Category: Miscellaneous

Creative Gardening

1/11/2019

“Garden-making is creative work, just as much as painting or writing a poem.” ~Hanna Rion

I don’t think much about creativity when I garden. For me it is more about the desired results; fresh fruits and vegetables, cut flowers for a vase, or a landscape that is pleasing to the senses. Yet it seems “creative” and “gardening” are put together frequently. A google search with these two terms yields 164 million results!
I’ve started to view creativity as more central to my gardening just as I would when decorating the interior of my home. When I look at those Google results they fall into these categories.

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A New Year in the Garden

1/1/2019

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Some of these photos are from today, some from other years but all reflect my garden in the winter. I leave my perennials standing because you just never know what nature will provide in the way of a beautiful image.

With the new year I am thinking about what my garden can be in the coming season. Here are my aspirations for 2019:

Maintenance free - oh if only!
Flowers for bouquets from early spring to last freeze (and beyond).
Tomatoes that are blight-free.
Plentiful tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans in season.
Fresh garlic in mid-summer, enough to last the year and seeds for the next.
No more trees needing to be removed - our tree maintenance budget in the last few years has been expensive.
Success with trying some new plants - what can it be??
Planting shore-land plants that are good for the lake and that also allow us to enjoy the view.
Replacing a few higher maintenance perennials with low-maintenance shrubs.
Allowing volunteer plants to show me some new combinations that are pleasing to the eye.
Less work and more play!

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2018 in Review

12/28/2018

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I haven’t thought much about how my gardening year turned out, its successes and failures. Usually I make notes on my garden rotation sheet about what worked and what didn’t. This year’s sheet reminds me what happened in the garden and thoughts for next year. Better late than never, here goes.

Major accomplishment – put in raised beds and wider paths. See my July 29 post – Evolution of a Garden
Early Planting – we had a warm spring that allowed one of my earlier planting, most were planted on May 25. That allowed for an earlier and longer harvest season.
Raspberries – great year for these berries, the third year since planting in a new bed.
Hollyhocks finally bloomed – see August 20 post – Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Memories
Dahlias – I was disappointed by the late blooms and short season. Next year need to find a sunnier spot and maybe get them started inside.
Tomatoes – BLIGHT! Even though I put them in a new raised bed they were all dried up by mid-August. Still got a fairly good harvest of tomatoes for the table but they sure looked ugly.
Cucumbers – it was a fantastic year for cukes, lots of them and a long harvest. Not sure if I can take the credit or Mother Nature supplied just the right amount of warmth and sunshine.
Green Beans – good year BUT…. Some creature ate the plants right to the ground late in the season. Do I need to put a fence within my fence? Still haven’t figured out who is the culprit.
Lettuce, spinach, chard, kale – all did well but we didn’t eat much of what was grown. I may just replace this whole group for more cut flowers next year.
Zucchini Failure – also documented in September 9 post – The 2018 Zucchini Failure I may just give up entirely on zucchini, they are so easy to buy or get from other gardeners. Why bother?

Writing these down now gives me a game plan for next year. The challenge will be to remember where I put these ideas so I can act upon them. Do you have any successes or failures to share?

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Winter Reading Stack

11/27/2018

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When the snow flies this gardener gets reading. I can hardly wait to get started on this stack. I've already sneaked a peak into these and am hoping for some quiet days this winter to really dig into these tomes. Here is what I have on my book stack, in no particular order.

The Garden in Every Sense and Season by Tovah Martin (c) 2018 - When I saw that Ms. Martin had a new book, I just had to have it. Already on my bookshelf was her book on houseplants, The Unexpected Houseplant, that is my go-to book on that subject. She writes as if we are friends and I always learn something new. As the title suggests, this book is organized by season and explores our senses within each of them.
Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler (c) 2018 - Subtitled "Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty", this one caught my attention because next year I am substituting flowers for a vegetable bed that we don't use. I've already picked up a good tip on getting bushier annual flower plants; most of us cut annuals too high on the stem. The author recommends cutting as low as possible and provides a picture to guide the reader.
The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone (c) 2018 - I've already read this one, a biography of David Fairchild who was a globe-trotting botanist at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Some finds attributed to him are "Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. " It was interesting to read about where some of our common foods originated and how they made their way to our grocery stores.
The Northern Gardener by Mary Lahr Schier (c) 2017 - There are 26 chapters from A for Apples to Z for, of course, Zinnias. The author provides tips for northern gardeners and history from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. There is a potluck of lore, facts, and advice that I'll be able to put to use in the next garden season.
The Naturescaping Workbook by Beth O'Donnell Young (c) 2011 - My most popular classes are those involving native plants. This workbook is full of information on creating a landscape plan, choosing appropriate plants, attracting wildlife, and being a good steward of the land. I've tried to learn more about landscape design without much success but thumbing through this book I'm hopeful to learn a few techniques that I can pass onto others.
Grow Native by Lynn M. Steiner (c) 2016 - Ms. Steiner is also the author of Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin (c) 2007 which is already on my bookshelf. Her new book advertises that it will give me everything I "need to know to design and cultivate a naturally beautiful yard." A quick scan of the book shows me that the author has provided "Native Know-How" lists for all imaginable situations. A few samples: Native plants as Focal Points, Perennials to Cut Back in Spring, Attracting Hummingbirds, Drought-Tolerant Species, Rain Gardens, and many more. I anticipate this will be as well-used as the older book by this knowledgeable author.

