In the Garden
 
     Aahh…. The peepers are joyously chorusing praises to our King, the daffodils are blooming, the trees are budding, the birds are singing—all reminding us that it is time to spring forth for the seed catalogs so plans can be made for the planting season which will soon be upon us.
     Years ago, we gave each of our children certain areas of our country land for their own so that they could design, plant, and nurture their very own gardens. And each year after the peepers begin peeping, the children’s excitement mounts as they make plans for their garden spots. Then in the middle of May, we all go to the nursery and help each other make the perfect selections for our gardens. Wherever you go, make it a family tradition. My parents began this tradition when I was a wee one, and now our own wee ones are continuing on the garden path.

• Fill a notebook with beautiful garden plans.

• Surprise your children with gifts for their gardens—work gloves, gardening tools, special seed catalogs, new seeds, birdbaths, benches, gardening books….

• Begin a tradition of selecting plants as a family.

• Be sure to include plenty of flowers that are good for bouquets and some for drying. Let your children experiment with arranging bouquets. Dry others for arrangements and for decorating gift packages throughout the year.

• The children get so excited making bouquets for us from their own flowers but also delight in cutting their own herbs for our meals, so include some of your favorite herbs, too.

• Your older girls may want to include selections for making their own teas, sachets, potpourri, and natural cosmetics. Flower Crafts by Pamela Westland is one of many books in the library that give ideas for these.

• Jedidiah and Josiah especially enjoy planting gourds and pumpkins. These need space but are so neat. Gourds yield a large crop and are really fun to grow.

• Work with the children and take pictures of them working in their gardens.

• Cedar roots, old hand plows, wagons, wagon wheels, and little elves all add character along the way.

• Take pictures of the gardens in full bloom.

• Have each child do a watercolor of his garden.

• Press flowers for making bookmarks.

• Use some blooms for decorating candles.

• Plant your flower garden with bouquets in mind, making sure you have plenty of cutting flowers.

• Window boxes add a lovely touch and can be purchased inexpensively if you don’t have the time to make them.

• Spruce up your patio with brightly colored cushions, throw pillows, and flowers potted in various sized clay pots.

• The Mandeveilla vine is a great addition to a deck railing.

• Use bark mulch liberally around trees and flowerbeds to define and accentuate these spots.

• Design plantings among groupings of trees. Build up the dirt, plant hostas, day lilies, and other shade plants, and surround with mulch.

• Use rocks to define gardens, for walks, for stepping stones, or just as a striking accent piece among your plantings. New construction sites usually uncover wonderful rocks. Creeks and riverbeds are also great treasure troves.

• Intersperse benches and chairs among your plantings.

• Outdoor lights along a walk or path and spotlights directed towards a tree or two look lovely at night.

• Fishponds are so easy to create and make a wonderful addition to a garden. Over the years, we have put in four ponds: two we dug and lined with heavy duty tarps; another one we dug and filled with a heavy duty preformed pond; and for the last one we had dirt brought in making a raised flower bed around an opening which we lined with another heavy duty tarp. We filled all of them with water from the hose, put drops in to neutralize the chlorine, and then put in water lilies and water hyacinths. The best place to purchase goldfish is from a bait shop. They are much larger and a lot less expensive. After the pond becomes established, the fish will live on the algae and insects. They will also winter over as long as your pond is at least 18 inches deep. Not only are ponds beautiful to look at, but also they will soon sound beautiful, too, as frogs travel to your oasis for the swimming and your insect buffet.

• Our family has added landscaping and design to our business called Summers in the Garden. Our lawn business is called Summers on the Lawn. I always liked my married name, but never dreamed it would be so perfect for our family business. So consider allowing us to help you design and plant your gardens.

• Seed Savers Exchange is an organization that saves and sells heirloom seeds and plants: herbs, vegetables, flowers, fruits, and grains. We received their catalog for the first time last year and were just thrilled with all the beautiful vegetables they offer, along with what they are doing to preserve the heirloom plants that were once so prevalent. We hope to visit their Heritage Farm this summer and thought you might be interested in the Farm for a field trip yourself. Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane and Kent Whealy, after her terminally ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants that his parents brought from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lukes, Iowa in the 1870s. “Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. Heritage Farm, SSE’s scenic 890-acre headquarters near Decorah, Iowa, is a living museum of historic varieties. More than 24,000 rare vegetable varieties are being maintained at Heritage Farm: 5,500 tomatoes, 5,200 beans, 2,000 peppers, 1,200 peas, 1,000 squash, 1,000 lettuces, 400 melons, 280 garlics, 700 apples, and 200 grapes are maintained and displayed.” For more information, write them at 3076 N. Winn Rd., Decorah, IA  52101 or call 319-382-5990.

• Be sure to plant a nice herb garden with your daughter this year so you have fresh herbs for all your meals this summer. And don’t forget to plant mint for your iced tea.

• I have said this before, but let me just reiterate this point again if you missed it. Do not despair if your soil is hard and rocky. Just have a load of topsoil brought to your home and build raised garden beds.

• Etching pathways with interest helps define one’s direction and enhance the beauty beyond the path. Using bark mulch, rocks, monkey grass, and ground covers, you can create a pretty edging to your path.

• The splendor of shaded nooks where both bodies and hearts are nurtured can be easily created under a sprawling old tree with two chairs, a table and chairs, or a bench, surrounded by shade-loving plants and a family member or two.

• Have a shaded flowerbox that needs some life? Consider planting it with variegated pink, green, and white caladiums, green and white hostas, and pink impatiens.

• White caladiums surrounding the base of a large tree, surrounded with rose-colored impatiens, is quite a lovely sight amongst the shade.

• Outdoor dining is at its best these next few months, so take advantage by purchasing a patio set and enjoying the joy of the outdoors. For an exotic flavor, plant large pots and urns with cannas and hibiscus in shades of peach, yellow, and rose. These tropical-looking plants especially look tropical in these colors and really add a lovely romantic flare to any meal.

• Rose-colored cleomes, lythrum, and celosia all make lovely backdrops for flower gardens. Be sure to add yellow and blue-colored plants in front for a nice contrast.

• Have you seen the pretty pink and yellow honeysuckle? I have two plants around our pond, which bloom most of the summer.

• For an exotic look, I planted elephant ear plants, cattails, and butterfly bushes around our fishpond. They make a beautiful backdrop for the pond.

• If you have a lot of shade but need some height, plant azalea and rhododendron bushes.