal gift for our anniversary.

Mr. Fix-it and his friend came up with an appropriate design for my new mirror, personally handpicked by Mr. Fix-it. If you look closely you can see him holding up the mirror. This picture was tricky because I did not want to get myself in the picture yet I wanted you all to see the picture itself. The picture has ivy intertwined with the word LOVE, has a few butterflies, and then says "MY GARDEN". It all stands for "I love my garden". I truly do and hubby knows it well-but he still tops the garden anyday!

I told Mr. Fix-it he should have saved it for Christmas since it wasn't done in time for our anniversary-would've saved him picking out a another gift for me. He says he already gives me everything so what else can he give me? I agreed and said just having him around is enough for me. Family at this time of year should be the focus. We all sometimes get carried away with living that we forget what is truly important is not the gifts or money or whatever, it is the thought and consideration behind our actions that really count.

in the garden....

He TOOK Responsibility!

First of all, I seem to spend alot more time talking about gardening lately than actually gardening. Maybe because it is wintertime, hope so. Yesterday was a garden day and boy did it ever feel great! The soil is still warm and it is not too late to still plant. I was actually dividing those "DDs" and moving perennials (garden phlox, Siberian irises and bearded irises).

DD stands for d*&$#d daffodils! I call them DD because EVERY single year I end up dividing and moving mine around. It is a tedious task I don't mind doing occasionally. I usually don't divide until February, but I found ALOT of DDs that are showing their heads already! December is way too early for daffodils to be growing above ground. I like that the DDs multiply so rapidly and I certainly like the free plants-but I want to enjoy them just ONE year without having to divide them.

I also found a bunch of radishes I don't remember planting! I must have though because you can bet it was not Jimmy nor Mr. Fix-it. If you put out some radish seeds a month or two ago, you might check and see if you too have some radishes growing in your garden. These ones are behind Mr. Fix-it's garage in Jimmy's garden where I don't always venture so that is my excuse for overlooking them.


Okay, on to the fence. Deputy Fuson did a great job finding the culprit who took out my fence. Thanks! The sleepy guy's name is John, and while he said I could use his last name, I will not use last names on my blog unless specifically requested to do so by the person. John is a very nice guy and I tell you I was almost ready to give him money for Christmas rather than him pay for the fence! Too funny. The really big thing for me was for him to take responsibility, and he has; so NO money will exchange hands. The damage is not all that bad and John will help to fix it. This is more than enough for us because of his honesty and willingness to accept responsibility. There are still decent people in this world who own up to their actions and John is definitely one of them.

John and his passenger BOTH were too sleepy to keep an eye on the road. The accident began with John drifting off and crossing an opposite traffic lane, entering the adjacent property owner's ditch, hitting their driveway and then waking up. By this time it was too late. John's little car was too far gone. As he corrected right to go back onto the road, the tail end driver's side took out the first fence pole, he literally flew over the ditch while clipping a wagon wheel and taking out the rest of the fence. All this happened in less than 20 seconds. John and his passenger were then VERY awake. They looked back and didn't see anything (it was dark this is true), thought they only hit a ditch, then drove off for some much needed sleep.

The car suffered some damage in the form of a dent on the driver's side rear quarter panel with lots of green fence paint in it, a dented wheel rim from when he hit the adjacent property owner's ditch, some scrapes, dirt, debris and who knows what else happened mechanically. John didn't even realize it until today when he really looked at his car. All in all not too bad considering it could have been much worse. I am SO grateful no one was injured, the fence will be repaired (John-we'll call!), and the plants will grow back. No harm, no foul.

Folks, if you are sleepy then don't drive. After pulling an all nighter you WILL be sleepy so have an alternative plan. Better safe than sorry this holiday season as it only takes a second. John agrees an idiot hit my fence, but accidents happen to all of us. It only takes a blink of an eye and once it is done, it cannot be taken back and you have to accept responsibility for the outcome. Just ask John.

Accidents can be big or small. Kind of like waterfalls. My family had the pleasure of visiting Niagara Falls this past spring and it was an awesome experience. One we'll never forget. The above picture is of the falls. Enjoy and be SAFE this holiday season!

in the garden....

Take Responsibility

Okay everyone. Good morning! I usually post the first thing in the morning and have my post ready well in advance of posting time. This morning was no different as I have a very nice post prepared and was going to use it. But when I woke up, I woke up to the sound of thumps coming from the road. I went out to investigate and what should I find but that some IDIOT had taken out my fence, then drove off and left all the debris in the road for others to hit.

