Hoe and Shovel: June 2015

Saturday, June 27, 2015

A Year Later

Pinch me. I think I blinked and an entire year has passed. June marks a year since I've been gardening in my new garden. What a year of gardening it has been!

Grass has diminished, gardens have increased, root cuttings became plants, transplants settled in, divisions have grown, structures have been built, and newly purchased plants continue to find their way to this new garden.

This was the first bit of grass that needed to be removed to make room for plants I couldn't live without from my other garden.

On June 1, 2014 we signed a contract to sell our previous home andgarden of 30 years. Before I could even begin to think about packing the house my mind raced with gardening plans. How was I going to keep my most beloved plants? Plants that loved ones and friends had generously shared with me over the years. How could I make enough space in my new garden quickly to at least start slips and divisions that I knew I couldn't afford to replace? I hired a couple of teenage helper-boys to start digging out grass on June 6, 2014. For the next 5 weeks I was on an Adrenalin high until we officially closed on the deal. The boys (usually one at a time) dug grass and moved the heavy pots and stones and garden furniture while I planted plants, mulched, and started root cuttings. If my amazing mom had not steadfastly urged me to start packing also (and helped me packed - along with so many family members) I'm not sure I would have ever made it inside the house to get our household stuff moved also. I would have been happy to just get the garden moved.

One of the stipulations when we signed the sale contract was that I could take my gardening accessories with me.The birdhouses in the Birdhouse Garden were moved over late June to their new home. You may remember that I had only had them for a year. This scene remains one of my favorite spots in the garden.

I picked that spot because it can be viewed from the open back deck and from the inside dining room as well as from so many vantage points in the garden.

The opposite viewpoint. From the east looking back toward our open deck.

I'm surprisingly content and happy with the way this garden is coming along. Surprised because I cried a thousand tears at the decision to leave my old garden. This garden had some great bones to start with! There are always more projects to finish. Visions dance in my head with new ideas. That's what gardening is all about though. It's a journey. A working garden is never finished.

The Birdhouse Garden is on our south lot line and runs perpendicular to our house. Our lot line ends about 30' beyond the chairs you see. The large banana trees you see in the background are my south neighbor's. The cypress hammock and water conservation to the south of us keeps our property filled with wildlife and visually adds to the width of our property.

Thank you ALL for being so encouraging along the way and for following this journey. You have each been a huge source of inspiration every step of the way. Some of you have had to make much harder decisions and it was your stories of leaving your beloved gardens that comforted and consoled me when I couldn't imagine ever loving another garden. All is well. I do love my new garden. God knows me better than I know myself. He gave me the strength I needed when I needed it.

More before and after photos to come...

****
Come hang out with me and other gardening friends for daily updates from Hoe and Shovel on Facebook... here's the link:

*** Hoe and Shovel on Facebook **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you've just arrived to this page as a new gardening friend or perhaps missed the back story about how we moved from our home and garden of 30 years to the house next door you can catch up here... http://www.hoeandshovel.com/2014/07/a-new-journey-bitter-and-sweet.html

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Aggies Light Up Spring/Summer Garden

That's my affectionate name for Agapanthus Orientalis. My love affair with these plants is a long running one. I've sung their praises and extolled their easy-growing characteristics numerous ways on this blog over the years.

I put some of them in the back garden also!

As with so many of the plants in my garden, my sweet elderly neighbor gave me my first one. That one plant multiplied on its own rhizome and I divided it and transplanted it. But that was in my old garden. In my new garden there is another similar story to tell.

The same elderly neighbor who gave me my first Aggie also gave the previous owner/gardener that lived in this house before me her first one. Only the previous owner NEVER divided hers. When I moved in here there was a ginormous clump of them in the front garden.

Prior to our decision to stay in this home/garden permanently I dug up that gargantuan clump and divided it into about 40 individual plants. In an effort to help beautify the curb appeal here (because we were planning to sell this house). I filled in an empty spot by the street with some of those divisions. They looked downright awful for about 6 months. It was hard to look at those pitiful plants every time I pulled into the driveway. Gradually they started putting out new leaves and looking like they weren't mad at me anymore for taking them out of their cozy corner.

Phone photo

Even before the individual flowers open up, those tight buds are adorable. They will keep you in a state of anticipation for weeks prior to their full-blown flowering. From tight buds to open flowers the display lasts a solid 8 weeks. I even let mine go to seed to enjoy the dried heads in late summer/fall.

Phone photo: One Aggie stem mixed with devil's backbone, purple queen, cast iron leaves, bird of paradise leaves and coleus in a tall cut glass vase.

Cut stems make a nice statement in mixed fresh arrangements. I never want to cut too many though. I like them best out in the garden. *smile*.

I just HAD to get out my ruler to see exactly how wide those big flowers are.

The giant umbels of glorious color atop slender stalks rise 4-5 feet above the foliage. Wherever they are growing they create a dramatic flare.

My excitement over Agapanthus plants intensifies at this thought. In Florida we just don't have many options for this type of showy perennial.

Full with buds of promise in mid-May.

This cultivar that my neighbor shared with me is unlike any others I've seen elsewhere. The strappy, leathery leaves are thick, shiny, and wide. In the winter the foliage sails through our harshest weather. Gotta love that.

