I’m amused by the near breathless excitement some garden bloggers have when talking about their compost.
I expect poetry and songs next. Aw, shoot. Let me go first.
When I compare thee to a summer’s day
Your fragrance is of fields of hay
And in my fingers I feel your wealth
And to my flowers…
What rhymes with wealth? Oh yeah. Health.
And to my flowers you give health.
Okay, all kidding aside, I love compost too. That love doesn’t lean toward the romantic side so much as the greedy side. I want more, MORE, MORE!
So it was with some interest in reading Joe Lamp’l’s (not a typo – his name is Lamp’l) book The Green Gardener’s Guide that I have been tossing perfectly good compost materials in the trash.
Lamp’l says I can also compost vacuum cleaner bag dust and even the bag, paper towels and rolls, coffee grounds and filters, cotton and wool rags, dryer lint, hair and fur. Hah! Finally a use for all that loose dog hair! You can also compost newspapers, although it’s best to shred them.
I know that most newspapers are now printed with soy-based ink, so they are fairly safe composting material. What I’m a bit leery of is his assertion that you can compost clean office paper. Does that mean clean as in there are no jelly donut stains on them? Or clean as in not having been printed on?
I still have to print out reams and reams of statistical output to write reports. I always use both sides of the paper. But still, I have a good amount of paper waste as a result. Is it safe to shred and compost paper that has been printed with laser or inkjet toner? Given my desire for a healthy and mostly organic garden, is it safe to introduce these into the mix?
I have tried some searching and found an interesting, if not authoritative, exchange over at Gardenweb.
What do you think? To compost or not to compost? Any experts out there?
Robin
I truly hate crowds.
I finish my holiday gift shopping early not because I’m organized but because I can’t stand the stores when the masses arrive. You couldn’t tie me up and drag me to a parade. Go to a party? Is it a small one?
I make one truly significant exception to battling the throngs—flower shows! If you haven’t attended a flower show before, do yourself a favor and make plans. It’s a true visual feast where you can get ideas and learn quite a lot in a short amount of time.
I just booked my hotel arrangements for the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show. If you haven’t already made arrangements to attend the show near you, you should do so now. Rooms are going fast in Philly. In fact, I found that I could only get the hotel I wanted by booking through the show’s website. All other sources showed the property was unavailable.
The Philadelphia show’s early morning two-hour tours are also filling up. You have to email your request to the show organizers for registration information. Groups are small—8 to 12 people—and are held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the show opens. The cost is $105 per person.
If you’re planning a flower show trip and haven’t been before, here are some quick tips on getting them most from your flower show experience.
- Wear comfortable shoes and a jacket. The showplaces are often cooled for the benefit of preserving the plants, which makes it a bit chilly for the rest of us. Layer for comfort.
- Carry a notebook and pen. You can make notes, job down flower and vendor names or even sketch a particularly striking flower layout.
- Leave the handbag at home. I use a very small shoulder bag with a long strap that I can wear bandolier style. It’s just large enough to hold cash, credit cards, keys, a phone, small notebook and pen. It doesn’t add uncomfortable weight on my shoulder and allows me to keep my hands free.
- Check out the show’s photography policy in advance. Most shows allow amateur photography without previous permission. All shows prohibit the use of tripods or other equipment that can get in the way of heavy foot traffic.
- Check show schedules in advance for special demonstration and lecture times. Many shows have a first-come-first-serve seating policy, so arrive early.
- Plan your meals in advance. Food at these shows is usually hard to find, bad for you and disgusting. Eat a hearty breakfast and carry a bag of nuts. Or make a small, healthy sandwich that you can eat in the snack area while the rest of the folks are eating hot dogs and chips.
- If you’re going with a friend, carry cell phones so you can find each other when you decide to go separate ways or accidentally lose site of each other.
Bring money and a big car, truck or van. Most shows have areas for shopping. Unless you’re particularly disciplined, you’ll go home with an armload.
