It's become clear to me through posts and PMs that there are some gardeners here just waiting for the chance to discuss gardening!
So, I was thinking... how do you use gardening, or how does it affect you if you need a break, need some respite, need to relax, need inspiration....how do you use it as a therapy tool in caregiving?
What are your activities: Do you go out and pull weeds, read a magazine, design new beds? Look through garden catalogues? Go to garden stores?
And what interests have you added to your gardening? Visit estate or garden displays? Do you go to garden shows?
Does anyone design and plant Knot Gardens? Raised bed planters? Assistive gardens? Pollinator gardens (and have you thought of ways to help the bees and butterflies?)
Are your gardens primarily for pleasure or food, or a mix of both? Do you grow plants for medicinal purposes? Which ones, how do you harvest and process them? Any suggestions?
Do you grow plants that can be used in crafts, such as grapevines for wreaths and lavender for lavender wands? Do you make herbal products such as creams, lotions, chapstick?
What else can you share about gardening and the means in which it nurtures your soul?
"What’s a gardener’s favorite Beatles song?
Lettuce bee."
Zinnias are beautiful! I love the bright colors too.
I love flowers but I totally agree that these are ugly flowers!
https://balconygardenweb.com/ugly-flowers-youd-like-to-grow-in-garden/
They are unique! Which ones did you like? Would you plant them if they grew in your area?
What would your dream garden be? I watched The Gardener documentary. That man had a true passion for gardening!
I believe that his property was 3rd or 4th generation. He traveled the world for inspiration. He was a fascinating man.
He had guests houses in his garden. He had a Japanese tea room. I loved his Japanese garden!
He had magnificent sculptures in other parts of his garden.
He had beautiful water features in some.
If you have a hot, somewhat dry, sunny spot that needs a nice bushy, flowering all summer plant, try Tithonia-bright orange flowers with cheerful yellow centers. They bloomed very well for me in Philly.
Treating for Japanese beetles is tough. See if your local garden center has something called Milky Spore. It tends to be quite effective in controlling for the beetles. Do not bother with the beetle bag traps, which encourages other beetles to come into your yard to sniff at the attractant in the bag trap. Of course, you do not want more beetles in your yard. The robins got used to me picking them off plants or finding grubs in the soil and wait for me to toss 'em their way.
I've always grown organically, no chemicals, and an happy with the results. It's been a rough couple of years here with my husband who has dementia, getting back into the garden helps with the stress and I hope to keep doing it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Those flowers in the article are very distinctive. In comparison to other flowers some people may find them to be unattractive.
I love johnny jump ups. They used to seed and pop up here and there in my beds. Wonderful colour!
Foxgloves don’t grow here, too hot, but I understand them to be the source for the heart medicine digoxin
My grandfather and my godmother grew spectacular roses. I never tried growing roses because I saw the amount of time and labor that was required.
My grandfather worked in his garden until he was quite old.
My godmother had to stop gardening. She had macular degeneration and eventually went blind. She had Alzheimer’s disease and died in a nursing home.
My godmother and my grandpa were very passionate about their gardens. My grandmother wasn’t interested in gardening at all. She preferred crocheting, knitting, embroidery, cooking and watching her soap operas.
I have a nice patch of Johnny Jump Ups that come back year after year. 💐
Dawn dishwashing liquid is a multi purpose item. I love it.
I have an old peach tree and an old apple tree in the yard next door, that I love for their hanging over the fence into my yard with their bounties.
Each season the peach gets its lovely pink blossoms,
then a set of leaves that quickly go all curly and weird (almost a fungus sort of look); these then drop
and a SECOND set of leaves come in that are lovely for the most part.
It always grows great tasting peaches which the squirrels are loathe to share with me.
I asked an orchardist about it long ago; he may have given me a name of the pest, and he said "Oh, needs it's spring spray of copper".
Noooooooo. No pesticides for my garden with all the wild birds and squirrels. So we make do.
My question is this:
If you live in warmer climes, not so damp and without seasons, not so without hot sun in summer--do your peach trees STILL suffer from whatever this pest is?
Just curious really, and thanks to any experts.
Copper isn't a pesticide, or is there a pesticide called copper?
Gotta love Google!
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7426.html
I always buy peach pepper jelly at my local farmers market and fairs. One vendor told me that he thinks peaches from South Carolina are the best. South Carolina harvests more peaches than Georgia does. California grows the most peaches.
I love peaches! I glaze a pork loin with the pepper jelly.
My mother in law preferred nectarines over peaches. I like both.
https://matadornetwork.com/read/palisade-peaches/
Our FFA (Future Farmers of America) has their yearly fundraiser by selling cases of Palisade peaches.
Maybe he hasn’t and doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.
One of my favorite pies is peach. I prefer it to apple pie. It’s my favorite cobbler too.
That was really a complete article on just what it is, what it looks like, and how it acts.
Louisiana gets a fair amount of rainfall. I notice that after it has rained my garden seems to perk up more so than when I water it with my hose.
My mom would collect rainwater to water her plants and garden. She felt that plants preferred rainwater. Do you feel this way too?