Gardening against the odds: Part Two - Critters

Critters, love 'em or hate 'em and
sometimes both.
 I consider myself fortunate, I only have to deal with deer, chipmunks, squirrels (who raid my bird feeders), snails and various garden bugs, snakes (that pick off my frogs in the pond)...oh and two border collies running ruts into the lawn, rolling in fertilizer and peeing on my perennials. BUT it could be worse...thankfully I don't have rabbits, which I rate a bigger pest than deer, groundhogs, vols, woodchucks and assorted other critters that ravage the garden, tunnel everywhere and basically are total nuisances.
With any critter, you can plan for certain situations but then some things just take you completely by surprise...for instance, I spray for deer and if I'm diligent I don't have a problem but this year I was caught off guard. I have never sprayed my vegetables nor my dahlias and they have never been affected before. Imagine one evening picking some lettuce and everything was lovely and the next day the horror to find everything gone...I did put temporary netting over the bed to prevent further damage until I could do something more permanent, since the only thing affected was all the lettuce and one cabbage plant, so it could have been worse. Obviously I didn't close the netting properly and in the course of the night, it came undone because the next morning the deer had  paid another visit and finished off everything that they had missed the previous day...all cabbage and now dahlias...gone, BUT they were kind enough to leave the celery with only a few nibbles marks. I have since put proper netting around the bed and have learned my lesson...if deer are hungry enough they will eat anything, and never assume.

The difference between this before and after picture was ONE day.

I have a ton of chipmunks on my property and I must admit, I adore them and love to watch their antics...however this year they crossed the line. During the winter they tunneled into my greenhouse and ate 20 of my 25 dahlias which were stored there and then to my surprise one day I walked into the greenhouse only to have the pathway imploded under my feet.

The rocks that have been used to fill the foundation were nearly two feet deep and each rock is probably the size of a chipmunk but that hadn't stopped them. The second picture is the pathway in the process of being ripped apart to be rebuilt...the tunnels extend where ever I have lifted the pavers, probably a bit further.

This Alberta Spruce went from beautiful to horrid in the course of a few days...I suspect it wasn't the lack of water but a case of mites that have eaten the plant from the inside out. This plant will be replaced in the spring because I doubt it will rebound...it's pretty far gone and our lack of rain, isn't helping. Usually Alberta Spruce are pretty bullet-proof...I have another one that is 15 years old and not affected at all.

Snails are a universal problem of most gardeners...they love Hostas among many other plants, nearly as much as deer do...the tried and true method for preventing snails is beer...placed in shallow trays. They are attracted to the smell, and will fall in and drown. However for a spell I was going through a six-pack of beer a week and not getting any enjoyment from it...so I stopped. There are products on the market that you can sprinkle around a plant that will kill the snails when they ingest it, but the most effective method, is also the least enjoyable and that is going out late at night with a bucket of soapy water and hand picking the culprits off your plants.

Our feathered friends are fun to look at, we even put out birdhouses and feeders to attract them, but sometimes they would prefer to make their own accommodations and look for food elsewhere, such as the sides of our homes. These holes, in addition to many others around my house, are courtesy of my local woodpeckers, most likely looking for bugs in the cedar siding, and in the process making my house look like Swiss cheese. And after they are through, other species of birds move INTO the holes and set up housekeeping. Meanwhile I have very expensive birdhouses throughout the property that are left unoccupied...the little ingrates.

I must admit I would rather have a flock of deer, wild locust and practically any other plague upon my property than Wild Grape vines...they are a serious problem for me...they can grow miles in the course of a season, strangling and suffocating any tree or shrub that comes within their path. Usually in the spring before the trees have filled out, I go throughout my property, cutting the vines, sometimes an inch or more in diameter and pulling what I can from the affected plants and trees. Than I paint a product call Vine-X on the stump which absorbs it and kills it at the root. This is an ongoing battle and if I miss one year, such as I did this year, I soon regret it. Early this spring on one side of my property I hacked away an eight foot deep tangle of wild grape and wild rose. In the course of two months the wild grape has come roaring back covering lilacs, a butterfly bush and even ornamental grasses....in 20 foot or more length vines. What makes it so horrible is it grows around and throughout a plant, making it very difficult to remove and it can shimmy up a 40 foot tree in no time. Even cutting the vines you have to be careful..I place them in bundles in an open place and making sure they die before I toss them into a pile for fear they will reroot and live to suffocate again.

