“Because a garden means constantly making choices, it offers almost limitless possibilities for surprise and satisfaction.”
– Jane Garmey, The Writer in the Garden
I have to say that I have never thought of myself as distractible or Attention Deficit. People tell me I am ADD, but I think maybe I am just a tad distracted. I know that the sound of a fan coming on can bring me to a screeching halt as I try to concentrate or hold a conversation. Sitting in a meeting and trying to focus on the words someone is speaking is torture some days, but that can be very normal for humans as most of us are more visual in our learning style.
But as a gardener, I think the idea that I am distractible has become more pronounced of late. I will have a list of gardening chores that need to be finished for the day, and usually I will only get to a couple of the items. Yes, I am slowing down due to my age and the aches and pains of prolonged, bending, pulling, digging and the like. But I get far less done because I am not staying on task. I will look around the garden and see many more chores that need to be done. I start to ruminate on what I should do first, and how am I ever going to get it all done with so little time. OK focus and start. And as I begin the first task, I look up and see something else that needs tending or what is that orange flower over there. I don’t remember planting that. What bird is that making that sweet sound? Now where are those pruners? And that is a mildly distracting moment. It can take al
l my energy to just stick with the first task and see it to completion.
So how can I ever expect to get anything accomplished when my mind wanders in daydreams, I think too much about the list that grows longer and I am distracted by everything that moves? I literally can walk out of my house and wander the gardens for 2-3 hours and take hundreds of pictures without ever realizing the time has flown by. I have found I am better when I have a “To Do” list, and I am even more successful if I prioritize the list. So this spring/summer I am putting together the entire list of chores needing attention in the garden since I already know what they are (I stare at many of them daily). Then I will be scheduling them with priorities for what must be done each weekend. Yes it may border almost on obsessive, but unless I regiment myself I will never get a blessed thing done.
By the way, the messy garden pictured right is one of those many garden chores that distracts me every time I look at it. The garden has been taken over by my latest nemesis, horsetail. This is going to be a long summer.
It is Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day at May Dream Gardens and Friday it will be Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time. Time to wander around and see the mid-May blooms that are distracting me in my spring garden. While there are many native plants blooming I have decided to write about them next week, and instead concentrate on other blooms and gardens for this post.
The dwarf bearded irises are putting on a spectacular show in the front yard so I wanted to flaunt them today. Suddenly Saturday they popped open as it drizzled outside.
The vegetable garden was a major priority this weekend. I had started the early vegetables (radishes, arugula, lettuce, scallions, beets, spinach) under a row cover in mid April during the very cold and wet weather. To my surprise the radishes were growing as if every seed had germinated (center picture) and many were ready for harvest in only a month. I had planted Renee’s Garden Seeds, “Crimson Crunch” variety. They were crunchy on the outside yet velvety smooth inside with just a hint of heat. I expect to harvest more next weekend, and will plant more of another of Renee’s radish varieties by Memorial Day weekend. There was a little lettuce, spinach and arugula to harvest although they need another weekend to get a bit bigger. I readied the green tubs that will grow a few tomato varieties. The new orange grow bags that I purchased from Gardener’s Supply will grow sweet potatoes. I have no room to grow sweet potatoes in the garden so I am using these jumbo bags. I hope to plant the peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet potatoes and beans next weekend if the weather holds. The forecast for cooler weather deterred me this weekend. Some of these vegetables will be in the new small bed pictured above. The bamboo-looking poles are actually the remnants of a very large grass that grows beside the pond. When the plant dies back in winter it leaves the hardened stalks that are like bamboo. I hope these stalks will hold up the tomatoes this year. I am also using the stalks to guide the peas onto the the fence, and will shape a few into bean poles too.
Obviously, the garden is just bursting into bloom suddenly. The Pulmonaria or lungwort (bottom right) which is one of many varieties I have, has been attracting hummingbirds into the garden. I have never seen the hummers frequent this flower, but lungwort is a plant they like. I am just happy to finally see these beloved birds. Of course the hummingbird feeder sits idle. I will empty it and just leave it up as a decoration. The hummers will not use the feeder. They are spoiled with the flowers they find in the garden, and who can blame them.
I absolutely love lily of the valley and yes those are pink ones. They have at long last shown themselves and are multiplying between the trees. I was literally dancing in my garden this weekend when I saw them…oh yeah!! Along with the tulips are the lamium (bottom left), and the one lone allium blooming. Many allium are ready to open and I fully expect to see a garden full with bearded iris in the next week or two. That unusual flower bud just above the lamium is my tree peony. It almost looks like a rose bud. I was so excited to see the large buds again. This will be the second year it is blooming.
The pond is looking great and the frogs are already putting on a show. They are pretty laid back and don’t mind posing for pictures. They certainly are enjoying the lily pads and other plants that are starting to grow.
But the biggest surprise this weekend was the return of the robin. It has been two weeks since she lost her eggs, but she was back primping the nest and adding a new layer of mud. You can just see her through the leaves that are now protecting her nest. Two weeks ago there were no leaves just some pussy willow flowers.
I spent hours watching her return again and again with mud as she reformed the nest with her body. She was making ready for her second batch of eggs much like we redo the nursery when the second child is expected. Just a fresh coat of paint and maybe new curtains. No eggs yet, but we are watching closely for the egg laying ritual. I really hope she will have success
this time.
“We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?”
– Wendell Berry
Special Note: Monthly around this time (usually the 10th) I guest blog at Walkabout Chronicles. I hope you can join me for my most recent post and interview.
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