We Must Garden - Writers Forum

A Simple Man · 12-14-2006, 02:01 AM

Twelve years ago my wife viewed our recently purchased three acre chemically treated lawn with a very critical eye, and a completely different vision for its future.

Today, after the introduction of hundreds of plants, truckloads of mulch, and countless hours of sweat, we enjoy a very rich and balanced island-of-variety in a sea-of-green suburbia. This is a "garden" not a "landscaped area", an important distinction to those in the know, so I am told.

All that remains of the original lawn is about one quarter acre of mostly dandelions and other weeds around the house and over the leach field. The property came with about 25 very large and mature trees, half in one corner with a dense thicket of hardwood underneath and the rest along one side with a spruce needle blanket underneath. A “let it happen its own way” one acre meadow now occupies in between where mowing is intermittent, and a number of new trees have volunteered.

The Garden Master, being very practical, has a simple philosophy for the rest: "If the plant doesn't thrive, pull it and try something else."

Not fond of chemicals, she only applies spot roundup, and once attacked a Japanese Beetle bloom. The beetles won, the plants they like were pulled, and the bloom moved somewhere else.

The only other chemical application was narrowly averted when the town came by wanting to spray the “weeds” along the road because they had received “written complaint” from a neighbor.

As the result of all this effort, we now have Praying Mantis in numbers like never before, toad colonies, hummingbird moths, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, colonies of squirrels, the occasional raccoon, possum or skunk, insect blooms of all kinds, birds of all kind, including many species becoming rare to North America.

Food crops have not fared so well, at least not for the human consumer. The dandelions serve well, as do the blackberries if, and I mean if, we can beat the birds to the pick. Next we will try root crops along with an expansion of the very small vegetable garden. The same process will be applied; what thrives, stays.

Here is the good news, and is at the core of “Why We Must Garden.” We will leave this place some day, my wife and I. The bloom she has worked so hard for, will bloom on.

Now I get it.

mammamaia · 12-14-2006, 12:59 PM

nice piece... needs a bit of minor work here and there, but quite well-done overall... and i'd love to see some pix of your 'garden'!

hugs, maia

A Simple Man · 12-14-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammamaia

nice piece... needs a bit of minor work here and there, but quite well-done overall... and i'd love to see some pix of your 'garden'!

hugs, maia

Thank you!.... Please elaborate?

I really do need to get some pictures up and accessable somewhere. I will post when that happens.

mammamaia · 12-15-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Twelve years ago, my wife viewed our recently purchased, three acre chemically-treated lawn with a very critical eye, [no comma needed] and a completely different vision for its future.

Today, after the introduction of hundreds of plants, truckloads of mulch, and countless hours of sweat, we enjoy a very rich and balanced island-of-variety in a sea-of-green suburbia. This is a "garden" not a "landscaped area"--an important distinction to those in the know, so I am told.

All that remains of the original lawn is about one-quarter acre of mostly dandelions and other weeds, around the house and over the leach field. The property came with about twenty-five very large and [see no need for this, unless some are not mature or large] mature trees, half in one corner, with a dense thicket of hardwood underneath, and the rest along one side, with a spruce needle blanket underneath. A “let it happen its own way” one-acre meadow now occupies the space in between, where mowing is intermittent, and a number of new trees have "volunteered."

The Garden Master, being very practical, has a simple philosophy for the rest: "If the plant doesn't thrive, pull it and try something else."

Not fond of chemicals, she only applies spot roundup,[if a brand name, must be capitalized] and once attacked a Japanese Beetle bloom.[as in 'flower'?... if so, makes no sense] The beetles won, the plants they like were pulled, and the bloom [if you meant 'infestation' it's not clear to the reader] moved somewhere else. ['elsewhere' would read better]

The only other ['potential'?] chemical application was narrowly averted when the town came by, wanting to spray the “weeds” along the road, because they had received a “written complaint” from a neighbor.

As the result of all this effort, we now have Praying Mantis in numbers like never before, toad colonies, hummingbird moths, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, colonies of squirrels, the occasional raccoon, possum or skunk, insect blooms of all kinds, and birds of all kinds, including many species becoming rare to North America.

Food crops have not fared so well--at least not for the human consumer. The dandelions serve well, as do the blackberries if--and I mean if--we can beat the birds to the pick. Next, we will try root crops, along with an expansion of the very small vegetable garden. The same process will be applied; what thrives, stays.

Here is the good news, and what is at the core of “Why We Must Garden.” ['here' where?... if it's what follows, you must either drop the 'here' bit, or not make it a separate sentence] We will leave this place some day, my wife and I. The bloom she has worked so hard for, will bloom on.[makes little sense, since you seem to use 'bloom' to mean 'infestation'... i realize that may be a gardening term, but all who read this won't be up on the terminology... needs a better ending, imo, but rest is pretty good]

...hope this helps... hugs, m

A Simple Man · 12-15-2006, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammamaia

...hope this helps... hugs, m

Wow!
Thank You!

It looks like I have much work to do, fundamentals and all.
It's no surprise.

mammamaia · 12-16-2006, 11:49 AM

you're entirely welcome... i definitely enjoyed the piece while working on it...

apokiii · 12-22-2006, 03:12 AM

I liked the amount of detail you used when describing your garden. You didn't describe every leaf of every tree, but you gave us just enough to get the vision.

I'm no pro, but I did enjoy that one!

A Simple Man · 06-03-2007, 07:52 AM

I finally snapped a few pictures this morning. Sorry maia for the long delay.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01441.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01451.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01491.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01481.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01511.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t.../100_01471.jpg

mammamaia · 06-03-2007, 08:23 PM

wonderful!!!

i especially love the one of the track going off across the little clearing, into the woods beyond... one of those pictures you wish you could just walk right into!

thank you so much for sharing your personal little eden, amigo... it gave me a much needed lift...

love and soul-refreshed hugs, maia