Have fun and post pictures! I can’t go to all the shows. Someday my dream is to go to the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s on my bucket list!
Upcoming Flower Shows
March 2 – 8 – Philadelphia Flower Show. The lecture and demonstration schedule is here.
March 8 – 16 – New England Spring Flower Show, Boston
February 20 – 24 – Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle
March 8 – 16 – Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, Rosemont, IL
March 12 – 16 – San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
March 14 - 24 – Hong Kong Flower Show
May 20 – 24 – RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Robin
It’s curious how many private gardens I have visited that have lovely plants and beautiful flowers—but nowhere to sit.
It’s as if we’re so busy “doing” in the garden that we can’t enjoy “being” in the garden.
SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
I caught myself in this very trap a couple of years ago. I would spend hours and hours on the weekend planting, weeding, digging and then head indoors to sit down. But the realization that I wasn’t enjoying the beauty that I created coupled with my growing need to pace myself and rest from time to time during my work, made me incorporate more seating areas into the garden.
GARDEN BENCH AT BUMBLEBEE
This year, I’m improving on the seating in the front of the house where we have a sweeping view of the hay field and will, I hope, be able to watch the aerial acrobatics of the purple martins. As I looked for ideas for the new seating area, I realized that I seem to have spent quite a lot of time taking pictures of garden seating in my travels. So I share them with you here along with ideas on some features of garden seating that I think make them successful.
Seating should be planned and incorporated into the garden. It’s just fine and dandy to drag out some lawn chairs when extra seating is needed. But if you need to do that whenever the mood strikes you to park your bottom and enjoy the view, it’s quite likely that you won’t sit down at all.
TEA GARDEN AT THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN, PHOENIX
Create places away from the house as well as close to the house. A carefully chosen seating location can provide a focal point that draws your eye and invites you to explore further.
SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
Seating should be sturdy and not tippy. It’s no fun to have to perch yourself on a tiny stool or spindly chair. Providing a base of pavers under the legs of your seating will give needed stability and also protect wood from the moist ground.
PARK BENCH
Seating should be weather proofed and easily cleaned. Hard surfaces such as concrete or wood are easily hosed down or even power washed in the spring or when needed. I also like the new all-weather wicker made from plastic-wrapped wire that is available from Restoration Hardware. Hardly anyone knows it’s not traditional wooden wicker. The cushions are from the Sunbrella fabric, so if I forget to bring them in during a rainstorm, there’s no harm done.
COVERED BENCH
Whatever you choose should be appropriate to the garden setting. A Zen garden will call for a more streamlined design, while a rustic, bent wood bench would be more at home in a quirky garden or a more free-flowering English cottage garden.
ADIRONDACK CHAIRS AT BUMBLEBEE
Don’t feel like everything has to match. Different types of seating grouped together can be charming when chosen with a unity of theme in mind. We have different styles of Adirondack chairs grouped together. I have seen wonderfully charming groupings of antique wooden chairs with only the unifying theme of age to make the grouping successful.
FORMAL SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
Include little tables or other features to hold a drink or small plate of food. Chinese stools, cut wooden logs or other re-purposed or found objects will be appreciated when you’re nursing a cold glass of tea and trying to read a book at the same time.
COVERED WALK AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
So take a seat and make time to enjoy all the work you do.
Resources to Try
Arthur Lauer - Previously known as Wood Classics. Benches, chairs, dining tables and outdoor accessories. An extensive line of quality teak products.
Walpole Woodworkers - In addition to a wide variety of garden seating, Walpole Woodworkers sells all types of garden accessories and fences. This is where I bought my white picket garden fence.
Restoration Hardware - High quality outdoor seating, including all-weather wicker and iron. If you can wait until the end of summer, these products go on sale for about 20% off the listed price.
Country Casual - Another excellent resource for teak outdoor furniture.
Summer Classics - All-weather wicker, cast aluminum and wood furniture.
