November 2010
17 posts
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Monthly Garden Report for November
Sooo…November.
It’s a bit of a challenge to write about the garden with the distraction of the holidays, let alone the cold. I’ve moved mentally indoors as the temperatures dip below freezing and the plants begin to blacken and mushify. I still manage to think plantwards sometimes. For a day or so, lows hovered just around 0°F and I sat fretting not about my pipes, but my...
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Garden Craft Burnout
I’m getting a little weary of all the garden craft I’m seeing everywhere. It comes out in force during the holidays, usually starting around Halloween. I worry people become so obsessed with how things look that they forget or ignore that they are supposed to be stewards of a living organism. I got a magazine the other day showing a man who had tucked all sorts of forced bulbs into...
A Post of Thanksgiving
It’s difficult to avoid comparing my garden with others’ gardens out there on the blogs. Compared to the easy, broad-leaved green of much of the U.S., gardening in the West is hard. Everyone says the grass is always greener on the other side; it really isn’t. It’s just more flammable. Now, making unfair snap judgments and nursing a sulky attitude isn’t healthy....
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A Call for Transparency
A Seasonal Public Service Announcement—
While you’re going through your winter preparation list for the garden, don’t neglect the windows. They are easy to overlook, or rather through, but keeping them clean will keep your plants much happier. Any greenhouse grower will tell you that dirty glass can reduce the amount of sun that gets to your plants significantly. Given the fewer hours...
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Looking Crazy
The other day a neighbor shared this brief exchange she once had with her husband as they drove by my house and saw me standing on the sidewalk, staring intensely at my Bigtooth Maple.
Mrs. C: There's Susan. What do you think she is staring at?
Mr. C: I don't know, but she sure does look crazy.
Mr. C & Mrs. C: «laughter ensues for a couple of minutes»
I think this is a good summary of the neighborhood's general opinion about me.
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Fall Fail
The house across the street has had a spotty record of tenants. The current absent owner bought the house at the height at the bubble and tried to flip it. Despite the ongoing housing crisis, she is still unwilling to take a loss on the home, so we’ve had a streak of renters. Currently, a small fraternity is living there, so it is very difficult to find a parking space in front of my house.
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Deck Removal Extravaganza
There comes a point with all major do-it-yourself landscaping projects when one must pause and think “Am I insane?” I have to wonder at times.
Moving the Abies lasiocarpa to a new spot is a well thought out notion. But—but!—it was uniquely placed in the shadiest part of the yard, and we’re looking to move it to a new spot that gets more sun and it may get too hot for it there....
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To Diana: My thoughts on Tumblr
An open reply to Diana of Elephant’s Eye Garden’s comment from my Paperwhite’s post in which she asks about my impressions of using Tumblr—
Just to start, Diana, off topic is fine. And, just to point out a feature of Tumblr, if you do ever want to just ask a question or start an off topic conversation, Tumblr provides an Ask Me Anything page, which I would love to see get more...
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Floradora's photography lessons from Saxon Holt →
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The Most Interesting Paperwhites in the World*
Holiday chemical warfare.
I recently bought a large bulb tray for forcing Paperwhites this winter. Little did I know it would hold 36 of them. We are going to be gassed out of our home by eau du ‘Ziva’ in about 6 to 8 weeks. It should look spectacular, at least. I’ll put up pics. Why didn’t I buy some Narcissus ‘Geranium’ or some other tazettas instead? Maybe...
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