The green stems with purply-blue trumpets at each end are a magical duo.

A tiny pollen-covered bee the same size as the stamen .

Pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors.

I grow mine in partial sun and partial shade. Partial sun means they get morning sun, filtered sun, then full on sun for a brief part of the day. Partial shade means they are never in full on sun, but lots of high filtered sunlight most of the day. I haven't tried fertilizing them although I've read reliable information that suggests they don't mind some extra nutrients. After they bloom their foliage won't look quite as robust as it does while blooming. That isn't really very noticeable except to the most observant onlooker. Overall this plant is a must-have for a Florida garden. It's one of my favorites EVER in case you hadn't already figured that out.

****
Come hang out with me and other gardening friends for daily updates from Hoe and Shovel on Facebook... here's the link:

*** Hoe and Shovel on Facebook **

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The Long Awaited Potting Bench

When it came right down to it, I found myself questioning whether I really needed one. I had lived without one for so many years. Gardening for over 30 years without a potting bench is akin to lacking sufficient counter space in the kitchen. You make do. You improvise. You adjust. And you stay grateful for what you have. Somehow everything turns out for holidays and dinner parties anyway.

The driveway or the back patio or simply a pathway in the shade was my potting place. Squatting or sitting crossed-legged or on an over-turned bucket worked as I bent over pots and plants. That's how I started new seeds, potted up slips for rooting, divided rhizomes. I'm sure you can relate. A potting bench is not an essential for accomplishing a whole lot of successful gardening.

Completed pergola in December before the potting bench was added.

But sometimes a fanciful dream just won't let go. Sometimes the timing is just right. Somewhat like my new pergola. This lovely space is now the multi-purpose central station that it was intended to be for all my cuttings and seedlings and work. And it turned out to also be the perfect spot for my long-awaited potting bench.

As soon as the pergola was completed (last December) I painted a couple of ladders to re-purpose as a temporary shelving unit. I utilized two different size ladders and painted some boards that fit between the rungs for shelving.

I've decided not to have permanent shelves built. The ladders add a whimsical touch and function just fine. The covered pergola allows me to control the amount of water and sunlight according to the needs of the particular varieties of cuttings and seedlings. It is also a place for all my hopeful new plants to be corralled in one place. This set-up is so much more convenient than trays of grow-pots scattered about and tucked under shrubs and even sometimes forgotten. That's how it seemed to go in my old garden.

I hired a very handy man I trusted to follow my precise directions for building my custom potting bench. He's done a lot of work for us in this house.

For a while I hesitated to get started on the bench once the pergola was completed in December. I guess I had a fear of 'junking it up' with too much gardening stuff. It is open to the back garden and in full view when you round the corner from the driveway/garage.

After looking at lots of photos and ideas (on Pinterest and Houzz) I came up with a combination of features to fit the space and one that would help me accomplish the tasks I had in mind,

The working top is 8' long, 22" deep and 36" high. It attaches to the back wall of the pergola which is actually the outside wall of the garage. See the slanted side braces? Those keep the entire structure off the ground which actually gives me more room. The bottom shelf is shorter leaving an open end as a parking garage for my garden wagon. It is only 20" deep so I don't knock my shins on it. The 4" wide boards that cover it are placed vertically (opposite of the horizontal 8" boards tightly fitted on top) and have a small space between them for easy cleaning. The shelving above has beadboard in the background and corbels underneath to give it a cozy, homey look and feel.

Somehow I got stuck with the painting job. I used the same color of stain we chose for the pergola. The beadboard is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Provence).

Electricity along with an outlet I can easily access and lamps on each post are additional helpful features to make the pergola an even more convenient and usable space.

Ta-Da! The reveal of the completed bench.

The bottom shelf has proven to be very handy. I left a foot of space all the way around the perimeter of the pavers to add rocks. They give me better drainage for watering plants.

Call me the bucket lady. I use lots of buckets while gardening. A bucket for weeds, a bucket for my hand tools, a bucket for soil, a bucket for whatever you need. Buckets are handy. Can't be without buckets.

It was easy to equip this area. I didn't have to purchase anything to make it look cozy. It was a matter of gathering things from around my house.

It's the same thing I do in my home. "Shop the house" I think it's called. Use what you have, re-purpose items, and move things around for a brand new look.

My bench is so convenient. The whole space has worked out so well for meeting my needs. I enjoy puttering in my work area in the cool of the day.

With the potting bench on the back wall it can be used as a side table for food and accessories when we eat outside. We do that a lot. The antique motel chairs are in just the right amount of shade mornings and evenings to enjoy a cup of coffee and a chit chat.

As the sun comes up this part of the garden is my favorite place to be. It's peaceful and relaxing to start my day here. We really enjoy the birds and butterflies and all the buzzing critters that come alive as the new day dawns.

My new garden is turning out to be a great source of strength and inspiration to me. I can hardly believe we have been here a year this month. I couldn't be happier and more contented. The long awaited potting bench is just one more piece in the puzzle.

*********************************************
Come hang out with me and other gardening friends for daily updates from Hoe and Shovel on Facebook... here's the link:

*** Hoe and Shovel on Facebook **