Report From An Opinionated Gardener – February 10
This is the time of year when gardeners start to plan for the coming season. Let me rephrase… this is the time of year when we’re longing to go nuts. Plants, ornaments, sculptures…I love them. I want them all. When on facebook tonight I see that Shawna Coronado says she feels an attraction for gnomes coming on. I understand completely.
Whether it’s a plant support, substantial container or garden decoration, understand that I never want what’s in my gardens to look like it’s been plunked there. In general, small store-bought ornaments aren’t my style…although I enjoy humorous items in a garden I never want them to detract from the plants. When it comes to these embellishments, I tend to move slowly.
I see the displays that others have added to their gardens and usually admire and appreciate what they’ve done. There are certainly areas of Poison Ivy Acres that could use some spice, I think, in addition to those groundcovers and groups of low perennials that I’ll plant.
In my heart of hearts I know that as much as I’d like to plan such structures and ornaments now, most really creative work happens spontaneously. You find the perfect pot, sculpture or piece of junk and instantly know where it should be placed. Or you become inspired by something you’ve seen and suddenly feel the itch to get into the garden and make stuff.
That’s what I’m longing for, I guess: warm weather, growing plants and the ability to get outside and use it all creatively. Hurry Spring; you can’t come fast enough.
I love structures that become one with the plants. This rope and pole support caught my eye and I'm imagining where I could do something similar in an effective way.
Looking at this photo of my test beds and cutting gardens, I realize that some very large containers or other objects would be perfect along this path. Two years ago I placed some pots of seed-grown ornamental peppers here when a group was coming to visit, more as a way to get the pots out of the shed than anything else. But even these small containers define this space and make it more attractive...I'll have to think of a more substantial way to accent this path.