I know accidents happen and there is no doubt this was accidental. But the person driving the small maroon car had to cross a two foot deep ditch and travel quite a ways off from a STRAIGHT road where the speed limit is ONLY 40 miles per hour. Undoubtedly, he was either sleepy, speeding or drunk-maybe a combination of all three or some other reason I cannot think of right now. Or maybe he was just late to work and couldn't stop to make it right. Time will tell as there is no doubt the culprit will be found with all the evidence there is on the incident.

Fortunately there were two witnesses to the accident and the Sheriff Department had already been notified by one of the witnesses of the incident by the time I called in the report. THANK YOU! It is people like the witness who are willing to get involved in matters like this that make ALL the difference in this world.

While I understand accidents happen, the smart and decent thing to do would have been to knock on my door and inform me of what happened and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! It certainly should not be my job, time, and expense to fix something he broke, whether accidentally or not. I am sure he will be caught, hopefully he will come forward before that time. This matter can be resolved quite easily if he does. The culprit need only take responsibility.

I know the car suffered quite a bit of damage. It had to have because there are some serious rocks and castle rock which were thrown into the road. Additionally, the fence posts were cemented into the ground. The callousness of not reporting the accident is one thing, but to leave the debris in the road for others to possibly have an accident themselves is unconscienable. I know there are people like this in the world, but I am hopeful and optimistic this person is one of the decent ones and had a good reason for driving off and leaving behind the damage for others to suffer the consequences. One of the witnesses had to stop to move a fence pole out of his way prior to moving on. If he hadn't, who knows who else would have had damage to their vehicle?

The person who hit the fence did not even get out of the car and check the damage. The second picture was taken after I tried to put the pole back in the hole and righted the second pole. It was also taken after I stacked the rocks back up into the wall where they were prior to the person hitting them.

I'm in the garden....fixing all the damage to the yuccas and prickly pear this poor driver caused when he ran into my yard onto my property.

What's Up with Time Anyhow?

I often hear people say they want to garden but don't have enough time. I will NOT say you don't need time to garden because you certainly do. You notice though, people don't say they don't have time, they just say they don't have ENOUGH time. So here is the key to gardening and time-manage your time wisely and garden within the limits of your time.

Duh! Right? Sounds so easy but I do know it is NOT easy managing time. Even if I didn't passionately garden and spend most of my free time in the garden, I would still have difficulty managing time. We are only given such a limited amount that each and every day has to count but you can garden in some way if you wish to-despite time limits. My gardens actually require less time than one would think. I walk through them in the morning and evening. On my passes I pull weeds, prune and whatever else that needs to be done. I have a lot of gardens so these walks take me about 15-30 minutes. Less than an hour a day. The gardens are much LESS time and maintenance than the lawn. As much as I love grass, my goal is to minimize it because of all the time, money and maintenance-just think mowing! Yuck!

Oftentimes the off putting factor preventing people from committing to gardening is the upkeep of the garden. It does require a long-term commitment and sometimes we don't want to commit. That is OK. If you still want to garden or like to garden indulge your desires with reading gardening magazines, or houseplants. I can assure you, neither will require much weeding!

Even houseplants require a commitment-you do occasionally have to water them. I have a secret, I HATE watering houseplants. I grew up in a home where my mother had tons of houseplants in every window of the house and on every flat surface. She grew the most beautiful houseplants and so I do grow houseplants because of these memories. The good thing about my houseplants is I can move them outside in the summer. I don't have to go and buy those standard ferns everyone seems to want to hang on their porches each spring. Why not try houseplants and be different from your neighbors? You save time because you don't have to go and buy the ferns-but you still do have to water. I can't help you there. That being said I do love ferns. Here is a secret I have learned. If you grow the Boston ferns and their cousins, instead of bringing them into the house where they drop leaves all over the place, put them in your crawlspace if you have one. Come spring (not before big freezes please), remove them and it is usually like they were just put under. Mine are still green and intact. I have wintered my ferns over in this way for six years. See, saved you some time and money!

Anyhow, gardening is a hobby which takes time but with creative use of your time and honest evaluation of your capabilities and desires anyone can find the time to garden.