Gardeners are soldiers, always fighting some battle, be it too much rain, too little rain, too hot, too cold, a variety of bugs, wild critters and even pets. I also believe gardeners are among the most optimistic people around since despite what happens in one season, we are ready to put it behind us and think about the next and how we can learn from our mistakes and change things. It takes a lot of heart and perseverance to fight the good fight each year. But oh what a reward when it works.

Gardening against the odds: Part One...Mother Nature

A gardener's dilemma, the constant battle with critters and Mother Nature...a lesson in patience and perseverance.

The road to a beautiful garden, isn't easy, even for the most experienced gardener. If it's not torrential rain such as the northeast had in 2009 or the constant and never-ending heat of this year, coupled with no rain, then it's deer, rabbits, ground hogs, chipmunks, squirrels, snails and a dozen other critters that may see your garden as the buffet du jour.

This year the heat and drought we've been having in the northeast has been a challenge...for me, the additional challenge is I can't be constantly watering because I have a well and I have to dole out the water so I don't run my well dry. I have two 50 gallon rain barrels to help but even those aren't doing the job this year...it's severe and devastating....plants are crispy, trees and shrubs are stressing. I have even lugged water from my dehumidifier and bath water to water plants...now that's a gardener's devotion. My usual beautiful garden has taken the hit and I will definitely lose plants this year but hopefully some of the most affected may actually live to bloom another day and year.
Personally I have a pecking order in a drought and heat situation...the first to get water are container plants, roses and astilbe, next the plants that are drooping, obviously in need of water and finally the woody plants and trees since they seem to weather the situations in the long run because of their size and root systems. My lawn doesn't even get a consideration...it's all a matter of time before I replace it with new garden beds anyway. Usually I don't see large shrubs and trees showing much sign of being affected...this year is different.

This Rhododendron is shriveling up and no matter how much I water, it isn't having any affect on it, I just hope because of it's size and established root system, that it will survive and flourish again next year.

 

Astilbe are water and shade lovers so they are always a problem in a drought and heat situation but from my past experience even in this pathetic state, this once lush Astilbe will be back next year, unaffected by this years circumstances.

Unfortunately this Euphorbia will not be as lucky as the Astilbe...it is doubtful it will survive. It went from beautiful to dead in the course of a couple days.

Some plants can bounce right back with a little water, such as this Abutilon...once it's watered it will just come back, and the difference can be dramatic...this plant has actually tripled it's size since spring, even while battling the lack of water and the heat.

Another plant that will dramatically bounce back with a little water is the Hydrangea though a few blooms may be lost, the plant will be back the next year as if nothing had happened.

This Spirea will be back but it will take some pruning and TLC to bring it back to health, I have no doubt it will survive, but it's size will be affected because a lot of dead wood will have to be pruned away.

Container plants are always a challenge in heat and a drought, they really need to be watered daily to not be affected and missing one day can result in the above...but since these are annuals, they have a limited shelf life anyway and for now, some water will bring them back to life, until the frost finally kills them.

Mother Nature is more than heat and drought situations...last year we had so much rain, my roses rotted before they could bloom. Earlier this spring, during some hurricane force winds, my wooden arbor was thrashed to such a degree, it broken in two and had to be replaced.  I've had trees fall on a garden squashing everything in sight. Gardening brings challenges and no one is immune. Please come back for the next installment on critters, cute and beautiful and fun to watch, but watch out...they can decimate a garden.

Coleus

Not your grandmother's houseplant anymore.

Coleus or Solenostemon Scutellarioides...(is it any wonder they are called just Coleus)...was popular in Victorian times but then fell out of favor for years, thought of as an old-fashioned houseplant. But in the 1990s breeders changed all that when they developed hundreds of varieties in all sorts of colors, leaf shapes and sizes, both sun and shade loving. 

Coleus will survive in the sun though it really thrives in a shady location...part sun/part shade tends to be ideal. In the shade the colors tend to be enhanced but I have found the deeper colors such as a dark purple do better in a sunny location.

Small insignificant flowers bloom in late summer but it's the foliage that really is the selling feature. Coleus prefer moist well-drained soil and are basically maintenance free, though I would suggest pinching any blooms to encourage a bushier plant.

I have never been very good about saving the identity tags on annuals but in recent years I have changed that policy for Coleus...certain varieties have become favorites and I seek them out such as "Sedona", a lovely rusty orange that pairs beautifully with any purple or yellow plant. I have also come to love "FloridaSun Jade" a brilliantly multi-colored plant and "Gold Giant" a beautiful ochre yellow with purple under leaves.

