A Final Goodbye to this Garden

My garden here as I knew is is no more and may cease to exist entirely after the new owners take possession of the house. This garden gave me much more than I could even begin to put into words. It was such a learning experience in all aspects. I have so many memories and pictures of this garden so it will live on in my mind, in our family discussion and in the scrapbooks. It will also live on through the occasional post on this blog when I'm not talking about my new gardens. So I bid this garden a fond farewell. I hope it lives on to bring happiness and joy to the new owners and if it doesn't it can rest easy knowing how much it brought to us. Oh and I should mention the gnomes, fairies and other mystical inhabitants in this garden have decided to move with us so all is well.

Thursday we move to our new house so this will likely be the last post until after we are moved. Sometime between 4 and 8 am Thursday morning the phone service will be turned off here. Sometime between 9 am and 5 pm we on Friday the phone service will be activated at our new home. I should be back online Friday night if all goes well. Until then,

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Bee Balm

Bee Balm
(Monarda didyma)

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma ) is a hardy perennial herb that is unsurpassed for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to the garden. It is a member of the mint family. I will be taking a portion of the clump to the new house. M. didyma is a hybrid so is best grown from clump division rather than seeds collected from the plant as plants grown from the seeds will not breed true. I collected seeds anyway just to see what comes up.

Bee Balm grows as tall as four feet high in most soil types including heavy clay. Like most herbs, bee balm prefers a drier soil. It requires part shade to a sunny location. The plant blooms in July and August with flowers that are bright red (M. didyma), white (Wild Bergamot aka Oswego Tea ), purple (M. media, M. citiodora, M. pectinata) or pink colours (M. fistulosa aka Wild Bergamot). It transplants well and the clump should be divided every other year to keep the plant healthy. Bee Balm is an aggressive spreader that is mainly problem free other than powdery mildew and rust. These problems can be controlled using a natural fungicide like chamomile tea sprayed on the leaves and water at the soil level to keep the leaves dry.

Bee Balm is a great herb for the garden as well. It attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies. It is a good companion plant to prevent attack of subterranian pests for vegetables The oil in the roots of Bee Balm act as a deterrent. The bright red flowers are sure to bring a smile while providing a nice backdrop for other plants.

Bee Balm can be dried then used as a tea, as an aromatic herb for sachets and potpourri or as cut flowers. It is well suited for use in wildflower gardens as well. The original American colonists drank Bee Balm tea to protest the tea taxes. The tea has a strongly minted flavour. To use bee balm as a medicinal tea for headaches and fever as it contains an active diaphoretic (sweat inducer), pour one cup of boiling water over 1 tsp of dried bee balm and allow to steep 10 minutes. Drink at bedtime for insomnia. Bee balm can also be used as a pleasant, minty iced tea in the summer.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley
(Convallaria majalis)

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is one of my favourite garden flowers. It evokes pleasant childhood memories and has been in every garden I've created since we were wed. I can remember laying on the cool grass gazing into the glass rocks my mom had surrounded by the heavenly smell of Lily of the Valley. I have a nice sized patch of Lily of the Valley on the north side of this house. While there is a very good chance that Lily of the Valley is already planted at the new house, I will be taking a few plants just in case.

Lily of the Valley is a very popular, hardy ground cover perennial for shady areas in our zone normally planted on the north side of the house but quite often found planted under trees as well. This plant is a slow spreading by rhizomes with fragrant white flowers that bloom in the spring followed by glossy red berries. It is rather problem free but can get leaf and stem rot during the rainy season. Lily of the Valley is a medicinal herb used as a cardiac tonic and antidiuretic similar to Digitalis. Pips, flowers and berries are poisonous so be sure to supervise children if you have Lily of the Valley growing in your garden.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

English Ivy

English Ivy
(Hedera helix)

I have a somewhat small patch of English Ivy (Hedera helix) growing along the south side of the house originally planted to hide a gas line. I'm taking several clippings of this plant to our new house. This versatile evergreen ivy can be grown as a houseplant or outdoors. When grown outdoors, English Ivy can be used as a maintenance free ground cover, climbing vine or in a hanging basket. It can climb as high as fifty feet, attaching itself to wood and brick via aerial rootlets. English Ivy provides summer shading when grown as a climber on the south side of the house and when grown on lattice can create privacy screening. The climbing nature of English Ivy makes this an ideal plant for hiding unattractive but necessary pipes on the outside of houses. It can mask an ugly wall with its beautiful greenery. This ivy grows well in shady making it ideal for problem areas like under trees. The vigorous and dense growth pattern of English Ivy also make this plant ideal for weed and erosion control. The plant also does well in sunny locations. With all the benefits English Ivy offers, what are the negatives and why do some people want to rid their properties of this plant?