The picture above is of another type of my favorite plant, the eupatoriums. I already discussed the chocolate eupatoriums. This is Eupatorium purpureum, aka Joe Pye Weed. It grows to about 6 feet in my garden and blooms in the fall. It is a butterfly magnet and I love this picture. I have sometimes seen the 'Gateway' variety of Joe Pye in stores down here but they are more common up north. Don't let that fool you, Joe Pye grows great here in Tennessee and grows wild in the mountains. It is a wonderful plant which I think is much underused. I got mine from mail order catalogs and I also handcarried plants down from Maine. I thought at first it did not take until one day the weeds got a head of me and the "Joe Pye Weed" bloomed! Apparently I had been pulling the Joe Pyes, so beware when weeding.

in the garden....

Big Work-Little Time or Patience

For those who have been reading along, you will find I really like to write. I can probably write four posts a day for the next year about gardening and never touch upon the same subject twice. Gardening is a multi-faceted project that involves many intricate little machines spinning around to make the whole machine work well. Kind of like dominoes, when one falls it starts a chain reaction. This is what happened to me this weekend. Mr. Fix-it is a collector of cars while I am a collector of plants. We try very hard to share real estate keeping the needs of each other foremost in our minds. Well, I have this big vegetable garden which is probably the crown jewel in my garden. I take it very seriously.

The vegetable garden just happens to be close to his garage which had not been a huge problem until this weekend. This weekend Mr. Fix-it purchased a 30 foot long trailer in which he can haul cars and store excess parts. Getting it in the backyard was an ordeal. I had already decided to move the vegetable garden when this trailer entered the picture. Now the need was here right away.

The part of the vegetable garden which was causing the most pain was the southwest corner and was, in my defense, already in place when we moved here six years ago. Mr. Fix-it's idea was to move the entire garden over to the north about 5 or 10 feet. Here come the dominoes. In order to move it, the cemented 4x4 fence posts have to be relocated, the railroad ties, the plants (still in full season as you can see from the picture) and the beds. This is just the moving. Prior to moving I remove all of the sod from the new area and deposit it in the old area, then I double dig the beds. This would not be difficult if it weren't for a catch 22, the sod has no place to go because the intended area is built up with perfect soil to the tune of at least a pick up truck full and of course the soil has no where to go because it's intended location is full of sod!

All of this frustrates me because when I get it in my mind something is going to happen in the garden, it needs to happen now! It is very hard for me to be patient and to work a little at a time but that is what I must do. I know in the long run it will all work out and I will not have to do it again. I have worked on this challenge all weekend and have cleared the side Mr. Fix-it needs for his cars, repositioned the railroad ties and cold frame (the structure standing on its edge in the first picture) and moved some sod. It is a good start. Today I have to dig an extension to the perennial border directly to the right of the vegetable garden, move the Kniphofia uvarias, aka Red Hot Pokers (received from Susan-a fellow freecycler) from the vegetable bed to this garden, outline an area for the new banana garden (it will be in the center of the vegetable garden and bordered by the round millstones), then lay out the rest of the beds. I am realistic and understand I will not achieve all of this today and that is ok. (I guess it has to be) I will keep plugging along and try to right all of those dominoes that keep putting into motion new ideas and needs. I will keep you all posted. My introduction was very on it when it said I am working on expanding my gardens-this all takes a lot of time. By the way, all of this work is done by hand. I do have a tiller but refuse to use it. I will explain more on that later. Big work-little time or patience on my part.

in the garden....

Patience is a Virtue

I had to wait until an overcast day to take this picture. Good garden photographers say that is the best time to take pictures. Not sure. Anyhow, this is a Brugmansia versicolor, aka Angel's Trumpet. A fellow gardener here in Woodlawn (Doris) gave me this plant over three years ago and this is the first year it has bloomed! This plant is not normally hardy to this area and I had been carrying it under my house to my crawlspace for the past three winters. But, I have many gardening friends who have had it come back each year and so I finally decided I would plant it out in the ground. Maybe this is why it finally bloomed? The blooms seem to be late this year. If you read the article on the Master Gardener plant sale the gentleman on the front page said "he could not wait until his Angel Trumpets bloomed." Now you can see why. Angel Trumpets are stunning and truly worth the wait. I have waited three years. Another dear gardening friend (Gerianne) gave me hers from last year which I have planted in the ground as well. She gave me a yellow one since it is my favorite color in the garden. Do you suppose I will have to wait three years for it to bloom as well? Oh well, patience is a virtue and gardeners need a lot of patience. I have a sign in my garden that says, "Patience is a gardener's most precious commodity" and this is so true!

in the garden....