"FloridaSun Jade" in the same container as an Abutilon.

"Sedona, mixed with "Black Magic" elephant ears and a sweet potato vine.

"Gold Giant" is stunning with a simple orange impatiens.

Paired with a purple salvia in a dusty green container this "Coco Loco" will be on my "must have" list next year. One of the beauties of Coleus is it's rate of growth as you can see here, the difference is only a couple months.

I have found just three coleus in a container can make quite a statement...in this case from left to right..."Freckles", "Religious Radish" and "Electric Lime".

I found this pair very satisfying though I'm not 100% certain of the names....I believe the back Coleus is "Saturn"* and the other is "Beckwith's Gem"*.

With the right container you can simply plant one Coleus and be dazzled, such as here with "Schizophrenia".

Coleus work exceptionally well in hanging containers. On top "Kaleidoscope"* is paired with two colors of potato vines and on the bottom three Coleus, a geranium and a potato vine make a stunning arrangement. On the bottom I believe the Coleus are left to right "Violet Metzger"* "Trailing Red"* and "Swiss Sunshine"*.

I must admit to a weakness for Coleus that appear to have paint splattered on them. On top "Kaleidoscope"* and on the bottom "Careless Love"* and "Gok 7"*.

 I tend to use a lime green Coleus most often because of my penchant for purple...it adds the perfect contrast.

Coleus work well in containers, as an underplanting and in hanging containers...it's a very versatile plant and is guaranteed to catch your attention where ever you place it.

*For a great many of the above plants I have used www.coleusfinder.org to identify them. In some cases I'm not completely sure if they are correct and have placed an asterisk(*) to indicate such.

Garden Inspiration

Even for a garden in miniature. 

 But for me, it's not only in the traditional sense but also because I have a love of miniatures. In the cold non-gardening months of winter, I can still be found in the garden, only it's gardens that are 1:12 inch in scale...I am a miniaturist gardener. In the course of building dollhouses and roomboxes I discovered I could combine my love of miniatures and gardening into miniature gardens.
The following will show how I take what I have seen in real gardens and transform the inspiration into a miniature garden.

 This garden is two feet square and combines inspiration from several gardens I have been to in England... primarily Broughton Castle in Oxford and
Sissinghurst Castle in Kent.

Perhaps one of my most favorite, the gardens at Broughton Castle in Oxford have been used in many movies and unlike mine, they even have a mote. The walled garden and the doorway of my garden were what first inspired me to attempt a garden this ambitious...it took a year to make...3000 hand-laid bricks and thousands of flowers, each individually handmade. Each of the little roses cascading over the walls has at least 32 petals...if I kept track of my hours, I probably wouldn't do this...
somethings are best not known.

Though the detailing is totally different, the inspiration for the shape and position of the doorway is obvious...even the yellow plant on the left in the doorway.

However instead of building a moat and sheep for the view through the doorway, I thought it more practical and more interesting to have the beautiful perspective offered by the pergola at West Dean Gardens in England.

The inspiration for the espaliered pear on the back wall of my garden came from the one I saw at Wisley which is the garden of the Royal Horticultural Society of England. Mine is obviously not as well established but it does have more fruit than the one at Wisley.

I fell in love with this little rebar window within a walled garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent and used the idea for a window in mine to add more interest. You might note the little bird's nest on the sill of the window, to the left.

The scene through the window was taken from this picture of a pathway at Merriments Gardens in England.

 The pathways at Sissinghurst have had a profound affect on me, in addition to my own homes pathways been fashioned after them, I used the same idea on my miniature pathway.

Nearly ten years after first spotting this charming use of an old sink set on bricks at Sissinghurst Castle I used the idea to create a little focal point for my garden.

Beautiful gardens don't maintain themselves, nor do miniature ones, it's takes hard work and that usually means pulling weeds, well maybe not so much in a miniature garden...I happened across this wheelbarrow at Sissinghurst Castle, not something you'd expect to see and thought it a delightful touch of reality in my own.

It was love at first sight when I spotted this scullery or pantry at the B&B I was staying at in Peasemarsh in the south of England. I knew the minute I saw it I had to make a replica in miniature and took lots of pictures for reference. I have always loved a good pantry.

And for the scene through the window I selected this beautiful area at Merriments in England...there's a inch gap between the window pane and the picture with lights overhead to create that feeling of outdoors.

This coming winter I will be back in the basement working on another garden...as I always say, if you can't find me, I'm in the garden....even in the winter.