What some people consider beneficial plants others view them as weeds. So it is with English Ivy. This plant is listed by Oregon and Washington (cultivars: Baltica', 'Pittsburgh', 'Star') as a noxious weed. It is considered aggressive, invasive and introduced species to North America. Concerns regarding this ivy as indicated by No Ivy League are that this plant results in monocultures that provide no habitats for indigenous wildlife. However, I do not agree with this opinion. When grown as a ground cover, English Ivy provides cover and habitats for small rodents, toads, frogs and snakes. More than one a toad or snake has scurried out of my little patch. When grown as a climber, English Ivy provides a safe haven for smaller birds. If you watch a patch of this ivy grown up the side of a house, it isn't long before smaller birds like the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) are seen flitting in and out of the ivy. This bird originated in the southern US and Mexico making it indigenous to North America. It has since spreed throughout the United States and southern parts of Canada. Their nests are about three and a half inches in diameter easily making English Ivy an ideal spot for nesting. The berries provide food for birds as well. English Ivy also provides a habitat for insects including beneficial insects for the garden.

Since English Ivy can become a habitat for rodents, insects and snakes some precaution should be taken when using this plant as a climber on the outside of a house. While it does look very pretty covering a wall and softening the window edges, it's best to be sure you have good screening to prevent insects from getting indoors. You may also have to spray for spider and mosquito control something that when growing organically as I do is avoided unless absolutely necessary and then on non-edible plants only. To prevent problems with rodents keep the ivy trimmed at the bottom, effectively removing the rodent habitat. One further problem with English Ivy grown on a house is the aerial roots attach to the wood siding or brick. Removal of the vine leaves marks on either. It can present problems on brick walls with loose mortar can be seriously damaged by English Ivy as well.

English Ivy despite it's problem can be a beneficial plant. The invasive nature of English Ivy can be kept in check by pruning. The berries are poisonous for humans so be sure to keep an eye on children around this plant. It should not be planted in areas where the invasiveness could cause problems or climbing nature can cause problems. English Ivy should be pruned to prevent leaf spot. Mites can be controlled using insecticidal soap. Other than these problems, English Ivy is rather problem free.

English Ivy is easily propagated by cuttings. Simply cut an end piece about four or five inches long then place the cut end in water. New roots will appear in a few days ready for planting either indoors or outdoors. A mature English Ivy plant produces berries that birds eat thus spreading the seeds for new plants or you could plant the seeds yourself.

I will be planting my English Ivy both inside and outside. The new house is bricked so I doubt my husband will want it planted as a climber even though it would give the front of the house (facing away from the water) a cute, English cottage appearance. I plan to use it outdoors in hanging baskets and possibly as ground cover depending on what I find in the gardens when we get moved in. For now the English Ivy cuttings are happily forming roots in a container of water.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Trumpet Vine

Trumpet Vine
(Campsis radicans)

Years ago when we bought our second house there was a vine growing up the south side of the house. This was an old, turn of the century, wood sided, two storey house in need of tender loving care. We were young and naive so tackled the job that ended up being an almost 12 year project. We did everything from designing a huge kitchen, re-roofing, siding, new wiring, new plumping, refinishing wood, installing a pool with large two level deck and privacy fencing. Finally we tired of our money pit and sold it for a non-descript subdivision house with no character but minimal work. We are now moving into house number five and a bit wiser but back to the vine.

I thought the vine was beautiful. It was a bright green and shaded a good portion of the southside wall in the summer. It never flowered in that location as my husband ripped it out because it was damaging the wood siding. We found remnants of the vine under the second story siding coming through the wall when we did the wiring! I salvaged a few pieces, set them in water to root then planted them along what was then a chain link fence. By the time we put in the privacy fencing the vine had grown considerably so I decided to leave it to soften the look of the fence despite my husband's protests. I was rewarded with beautiful deep orange trumpet shaped flowers. A few years later when we sold, the vine had covered a good portion of the fence and was pushing some of the fence boards loose. My husband declared it a weed worthy only of Round-up but it was too late, I had already fallen in love with this beautiful vine.