And closer to home, don’t forget to look here:
Amish builders - Often very basic designs, but made with quality materials. And there are no shipping charges!
Garden centers - You may find some bargains, although you’ll likely find what everyone else has.
Antiques stores and thrift stores - No telling what you’ll find. Often, you can re-purpose old wood or iron furniture, particularly if it’ll be in a covered location.
Robin
I recall a conversation from years ago with my dear old friend Claudia.
She has just moved into a charming little cottage in the old Ortega section of Jacksonville, Florida. The house was surrounded by old trees and magnificent, mature flowering shrubs. I was completely taken with the place.
I commented to Claudia that I would garden constantly if I lived there. Her response?
“Oh, I love the idea of gardening. But I just don’t want to be outside there all by myself. It would be so lonely!”
SUNFLOWERS AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
Although this conversation took place, oh, nearly 10 years ago, it has stuck with me, and occasionally crossed my mind, because the feeling that Claudia expressed is so foreign to my own needs and desires for being with nature.
See, while Claudia yearned for company to enjoy nature, I am more like the legendary Hollywood star.
“I want to be alone.”
When I am indoors, I continually bounce from one activity to the next, multi-tasking between home and office and getting distracted with one thing or another. My mind leaps from one idea to another…
“Need to clean the frig…haven’t heard from that client yet…what am I going to do about that programming issue…should I go to the spinning class tomorrow…oops, need to finish that project schedule…can I deliver that report early…”
The internal chatter is a lightening speed, incessant drone.
When I am working in the garden, that chatter gradually subsides. I become lost in the activity. Minutes at a time go by without my having a single thought other than about what I’m doing with my hands.
And although there is no shortage of work for which I could use an extra pair (or more) of hands, I don’t nag my husband or son to join me in the garden because I just want the company of the wind and the birds. (And little dogs, of course.) When they do join me, we usually work at a distance, all of us lost in our own internal worlds. Happily, they share my desire for quiet time.
So you see, perhaps, why I wasn’t entirely sad to be alone in my visits to some of the country’s most spectacular public gardens this past year—the Phoenix Botanical Garden, the Chicago Botanical Garden, the Denver Botanic Garden and the Dixon House and Gardens, among others. Although part of me would loved to share the experience with my husband or another friend, the selfish part of me was happy to have the gardens to myself.
As I wandered through, I could go at my very own pace, lingering over an unusual combination of primroses and cabbages, admiring the coy in the Japanese garden, sitting under the shade of a well-placed trellis.
I observed many groups of families dutifully trudging along after the more enthusiastic members of their parties. Not all the groups looked entirely happy, I must say. Most of the kids looked bored to tears. Not a few were arguing.
So I was glad not to feel I was holding someone back—or dragging them along on my personal nature adventure. There are certainly times when I enjoy the company. But those visits have a different purpose altogether, and it’s not mostly about nature.
And you? Is nature something you prefer to share?
Robin
If you’re seeing this post, that means you’re also seeing the new Bumblebee Blog design!
As a beginning blogger I was happy to discover SquareSpace for hosting. Their intuitive interface was just what I needed to make me feel comfortable while I learned the basics. I also liked the fact that SquareSpace offered domain mapping–meaning that I could have my own unique URL rather than one that was part of the blog host’s name. But although I really loved the many designs that SquareSpace offered, they were–after all–just templates. The new design is uniquely mine.
See the woman gardening at the top? That’s me! (Don’t I look great?) The little dogs are, of course, my Papillons, Sophie and Sarah. The kitty cat is Miss P. (Pish, the fish, is still in the house. In his bowl.)
Please notice that when you click each page on the menu signs, the little bee follows you around. How cute is that? And for those of you who have visited before, do you recognize the white picket fence?
Hey! There’s a survey feature in the top right-hand corner! Now, I own a marketing research company and spend a good chunk of my time doing marketing research, so I’ll be the first to admit that this is what I call drive-by-shooting research. It’s not scientific. But it’s fun. And it might, over time, tell me a bit about the people who visit here.
