Sharing – chat style

I may have, from outward appearances, chosen poorly, and, I may regret the choice in the future, but I made a call regarding my planned PTO time this weekend, a celebratory weekend, to stay at the townhouse, even though it is going to rain, even though up north it is going to be beautiful clear skies. I should do “me time” up north, instead of only taking one day off and returning to working tomorrow on something that needs attention, but I just cannot seem to motivate to do all that is needed for a long weekend up north, and that tells me, I think, I need to go where the peace is right now, here. I think, if I am reading right, it is meant to be a garden sharing day.

Just so I don’t sound martyr-ish, full disclosure, leading up to this celebratory weekend, for a full six weeks, I gave myself permissions to choose my own gifts and have them show up at the house – glory!!! A cotton vintage floral throw I’ve been wanting, some peasant style tops, a pair of legacy style jeans, a set of toiletries, a wildflower scented candle, and 2 pairs of Walmart lounge outfits aka “jammies” – you know the kind with dog and coffee words as designs? That you can throw a zippered sweatshirt over the top and feel ok about wondering about the garden really early in the morning? Yah. Those. They are AWESOME!!! Regarding the “gifts” aspect, Hubs is totally cool with not trying to figure out what to buy me for gifts and having the charge alerts show up on my phone before the gifts do – always a weird thing, right? Been married a LONG time. Good with the “gifts” thing. We got this nicked.

So I have indulged. I am full, and good and apparently ready to garden share. Cuz that is where my heart landed for this celebratory day, and weekend.

I am sitting in my recliner, in one of those Walmart “lounge” outfits, having, as the lounge pants say “Coffee Time”, having a couple of the peppercocker cookies our DIL made me for my birthday (best gift, thank you!!! ❤️). I am listening to the squirrels alert about something or another. The birds started their morning chorus hours ago. Very loud today. I love it. I dozed off, dog on lap, and still, 90% asleep, was enjoying their singing. No need to rush into the day. A good use of PTO. A good day to share, and to share the garden, in a variety of ways.

Recently as a neighbor stopped by on her walk, she said she is looking forward to seeing what I do with the garden this year. Wow! It reminded me how we as gardeners go merrily along, enjoying the garden, its rolling cadence of fun activities, caught in moments, hours, days, weeks, months, seasons, and not fully focused on the wider circle of joy the garden provides while we are enjoying it personally. Yes, we share because, well, we just have to share such goodness.

Sharing time is at a different level right now – that of sharing with other gardens. Two weeks ago I was wondering if I was going to have more empty space than I thought. This week as I watched the garden literally spring to life again, I saw that EVERYTHING was coming back. Even things I thought were gone. And some volunteers. To keep the garden pleasantly sharing joy, I need to share with other gardens – a clematis volunteer here, a cherry tree seedling there. Then, the view will be right, and right-sized, and the rolling beauty will continue, until, like vegetable harvesting in late summer, it is time to share at the giving away level again.

The giving away part is always a bit sad, and scary. What if next year’s garden really misses that, what if the new owner doesn’t care for the plant (and believe me, that happens), what if the new location for the shared plant is not conducive to continued healthy growth? But ultimately it does work out. I have a few regrets, I learn, but mostly I continue to believe in the beauty of sharing a garden. And volunteers are an easy choice to start with.

Sometimes, a “kid” comes home after a short stint in another garden. This beauty coming up is a Rainforest Sunrise hosta. One of my absolute favorites. Back when we thought we were going to ultimately move to the little house up north, I dug her up out of one of the townhouse garden areas and brought her up there. At first she seemed good, then “ok”, but when we sold that house, she needed to rebound. The no-see-um bugs were eating her foliage, and she was covered with ants. We dug her out, cleaned her up, and brought her back home, to the townhouse, to hang out again with all her peeps and shine.

Today, amid rain and thunder spurts, I think I will dig out a clematis volunteer that needs moving. She is, I think, the “child” of another clematis volunteer I need to find a trellis for. Her trellis went to the little house up north and did not come back. But the new volunteer needs new digs. Hopefully she will love the fence garden at the historic cemetery, grow, shine, and share joy there.