After we moved, I was at the nursery looking for plants when I discovered the same vine except it had yellow flowers. It was a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) so I bought it much to my husband's dismay. I had strict orders not to plant it anywhere near the house! I brought a piece with me when we moved here and planted it by the old garage now being used as a garden shed. The vine is growing nicely but hasn't flowered yet. I'm taking a few cuttings with me to the new house.

The trumpet vine is a low maintenance, fast growing and spreading vine that is ideal for privacy screening. It is pest free and fairly drought tolerant. In fact, this is one vine that lives on neglect. It transplants easily and new vines can be grown from cuttings. The beautiful trumpet shaped flowers attract hummingbirds, wasps and bees all of which are beneficial pollinators in the garden. Unfortunately, the trumpet vine can be invasive and should not be planted against houses or other buildings. It is best if contained somewhat to prevent the invasiveness. So becareful where you plant this vine. The trumpet vine can cause rashes for some people so gloves should be worn when handling the vine. Propagation can be through cuttings or air layering.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Snow-in-Summer

Snow-in-Summer
(Cerastium tomentosum)

My mother-in-law introduced me to Snow-in-Summer when we bought our first house over twenty years ago. Since then I've grown this low growing ground cover with dusty green foliage and pretty white flowers at every house we've owned. This move will be no different.

Snow-in-Summer is a very easy to grow, low maintenance perennial. It is undemanding and will grow in most soil and light conditions. This plant is invasive so needs to be contained by borders if you want to use it as a border. Otherwise, let it spread. Snow-in-Summer blooms late spring to early summer. I propagate by dividing the rootball then planting the second clump where I want or in a pot for moving. I keep the soil moist but not wet until the new clump has rooted and shows signs of new growth then water as normal.

I've only encountered minimal problems with Snow-in-Summer. Unless the clump is dense, weeds like quack grass can root within the Snow-in-Summer. The easiest way to deal with this is manual removal until the clump gets dense enough to strangle out weeds. If the Snow-in-Summer is planted where leaves will fall on it during the autumn, remove the leaves. If you don't, the leaves will cause the plant to die off. The biggest problem I had with this plant at one house was our cat who decided the Snow-in-Summer made a nice bed for him. Now this cat was a heck of a lot more determined to get his way so finally I gave up. Aside of the perpetual indent made by the cat, the Snow-in-Summer thrived and spread. This is one plant I'm looking forward to growing in my new gardens.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

My Garden - What I Will Miss

Sunrise on Greenhouse
May 30, 2007

One of my readers asked what I would miss about this house when we moved. Aside of the fact that I love the charm of the inside of the house of which I will think of fondly, I won't miss the lack of privacy the property has. What I will miss the most is my garden. The way the greenhouse glows in the early morning as the sun rises always brings a smile. I love being in the garden at day break. It's a magical time of the day!

My Vegetable Garden

This is a scan of my vegetable garden from a portion of an arial photo taken last September of our property. An arial photography firm photographed all of the properties in our area because of the water location. They gave each home owner a change to buy the framed photos for $200. I bought it because it showed our entire property including the waterfront and dock. The photo is a wonderful addition to my genealogy files!

I will miss seeing what we accomplished in this garden. Our property is in two portions with a road going between the main portion and the waterfront portion. When we moved here four years ago, the garden was an over grown patch of weeds approximately 8' x 10'. The location quickly made me realize that it wasn't the best spot for a garden. Two huge trees are on the eastern property line, one on the north corner and one on the south. Another huge tree (about 4' diameter trunk) is about half way up the main portion of the property but on the neighbour's property. The three trees provide ample shade. Despite this, I decided to keep the garden in the same location but use raised beds. After doing the research I made the paths 3' wide and added a greenhouse. The original garden consisted of five raised beds. We added three smaller raised beds last year. From the start the garden got a lot of interest from passerbys and word spred through the village so some made a special trip to see the garden and ask questions. I was the first to use the square foot garden method in the area. Now because of my garden success using the square foot garden method there are at least three others here using the method.

