Serenity in the Garden

On April 29, 2010 Anne Raver of the New York Times asked: "How does Tony Avent , the horticultural mythbuster, grow so many plants successfully in his garden? Rule No. 1: he uses the same mix of 40 percent native soil, dug on his own land, and 60 percent compost for every plant.   ''The soil for every plant we have is prepared exactly the same, whether it's a pitcher plant or an agave,'' .... After he switched to organics, he said, ''it took about a year before everything started jumping. Our insect problems disappeared. It was just amazing.'' ...." (Tony Avent runs the wonderful Plant Delights Nursery - offering an incredibly diverse collection of plants and the catalog is a collectors' item) This observation took me back to 1972 when I was a landscape architecture student at the University of Hawaii and also minoring in tropical agriculture The university farm was in Pearl City ( next to Pearl Harbor

In these times, I look to one of my favorite Shakespare passages. They say being outside is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy. This is so apt for these times -  "Exempt from public haunt" indeed: "Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in every thing." - Shakespeare, As You Like It

During this time of  Covid-19,  we must cultivate outselves, our well being and our gardens. Plants can be a soothing balm for troubled times.  This is modified from the National Garden Bureau - click on the words for some great and informative links.  Start  some seeds . Plan a  vegetable garden .   Plan to grow flowers for the joy they bring. Take an  online class  about plants or gardens, or watch some  YouTube instruction videos .   Plan an  herb garden.     T ake a walk in a nearby natural area:  woods, field, desert, beach or park.  Take this time to groom or repot houseplants.  Remove dead leaves, refresh the soil, take cuttings of favorites so that later you can share the wealth with friends. Create a new indoor display of plants.  Make a row of small pots in bloom on your kitchen counter or the windowsill above your sink.  Plan a new  group of containers  for your  deck, porch or patio .  Flowers, herbs, and vegetables await your creativity…go f

'Angel Wings' Variegated Solomon's Seal  I was talking to someone in my town who had shade in their yard and deer  problems..and I suggested Variegated Solomon's Seal ( Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’)  to them... It was the 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year is  Award. It is deer resistant and loves shade. This woodland gem  grows 18 to 24 inches tall. It is a great companion plant to hostas, brunnera, dicentra, ferns, and astilbes.  The sweet fragrance of its small, bell-shaped white flowers will enhance your walk along a pathway on a spring morning. You can use its variegated foliage in spring floral arrangements. And it offers yellow fall foliage color. photo by George Weigel It will spread by rhizomes to form colonies.  Increase by dividing clumps every two to three years. photo by Rush Creek growers I grow this in my yard and every year it spreads and looks so wonderful.  Click here for a list of all the Perennial of the