So dear reader, do you have a book to recommend for this winter? Given that the snow is already flying I have a feeling I'll need more to add to the stack. Please share.

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Great River Road Trip – October 2018

11/8/2018

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The east fork of the Chippewa River in fall.

When my friend Melanie and I decided to take a road trip along the Mississippi River to New Orleans I didn’t even think about where all the water comes from for one of the largest river systems in the world. Then I realized I live on one of the tributaries that feed into the river. In fact, a lot of us do since the Mississippi Valley watershed includes 31 states.

Elevation 1313 Feet. I live at the confluence of the east and west forks that start the Chippewa River. It flows 180 miles to join the Mississippi River at Lake Pepin that is the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River, located about 60 miles south of Saint Paul and on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

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Forcing Rhubarb

10/22/2018

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Did you know that you can force rhubarb? If you forgot to freeze the stems this summer for later use and your rhubarb can use some dividing; now is an excellent time to prepare to be the first in your neighborhood to have fresh rhubarb next spring.

According to Rhubarb-Central.com "the cultivation methods for forcing rhubarb was developed in the early 1800's. Commercial growers of rhubarb use special forcing sheds, or hot houses, but the home gardener can successfully force rhubarb in a home cellar, a garage, or another outbuilding. Forcing rhubarb can also be done outdoors, in the garden."

The process is a bit involved and I recommend that you do some research before proceeding.

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Spring Bulb Forcing

10/12/2018

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Most spring bulbs need a 12-15 week chilling period. Try dwarf species or hybrids for the best results. I plant mine in potting soil in nursery pots and put them in the vegetable crisper of the beer refrigerator and covered with plastic to keep in the moisture. Avoid putting them with other fruits and vegetables that may emit a gas that will cause them to rot. Be sure to label with the date and species.

Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) are the exception needing no chilling period. I keep those bulbs in the fridge unpotted.

Here are some bulbs that are especially suited to forcing:

Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Irises, Muscari
All Amaryllis (need no cooling period)
Paperwhites with strong stems & milder fragrance: ‘Israel’, ‘Nazareth’, ‘Jerusalem’ or ‘Bethlehem.

When you are ready for some blooms, bring them out. You can repot in an attractive container and water. Don't water again until growth begins. After the first watering I give my bulbs a little extra spirit of 7 parts water to 1 part alcohol (I use an old bottle of vodka) to keep the from flopping. The picture below shows the difference, the one on the left got a shot of booze when watering.

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How to Grow Hemp

10/6/2018

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I received an interesting question this week from my friend Paul. He was thinking about growing hemp next year and asked my thoughts. We normally compare notes on growing garlic, so this was definitely out of my realm of knowledge. I wanted to know more.

Wisconsin law was changed as of December 31, 2017 to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp. According to an August 10, 2018 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article industrial hemp is a cousin to marijuana but includes only a trace of what makes people high. The same article stated that a 2015 federal law allows universities and state agricultural departs to work with farmers to research growing hemp. If you are potentially interested in this crop, now is the time to explore the possibilities.

The Wisconsin Department of Agricultural, Trade and Consumer Protection states that: The licensing application period for the 2019 growing season will be open from November 1 through December 31, 2018. Downloadable application forms and an online application option will be available here beginning November 1. If you sign up to receive updates (at right), you will receive an email letting you know when the materials are available.
https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/IndustrialHemp.aspx

Other sites that may help your research:

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3 Uses for Garden Photos

7/16/2018

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Most gardens are coming into their peak season. Now is an excellent time to get your camera or smart phone and take some pictures. Why?
I’ve learned there are many uses for garden photographs. My reasons to take photos started with record keeping. Then I expanded my photo collection to use in garden programs. Now I also share on social media and get creative with cards and prints. Do you have pictures of your garden? Here are some reasons to consider regularly taking photos.

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Garden Stories

Creative Gardening

A New Year in the Garden

2018 in Review

Winter Reading Stack

Great River Road Trip – October 2018

Forcing Rhubarb

Spring Bulb Forcing

How to Grow Hemp

3 Uses for Garden Photos

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