As the days grow closer to the move, I'm saddened by what I'm leaving behind. Part of this garden will live on in the next gardens as well with the few clippings and transplants I'm taking. I'd love to say that the garden will continue but it is doubtful given the person who bought it (arrogant, obnoxious and looking to flip for a quick buck). I do hope it will continue to exist and evolve. I'd like it to be loved and nurtured as it was meant to be. Still with my many photos it will exist in my mind and memories.

I'm excited at being able to create a new vegetable garden that will accent the mature landscapting at our new home. I already have several ideas so have been making sketches and plans for the new vegetable garden. I'm excited at the prospect of learning about some of the new to me plants that the previous owner planted. I spoke with her briefly the day we finalized the sale on that end. Her eyes misted over as she talked about her gardens and how she was so happy that they would be in the hands of someone who loves to garden. I'm glad I was able to make her happy. I hope she stops in from time to time to visit in the garden. The gardens there are absolutely beautiful!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Strawberries and Moving Plants

Strawberries
June 2, 2007

My strawberries have just started producing. These were the first of the season so I had to share them. The technique used on the photo is called selective colouring, combining black and white with colour done in Photoshop. I will be taking a few of these June bearing strawberry plants to the new house. Unfortunately I do not know the variety but they are very proliferic with large, juicy, sweet berries. I plan to plant some everbearing strawberries at the new house as well. Having had no experience with everbearing varieties I will have to do a little research to see what varieties are best for our plant hardiness zone.

By far the easiest way to bring along plants when you move is to bring established plants. However this can present a few problems. Potted plants take up a lot of room something that can be a major consideration depending on the type of move you are making. Even short distance moves can be problematic when dealing with live plants. A few years ago when we moved into our third house, we rented a large moving truck and had it ready for moving by lunchtime figuring we would get the keys by then. All my houseplants were loaded last so they could be unloaded first and since it was a short distance move I was not anticipating any problems. Unfortunately there was a glitch with the people that had bought our house to the point of the very real possibility of not being able to settle it before the close of business and it was a Friday with all our stuff packed. In the resulting chaos and stiffling heat, no one thought to check on the truck. I lost all but two of my houseplants and all my candles. We learned a valuable lesson that day!

The second problem with transporting live plants especially for the garden is you run the risk of bringing damaging insects and disease that will contaminate your new garden. The best way to avoid this is to take your clipping or transplants well before the move then isolate them well away from other plants. Cover them with garden cloth to prevent insect infestations. Check them daily and treat with a soap solution if necessary.

While I will be taking a very few transplants and clippings, the method I'm favouring for this particular move is seeds collected from last year's plants. Not only will this save a lot of space during the move, it will lessen the problems of moving live plants during the summer when temperatures can soar. The primary reason I decided to limit the number of live plants for the move is that the gardens at the new house are mature landscaping and in some areas overplanted. I have no idea what is planted where aside of the trees and bushed. The current ower was still planting more the day we finalized that sale!
Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Lemon Balm

Update: We have sold our house and will be moving in 27 days so my gardens aside of maintenance are on hold. I am taking plants I started here from plants I know I will want at the new house especially herbs and strawberries. There should be time for a late garden after we move. The gardens there are mainly floral, trees and shrubs in a mature landscape. Some of that will need to be cleaned out. One portion is lovingly referred to as the Garden of Eden by the seller so I can't wait to see everything she has planted in there. The next few posts will highlight some of the plants I'm taking with me.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
May 31, 2007

Lemon balm is one herb that I will be taking with me. This wonderful herb is a lemon scented member of the mint family. Be warned before planting it, that as with other mints, lemon balm is invasive so should be contained unless you want it everywhere. It would make a lovely ground cover for problem areas, rewarding you with a pleasant lemony aroma when trimmed back. Despite the invasiveness of lemon balm, this is one beneficial herb that can be used for culinary uses or medicinally.

Lemon balm almost thrives on neglect. It spreads and spreads and spreads. I'm rather brutal in trimming back this herb. The sprigs don't go to waste though. I use them either dried or fresh. Sprigs of lemon balm are nice in iced teas or as garnishes for salads. Fresh sprigs can be chopped and stirred into fresh (unsalted) butter with a little lemon zest. Use this to baste fish especially salmon when grilling for a delectable delight. Lemon balm tea can be made from either fresh or dried leaves. The tea has mild sedative properties and can be used to relieve gas much like other mints. It can help reduce a fever but can increase perspiration.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007