Also, on the right is a random photo from the photo albums. These are photos of my garden as well as my travels to garden or other places. I also have a few family and friends shots. If you click on the photo, it’ll take you to a larger verison of the photo and more information about the shot. Well, to be honest, there’s not much in the way of information right now. But there will be!
My hope is that the new design better reflects who I am and what this blog is all about. Appreciating nature, good food, friends and travel. And I hope you can tell I appreciate fun and laughter!
Thank you to Lucia and Peter at The Blog Studio for plugging away at the design and technical pieces while we got this site launched. They’re the best!
Now, much of the content was imported from SquareSpace. I will be updating non-functional links and tweaking the fonts here and there. If you see any glaring issues or non-functionality, please let me know.Hey, even if you don’t see any glaring issues, let me know what you think!
Robin
According to the Nature Conservancy, fewer Americans are spending time in outdoor activities, which could have a serious impact on our environment.
This was one of the stories on the NBC evening news last night.
The Nature Conservancy conducted research that revealed Americans are spending more time with indoor activities, such as the Internet, electronic games and movies and less time at outdoor activities such as camping, fishing and hiking. In fact, the percentage of the American population enjoying the outdoors is at an all-time low.
Although I haven’t seen the research, my own observations of how people spend their leisure time tells me this is probably true.
The reason this is worrisome is that with fewer people spending less time at nature-based activities, nature will become unappreciated and unexplored. If we learn everything we know about nature from the television, our first-hand understanding and appreciation of the importance of clean air and healthy soil and forests and abundance wildlife is diminished.
It’s interesting, too, that participation in outdoor activities is down at the same time there are record numbers of people who are overweight and obese.
I wonder how many of us consider visiting a local nature park, hiking or going to the seashore among the weekend entertainment options of movies and eating out? I know the last time I suggested a hike to Calvert Cliffs State Park to a friend-who-shall-not-be-named I was met with the “you must be mad” expression. We went to an Indian restaurant instead.
So what do we do to reverse this trend? How can we as individuals encourage outdoor activities, particularly those that respect the environment and encourage conservation efforts?
Robin
For the novice, the word “propagation” can seem a bit intimating. After all, it sounds so scientific.
But the fact is, propagation is just a fancy way of saying “make more.”
If you’re interested in dipping your toe into the world of plant propagation (and we are talking plants here), there is no easier plant to start with than the lovely African Violet.
Although she’s been gone for many years, I always associate African Violets with my grandmother. She always had pots of blooming violets on her windowsills. Now, I almost always have some violets growing in my light garden or the windowsills. I continually propagate them and have some ready for giving away for special occasions. I will also group them on the dining table for a live flower arrangement that doesn’t cost a fortune or require loads of chemicals at the flower farm.
Recently, I took one of the prettiest of my violets to my Great Aunt Maxine for her 90th birthday celebration. While I was at her house I noticed she had some violets of her own. What better opportunity to add to my collection in a meaningful way? She supplied a baggie and I loaded up with new cuttings.
To propagate your African Violet, select a leaf that is not too big and not too small. You don’t want an old gnarly leaf or one that is too tiny. Select a medium-sized, vigorous leaf and cleanly slice it off the plant, leaving about 1” of stem.
Now, here’s the hard part. It seems counter-intuitive, but you’re going to have to cut the leaf in half, leaving about 1” of leaf on the stem.
My grandmother used to root her cuttings in plain water, suspending them through a hole in some aluminum foil. This works just fine. But a better, and faster, way is to root the cutting directly in some soilless medium. This is typically available as African Violet soil in nurseries. I can find it in my local grocery store.
Give your cuttings a head start by using a rooting hormone, such as Rootone. Just dip the stem end into the rooting hormone powder before planting the stem in some soilless medium.
