Gardening Surprises

This morning there has been a small reprieve from the heatwave with thunderstorms getting ready to arrive. I had time to get into my garden and tie up my tomatoes, remove dead leaves and play in the dirt.  My garden is not yet plentiful.  It has either been battered by torrential rain or bitch slapped with the sun.  I have a few tomato blossoms, but some have whither and dried up in the heat.  My zucchini blossoms went from 1 to 9 overnight. That was surprising.  My red lettuce is thriving, while my green lettuce is struggling to survive. My pepper and onions are still there, but I haven't seen much growth from them in 2 weeks.  My parsley exploded out of my herb bed into the other herb bed, while my lemon thyme and sage look the same as they did when I planted them a month ago.  My basil looks beautiful and large.  I wish I had a good way to preserve it.  Looks like everything we eat this week will be seasoned with basil.  But it has grown so large that it is crowding out my oregano. As usual I planted dill hoping to use it to make Beannie Pickles, but I can never get the timing right for them to mature at the same time. Not much to say for my eggplant, peas, beans or carrots, but it is not their time yet.  As for my chaos garden, the only thing that took root were my pumpkins.  No watermelon, sunflowers, corn or cantaloupe to speak of.  

All the careful and thoughtful preparation I put into my garden, was it wasted time?  One thing I enjoy about my garden is the emotional ride it takes me on.  I am so eager to start my seeds in March, but they almost never transfer well to the garden and I end up buying plants. I draw out a grid of what to plant , where should it be placed in the garden and what should it be planted along side. So much thought, sweat and care I put into my garden, but I am never guaranteed what I am going to yield.  I will get a blossom on my tomatoes and want to hold it up to the sky and thank God for the miracle.  Then some blossoms dry up and die on the vine.  Then I will witness my nasturtiums (new to me this year) look like they are just dying leaves and wondering why I ever bought the seeds. Then I awake to big beautiful yellow and orange flowers pouring over the sides of my pots. I think back to the sadness of transplanting my asparagus which typically takes 3 years to produce, into 4 buckets while awaiting my new garden area to be installed this year.  I thought for certain they were dead.  All four plants have survived and are beginning to grow again.  Where is my Rosemary?  She may or may not make an appearance this year.  As much thought, time and care I put into my vegetable and flower gardens, I am never guaranteed anything in return.  That is a reason many people don't like to garden,. They want the results.  I am a different bird, I enjoy the process and the surprise.  That being said I also love being able to walk out my kitchen doors and pick fresh vegetables and herbs to make a meal.

There is an area we have in the yard along the stairs to the lower patio of the house that has been a head scratcher.  It is a very steep section of hill about 7 feet wide and 20 feet long.  The base of the hill has a small retaining wall of pavers that connect to our paver patio by our pergola and hot tub.  The stone patio in that area is only 4 x 8.  Our issue has been what to place on that hill. It is to steep and not an area we can use the lawn tractor.  I have tried cutting the grass with a weed eater, but feel very unstable. It is so steep that to fill it with rocks or gravel, they would most likely rolled down the hill and the area is next to impossible to weed especially trying to weed while on loose rocks.  So one year, we removed all the grass, weeds and plants except for the Hosta plants that line the steps.  Then we planted a variety of sedum plants.  Though they grew they were not hardy for the first year or two and weeds began to take over the area.  I did my best to weed, but it was to difficult and too my dangerous.  I felt I was going to topple over and roll down the hill and crack my head open on the stone pavers.  Over the past two years, I have tried to add a perennial here or there where I could safely reach. Last year I think I had 2 daisies and 2 black eyed Susans among the weeds.  My husband called it my weed garden.  I agreed that it just looked like over grown weeds. This spring I bought a butterfly seed mix and wildflowers seeds and threw them over the edge of the railing onto the wet dirt of the hill. When I was camping last weekend I came across the "Pollinator Habit" at the state park. It looked just like my hill area. I felt so much better about my little hill.  I think I may make a sign to place on the hill like they had so that people (including my husband) can be reminded that these plants that look like they are weeds have purpose.  It also helped my spirits, when I came home for 6 yellow flowers and a couple bunches of white flowers on my hill.  I can't wait to see if any other color pops through the green on the hill. 

My Pollinator Habitat

Mosquito Lake State Park's Pollinator Habitat

Reflection:  I like surprises.  Who knew?  I think it easier when the surprise is only for me with no expectations of a response such as with a gift or a surprise party where you are the guest of honor who thought she was going to grab a glass of wine at a winery. My garden is like a daily surprise that last all summer long!  Will there be disappointments, yes certainly.  The possibility of being disappointed with a low to no yield experience, doesn't quell my feeling of anticipation.  As I used to tell my children and the children I taught "I get what I get, and I won't have a fit."