The clematis, and trimming the historic cemetery garden

The Bluebells clematis is budding out in front. This is one I learned needs to not be cut back. The new growth buds out of last year’s vines.

Out back the clematis is just waking up.

It was a super windy day today, so not much gardening.

Yesterday was much more fun. I went to the historic cemetery and worked on spring trimming the fence garden. Like at the historic mansion, I am just learning what all is in there. So far I can see tall sedum, stonecrop, phlox, some hostas, black-eyed Susan’s, and yarrow. I trimmed all except some stonecrop. I will go over some night this week and trim those, and also put some coffee grounds along the base of the hostas.

I am exceptionally happy to see there are some hostas. To be sure, they are small, but if they survive, yahoo! They can meet some new “friends”! (I can then divide some hostas here this fall and see if they do well over there.)

Move me!

When the deer are creating something noone will recognize or appreciate, and you are pretty sure that will not improve in future years – it’s time to find them a tad safer home.

First Frost hosta

The First Frost hosta has formed seed pods. I am so tempted to harvest them. But knowledge tells me that if I want more First Frost hostas, I need to divide it. And I have no more room for hostas. And the deer just eat hostas to the stem up north.

I will give First Frost a haircut, and let the seed pods go.

Rainforest Sunrise

If I could have 100 Rainforest Sunrise hostas, I would be delighted.

Gorgeous all season, and late summer lavender blooms on red scapes.

Yes, please.

Can’t explain this – yet

A couple interesting things I noticed in the garden this year –

This very healthy hosta has a small area of variegation. I have seen this in years past pictures too. i’m wondering if one of our bee or bird friends accomplished something new next to the existing hosta, or if it has to do with sun exposure. It looks very healthy. That puckering has always been like that. It also easily gets things trapped on the leaves – but that has always been that way too. Some snowy day in January I will have to do more research.

This past week I also noticed the Ivory Queen hosta has a few white blooms with purple veining this year. Usually they are all purple. My husband even pointed it out.

Interesting. I don’t mind white blooms but I am curious.

I’m guessing sun exposure may play into that one as well. That hosta gets a lot of sun exposure, most intensely in mid June to mid July. I try to shield it with lawn chair placement during that time but eventually I will swap it out. Just not sure with what. A daylily would be too vulnerable there.

Maybe a low growing sedum would do well there. Maybe one of the breakage rootings.

Better stuff

I say no to some very “good” stuff, so I can make time for better stuff. Sometimes there isn’t a choice, but when there is – think. Time is finite. Use your voice. Make that choice. And then … Rejoice!

Here’s some Rejoice in the Garden time

Walk around the garden. Maybe sit right in the middle of the garden

Hey, what are you going to do with those seedlings?

We recently carved out a little seedling bed in the back of one of the gardens at the townhouse. Whoa! In only a week, the seedlings we moved look so much better! Location, location, location!

Queue the needle of the record scraping …

Location, location, location …

Let’s look at that a little more. As in a Sunday morning, into mid-morning. And see – is all of that space truly all a great place for seedlings???

The answer – kind of. They need a ‘tich more sun. Just a smidge, tiltling the seedling bed at an angle, which has been floating around in my analytical brain anyway.

Step one, remove a hosta. Not really remove. More like move. And then repurpose that space, for one set of seedings. And use a few other, sunnier, spaces.

The sun’s progression, in a variety of months, coupled with the sprinkler’s proximity, velocity, and trajectory. Add the need to move some hostas that are crowded and some that are getting slightly sunburned. More to come.

Is it sustainable? We will see. The longer I go, the more I know.

There are a lot of life lessons in a garden.

Something simple

Something simple, and nevertheless amazing, and wonderful, and also well loved by the bees.

Another beautiful set of blooms

I am growing quite fond of taking all the pictures and then sitting out with no way to take any more pictures – just walking the garden, enjoying the blooms, and then sitting and relaxing on the patio and looking some more. It is a good discipline – to enjoy the moments, to take it all in, and consider the wonderful gifts.