November 11, Notes

It was a gray, dreary day today. Very November in Ohio. I didn’t go outside even once. I should do the last mowing for the year, and that will tend to mulch up what is left of the leaves.

I came across an article on planting living Christmas trees, it almost made me want to do that again, but really I don’t like having to try to keep them alive in house conditions. We were very successful in those early years of doing this, but I think I would rather put my trees in the ground under better conditions. Plus it ruins glass bulbs to be sprayed with water for two weeks.
Christmas Links:

Advent wreath

But it was fun for those years. It seems so long ago now. I did so many things I would not do now. We moved to a rural property with no real idea OR equipment to do things properly. We regularly broke our hand mowers, heavy duty ones. I exhausted myself mowing four acres of weeds and grass with hand mowers.

I can hardly believe it now. But that is what I did. I hand dug large gardens. I was crazy.

Sort of crazy, I had misplaced good intentions of becoming more diligent. And all I did was become VERY tired. So now, I have different ideas of what it is to garden and share advice based upon that. I also do not try to garden perfectly.

The garden this year was very pretty, the rains were good for it. I had a lot of self-seeded Dahlberg daisies and Alyssums in the walkway. Some of those plants which once came up on their own are no longer in the garden. I think because I cultivate the ground in the perennial beds less. I have used mulches to keep the weeds down and the perennials and bushes are larger. So I no longer have Lavatera and Cynoglossum coming up, less violas , too. I miss the Violas. I am going to make a list of things to renew in the garden in 2004.

It worked out very well to make new starts of lavender and rue for the walkway hedge. It is very easy to start plants in the spring from simple cuttings. They take two years to become full size, but the young first year plants are showy enough. I always feel sorry I didn’t go overboard in this area. I am too tentative with new ideas. A large hand…that is what the garden usually needs, a magnanimous hand!

I got some photos of the garden developed. I think maybe I can turn them into web pics. My camera is a disposable so you understand that my pictures leave much to be desired, but they might scan in ok. Then I play with them slightly in a graphic program. That takes care of weird angles and overexposures sometimes……

If I post anything, it remains to be seen. It did show me how my eye edits in real life. I took one picture where I could have easily wrapped the rose around the light pole, but no….. It is off at an angle and I am busy looking at the abundant sidewalk flowers , what do I care about the light pole and the rose branches?

The camera tells you things.