Since the plants don’t have roots, it’s important to keep the cutting moist. I just pop a plastic bag over the top of the pot to retain moisture and make sure I water regularly. In your zeal for moisture, don’t overly seal the plant in or you’ll be creating an environment where diseases can flourish.
Plants need light to grow, so make sure you provide adequate light. A sunny windowsill in the winter will do the trick. In the summer, you’ll need to make sure the sun isn’t too intense or the leaves will burn and the soil medium will dry out too quickly. I find that my light garden provides the perfect environment for propagating and keeping live plants.
Some other useful tips for growing African Violets:
-When propagating or repotting, use African Violet potting soil. It’s soilless, so it’s lighter, doesn’t compact and gives the aeration and drainage that the African Violets need. Violets do just fine in the temperatures of the average household—65 to 73 degrees.
-Make sure you protect cuttings and grown plants from drafts. Violet leaves are covered with tiny little “hairs.”
-Avoid getting leaves wet when watering to prevent discoloration. Are you violets dusty? Just use a soft-bristled paintbrush to brush off dust or accumulated dirt.
-Nurseries sell specialized African Violet pots with an inner and outer layer for indirect watering. I have never had as much success with this method as with traditional terra cotta pots. My favorite pots are by Guy Wolff. Large Guy Wolff pots can be expensive, but the tiny ones are very reasonable—and just the right thing to give your African Violets a good start in life.
Interested in the African Violet lifestyle? There is a whole society devoted to the promoting African Violets, the African Violet Society. I remember when we used to live in Florida there was a local African Violet club that got together monthly to talk about their violets. They also had annual competitions at the local fair. Next to the chicken displays, this was always my favorite part of the fair.
Isn’t it amazing that there is a special interest group for everything?
Robin
After reading about it on the Ellis Hollow blog, I decided on a whim to take an online class on botanical drawing through Cornell University.
Given that I have never before expressed (out loud anyway) the desire to draw or paint, it rather took some folks by surprise when I finally admitted to family and friends why I was stocking up on drawing pencils, pads and books on drawing.
My husband’s reaction was: “WHAT?”
My son’s reaction was: “You’re just like your mother!”
My friend Angela’s reaction was: “Why botanical drawing?”
So, to them I’ll answer:
To my husband: [Carefully enunciating here] “An…online…botanical…drawing…class.”
To my son: “Not exactly what I was aiming for, but I can see why you would say that.”
To my friend Angela: “What else would I draw?”
Here’s what I have learned in one week.
First, I have learned to never again say “I’m not an artist.”
No, it’s not that I think I’ve transformed overnight into Marie Cassatt with the help of one week of an online course. Rather, it’s that saying the words “I’m not an artist” is an excuse not to try to improve what skills I can.
On the other hand, given that I’ve reached the age of <<bleep>> without drawing much more than some stick figures here and there and poking fun at myself with a series of drawings on my garden blog, I don’t expect to discover my inner Vermeer. But perhaps I can learn to pay better attention to the details of the natural world around me, render them with enough skill to be able to put it to practical use, and—hey—why not just enjoy slowing down and communing with nature in a way that doesn’t require gloves. a shovel and a shower afterward?
The second thing I’ve learned this week is that the hardest part of learning to draw—so far—has been getting started. I have dedicated the small secretary desk by my bed as my drawing “studio” and filled all the little cubbies with pencils, erasers and inks. I have a nice basket on the floor by the desk where I keep my pads and books on botanical drawing. That was the easy part.
The very hardest part was facing the sprig of Winter King Hawthorn and the empty sheet of paper with a pencil in my hand. OMG. I am taking an online course so I can turn in stick figures and humiliate myself!
“Stop it!!!” (Mental head slap.)
I finally took a deep breath and started with the stems. Big stems. Slim stems. Slimmer stems. Even slimmer stems on the slimmer stems. Did you know there are little tiny white places on brown stems? And some little darker brown spots? And did you know that when the stem meets the tiny little orange-red berry on the Winter King Hawthorn that there is an ever-so-slight indentation?
