GardenArtist Posted September 2015
Gardening as therapy.
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I hadn't thought of alliums, but that's a good suggestion.
Send, in Michigan, salvias wouldn't generally be blooming in about 6 weeks - we're still in the frigid north, you know! I don't remember when alliums bloom, but as I recall correctly, mine also don't bloom until summer.
I was thinking of Lunaria, a/k/a money plant, as it's generally 2.5 to 3' tall with a cluster head of purple flowers.
I have so much of this plant that started out a couple of years ago as just about 2 feet not it has spread to cover about 12 feet of ground. And I find shoots of it in odd placed where the seeds must have landed, like one here one there. It's really a beautiful plant the only problem is that the stalks grow so tall now that they tip over so any suggestions on how to keep that from happening? I do plan on thinning it out this year before it completely takes over the whole flower bed, last year I didn't touch it as it was a bad summer for me health wise, so this year I am going to tackle the growing monster. Thanks everyone for your help now I can read up on how to handle it.
BTW, spiderwort is also known as Tradescantia, and can be found in other pastel colors.
There are a few ways of staking the stalks, although I don't think it hurts for them to fall over; it actually kind of enhances the spontaneity of their growth habit.
You can use small branches that you either prune or collect from trees; these don't have to be preserved or coated in anything to prevent deterioration or rotting from moisture. Some people use twist-ems to tie to stakes.
There are commercial stakes that you can buy in stores, but I never know what preservatives might be on them, or whether the paint is safe, and given that so many consumer goods come from China and I mix flowers with veggies, I don't want any lead based junk from China in my gardens.
Thin, untreated bamboo stakes could be used, and they'd add a bit of a color compliment to the green stems. Dowels could as well, but they won't last several years without waterproof coating.
I think tomato or peony cages might be a bit too much, but you could buy some wire specifically for garden use and clip enough for stakes.
Years ago I bought some small trellises shaped in small arch forms, like miniature cathedral windows. They're of wrought iron, and I will coat them with something before putting in the garden as I suspect the paint is cheap junk from China. You could create multiple beds, with these trellises hosting and supporting spiderwort plants on both sides of the trellis.
Depending on how much space you have, you could also make little circles and create wattle fences, used in colonial times and still used today. Mine are going to be made from extra twigs and branches that break off from bordering trees and voluntarily adorn the yard. You can either weave the spiderwort stems in one or two of the horizontal branches, just for support, or tie them with twist 'ems or even just thin cloth scraps, such as from old sheets.
For a long term supply, grow your own; you can get seeds from catalogues that supply wildflower seeds. Google "wild garlic seeds."
CWillie, how exposed are the bulbs, especially the foliage, and/or are they out in the open? I probably would cover them just to be on the safe side. Bushel baskets, empty mayonnaise jars, rose cones, empty container pots or even a "hoop house" would work, but I imagine you already have something in mind - I'm guessing you've had to do this before.
I guess it's a good thing that some of us didn't get our spring gardens all planted.
And sometimes a one-time spring frost doesn't even affect the plants and flowers.
October 15 - 17 is the first frost date by my records.
Onions could be planted now. Are you using onion sets or seeds? I would hold off a few weeks on the potatoes unless you mound them heavily, which is recommended anyway to prevent sun from reaching them. In this cold spell we're having now, I wouldn't plant anything.
I assume you're using seed potatoes, or sprouting your own?
I think you have to get to know your own garden soil and micro climate... if the soil is sandy and light it will dry out and warm up earlier than heavy clay, and if your garden is sheltered you can start earlier than if it is wind swept or has a northern exposure.
I've planted as early as March 5, and would have tried that this year if I'd had the energy and motivation!
We put out tomatoes and peppers and other tender plants on the Memorial Day weekend as well, and don't shelter them other than to harden them off. But the spring crops go in as soon as it appears there won't be any more snow or ice. Some of us put them in anyway and protect them with hoop houses, bales of straw, etc. You know, sometimes we gardeners get a bit crazy about planting as soon as the snow clears!
Sigghh....if only I had a conservatory and greenhouse.
One of the posters on a garden forum I visit posted a link to a UK company that provides some neat portable greenhouses. They're about the size of a piano (height and widthwise), but deeper, with individual doors that open to allow removal and insertion for a portion of the plants. It looks as though they would either sit on a patio, or in a breezeway, or some protected area.
I've been thinking about them since yesterday and wondering how I can build one.
When does your gardening season typically end? I'm wondering if SW Ontario gets lake effect weather that might extend the winter a bit longer.
Gardening in the town where I live now is proving to be a challenge due to the evil nasty bushy tailed tree rats... I can not tell you how much I hate them! I always got along with the squirrels before now, but these demented creatures dig, gnaw and destroy everything, even plants that are supposedly poisonous to them. My neighbours gave up and sodded their garden and pulled up their raspberries. My only hope would be gardening inside a totally enclosed cage, and I just don't have the money or energy to do it right.
My immediate reaction was...DUH...you had to review 17 studies to reach this scientifically "informed" conclusion?! Then I decided well...I'm happy to see a medical school looking for anything that benefits dementia patients...plus, apparently results of this study will be used in design of new facilities and improvements to existing facilities....so...it's all good...
My own experience is purely "anecdotal". Mom's ALF has the most amazing, large butterfly garden. It's full of beautiful plants, large garden sculptures, huge wind chimes, and, yes, clouds of butterflies! Absolutely one of Mom's (and my) favorite places to hang out. One of Mom's great friends, who visits her frequently and is himself an awesome gardener, has met and befriended the butterfly gardener. She is a very accomplished professional garden designer BUT created and maintains this lovely space on a strictly no pay, voluntary basis....how cool is that?!
One of the last times I was out in the garden w/Mom, I kept pointing out to her the lovely butterflies flitting all over. For whatever reason, light, shadow, older eyesight, slow reaction time, she could never catch sight of a single butterfly. Finally, in frustration, she started laughing and said to me, "Oh....where are all these lovely butterflies? Can't you slow them down so I can see them?!"
Well...since she was laughing when she asked, I think even w/the dementia, Mom knew that was one request I was powerless to deliver for her...lol...but if I were ever to be granted some magical powers, surely that is the first gift I would bestow!
Years ago I wished that there was a charity that could make that a reality everywhere. Wouldn't it be great to belong to a team that would design and maintain those kinds of natural spaces? And how good for the soul for both the builders and recipients.
The onion sets would probably be safe now, but I think I'd wait until this cold spell passes. It'll be easier on you too!
Mina, I think the people who own, manage and operate your mother's facility have some really progressive ideas.
Some years ago the Eden Alternative was making news; it advocated a more sensory, personable atmosphere for residents, including gardens. I haven't followed it so I don't know whether it's still in existence. Sometimes good movements like that lose out to profit motives and corporate goals.