One of the first lessons gardeners learn about plants is they need NPK—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—to grow into healthy, strong plants. But just as important might be the EIP that gardeners bring to the garden. EIP? Yes, EIP—Enthusiasm, Imagination, and Perseverance. Allow me to explain. A gardener needs to bring their enthusiasm to gardening. No half-hearted attempts allowed. Bring it all. Your energy, your cheerful attitude, your belief that your garden will be an overwhelming … [Read more...] about EIP… Just as Important as NPK?
gardening
Summer Collapsed
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” - Oscar WildeI notice as I walk around the neighborhood these days that some trees are already shedding their leaves—river birches and ash trees primarily. (Yes, there are a few ash trees still growing in my neighborhood, protected from the Emerald Ash Borers by their owners' judicious use of systemic insecticide treatments.)Is there anything better than shuffling through fallen leaves? I love the sound of them crunching under my shoes.The pine … [Read more...] about Summer Collapsed
I must not allow
I must not allow this redbud tree seedling to continue to grow and take over this flower bed. I will cut it out today.I promise.Ugh. Such an ugly picture. I am only showing it here to illustrate how if you do not attend to your flower beds by removing tree seedlings, you'll soon see small trees everywhere.I do realize that some gardeners like to keep the tree seedlings that randomly show up in their gardens. Goodness gracious. If I kept every tree seedling that rooted … [Read more...] about I must not allow
My Next Quest
Now that I've don't have bags of mulch nagging me from the patio, I feel a bit at loose ends, deciding what my next gardening adventure is going to be.I have many options—quests—that I can undertake. I could go buy those additional bags of mulch I need. It would be a good test of my intentions to not let those bags languish, age properly, before spreading the mulch.I could move around a few plants that I think are simply in the wrong place. But I think it is a bit early for that. After … [Read more...] about My Next Quest
Mulch Done
I got mulch done in the garden yesterday, meaning, I finished spreading the bags of mulch I've had on hand since April. No more guilt for me because of all the bags of mulch stacked all over the patio!Guess what I'm going to do now?Buy more mulch.Because what I purchased in April wasn't enough. But this time, I'm only going to buy what I can fit on my truck, which is about ten bags, and then I'm going to spread all ten bags of mulch right off the truck.No more stacking the mulch … [Read more...] about Mulch Done
Cannas Tell You What Type of Gardener You Are
I will admit the canna shown here isn't the canna of my childhood, which always had red flowers. My dad usually planted them in a row in the vegetable garden.Side note: I like flowers in a vegetable garden, too, but prefer zinnias, marigolds, and other annual flowers over tropical cannas.Every fall, after the first frost blackened the canna leaves, he'd dig up the roots, lay them out on newspapers to dry, and then store them in a paper bag in the garage. In the spring, he'd pot them … [Read more...] about Cannas Tell You What Type of Gardener You Are