I don’t believe I’ve ever really looked that closely—or for that long—before. I’ve been too busy pulling the weeds under the tree, I suppose.
But as I looked at the berries, I see that they aren’t just ORANGE. They are hues of orange that can be drawn to suggest the shading, circular shape and even shininess of the berry.
Capturing all this newfound insight with a pencil is not so very easy, however. This does not come naturally to me.
But as I was browsing through the Barnes & Noble for the last of the recommended texts I needed, a rather obvious revelation came to me. The reason people write and publish books on drawing and other arts is because all these fabulous techniques don’t come naturally to most people. And that’s why they have whole classes devoted to learning different art techniques. So you can learn to do it!
Just like I had to take years and years of piano lessons and spend hours and hours of time practicing before I could call myself a pianist, people spend many years at training and practice to become artists! No one (okay, hardly anyone) just sits down at the piano for the first time knowing how to play. Most people don’t just pick up a pencil and create a fabulous drawing their first try.
Isn’t it funny how the most obvious things can be the last things that you understand?
Robin
Our house is under siege from a demented tufted titmouse.
By any measure, these cute little birds are aggressive. They will swoop down and help themselves to the hair of a sleeping dog or steal threads from your laundry drying in the sun to line their nests. But this particular titmouse is attacking our house windows.
I have read the aggressive male titmouses (titmice?) will see their reflections in windows and try to battle the competition. They establish themselves at the top of the pecking order in time for mating season.
That would explain why this particular titmouse appears to be on a mission. He is trying to eliminate the enemy. But from inside the house, it appears that he is trying to get in.
Tufted Titmouse Looking In
Outside my office window and my son’s bedroom window directly upstairs, the titmouse moves back and forth. He screams “Peter, peter, peter!” Then he bashes at the window, clings to the screen and pecks at the windowpane. After that’s done, he’ll do it all again, moving from the upstairs to the downstairs.
I have tried putting out a feeder on the tree outside to distract him, but that’s not working. If he’s still at his battle plan on Saturday, when I am not in the office and won’t have to sit in the dark, I’ll close the curtains to try and eliminate the reflection he’s taken such a dislike to.
In other bird news…
For the very first time since we have been living here, I saw a group of cedar waxwings. They are very skittish. I saw the first when I was driving down the long driveway from errands. Later, when I was eating lunch, I noticed an unusual group on the patio table. Yes!
Drat-it-all. I had to actually do some work this afternoon, which prevented me from sneaking about the back yard with my camera. I hope they return tomorrow.
Robin
According to the bird experts, mourning doves are among the most abundant birds in the U.S. I can certainly vouch for that fact judging from the visitors at my backyard feeding station.
In fact, as part of my count for Project FeederWatch this past weekend, I counted 28 mourning doves at one time! So even though the average number of mourning doves in the FeederWatch program here in Maryland is five, they are, apparently, particularly abundant in my little part of the world.
Mourning Doves
It’s curious how their behaviors have changed since they have become accustomed to all the bird feeders. When I first started feeding and watching the birds, the mourning doves would arrive–usually in pairs–and feast on the ground below the feeders where seed would be spilled or dropped by the other birds. Over time, one of the birds became more bold and learned to land on the feeders-even the smaller feeders–to feast directly from the pickings. Then two birds, then three. After a while, all the mourning doves were eating directly from the feeders. Although they still feed from the ground when they are in large numbers, the feeders are often filled with mourning doves.
Did you know the whistling sound they make when they fly is actually from their wings?
Did you know that mourning doves are monogamous and form strong bonds as pairs? (More than you can say for many humans, eh?)
Did you know that the male mourning dove will escort his mate to potential nest sites for her to choose a location. (Real estate is, apparently, her decision.)
Did you know that more than 45 million mourning doves are killed by hunters each year, including in Wisconsin, where the mourning dove is also the official symbol of peace? (Wisconsin seems a bit confused.)
Robin
