Monday, June 25, 2012

Simply Cultivating . . . A Heartland Garden: When in Drought...

Simply Cultivating . . . A Heartland Garden: When in Drought...: 22 days, 7.5 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds When in Drought… Since we haven't seen a speck of moisture fall from the sky in about...

When in Drought...


22 days, 7.5 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds

When in Drought…

Since we haven't seen a speck of moisture fall from the sky in about 22 days, 7.5 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds (or something like that) I started thinking about droughts — probably a result of major dehydration from the extra hours of watering my new plant stock.

Naturally, I also began to think about the word 'doubt.'  When I later googled the phrase "When in doubt..."— I found a few answers: 

When in doubt — throw it out.
When in doubt — take more time.
When in doubt — mumble.
When in doubt — sing loud.
Benjamin Franklin said: When in doubt — don’t.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said: When in doubt — do it.

But how would you finish the phrase: When in drought?


When in drought  — ____________________________________________________.


A horrible sight...
What happens during a 90°F drought when you only water a hanging basket once a day.

A June visit to my Greenwood Indiana garden...

Come into my garden and relax — 

I hope you enjoy the colors and textures as much as I do.












If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, 
plant a garden.  ~Robert Brault

Come back and visit y'all!




Sunday, June 10, 2012

A New Addition to my Garden. And what do you say? Yay or Nay?


My garden was missing something...

Last summer I installed (and by "I," I actually mean my husband) three mirrors as a backdrop to my Japanese Maple and hosta garden. The effect I was aiming for unequivocally did NOT work.

Mirrors removed.

Earlier this summer I (and yes, you know what "I" means) installed two panels of  a three sided dark cherry lattice backdrop ....it worked.

But my garden was still missing something.

Today, before church, my gardening partner and I went to our local Bargersville Flea Market. And although Steve had to talk me into it -- (He makes quick decisions and I like to plod in thought before I buy anything) we purchased a bronze 4-foot long Japanese outdoor lantern.

It took:

30- minutes to decide where it should hang.
60-minutes to lasso the rope over the correct tree limb.
90-minutes to chainsaw and trim tree limbs that were in the way.
60- minutes to drag the limbs to the fire/pit and compost pile.

....but spending time in the garden with my partner was priceless.

The next step is to find some solar or battery-operated lights to fill the inside of the lantern.

Do you think the lantern works?

Last summer during the drought, I put in a Japanese Maple/Hosta Garden.  Erroneously (because it looked dumb and didn't really work) I put in three mirrors (now removed) as a "backdrop" to this garden canvas. Today on a pre-church trip to the Bargersville Flea Market, my gardening partner and I spotted this bronze latticed Japanese-looking lantern. After a few attempts to lasso a rope over the correct tree limb, it now hangs in the garden awaiting candles or battery-operated lights. 

Another angle...and though it does look like we have a cow trough in our yard -- there is a fence separating our yard from the cow pasture next door. And yes, I will be jumping the fence soon to move the unused trough to another nearby location. 

I can't wait to install the lights and see what it looks like at night.