The Lowdown on Dirt

I just watched the movie "Dirt: The Movie" (available through Netflix and probably your local public library) and decided it was time to put a plug in for one of nature's most precious resources. The good earth, compost, soil, but my favorite word to call it is dirt. Yes that stuff you used to play in when you were a kid and hated like heck when the day was done to be called inside by your mother who was intent on washing it off of you. Kids are on to a good thing here and many of us adults seem to forget just how much fun dirt is.

A book available through the Public Libraries of Saginaw entitled "Dirt: the Erosion of Civilizations" by David R. Montgomery is must reading if you care about your own future. Montgomery takes the reader through the history of dirt and how it relates to the rise and fall of civilizations. We abuse this most important of natural resources to our own peril.

Here I am holding some dirt from my backyard.



The dirt in this compost barrel is near ready to use.

Here is my future dirt holder (i.e. the compost bin) Making compost for your garden is probably one of the most important things you can do for it (and the planet). I use my kitchen scraps (except meat which attracts unwanted critters), grass clippings (what little I have as I mostly don't have grass anymore), and leaves. You want the brown (leaves) and the green (grass clippings) to mix in together and eventually you will have that life sustaining black gold called compost. You don't have to have a barrel to do this. You can just make a pile if you want. But don't throw those leaves away, and be aware, there are leaf thieves out there! You can read all about them in Confessions of a Leaf Thief.

Here are some leaves I chopped up with my lawnmower. Great stuff for future dirt.

Throw me on the compost heap when I die. Yep, that's me and my sister; from dust ye come and to dust ye shall return. I am a proud member of the future dirt society.

What's in Bloom Now

I could make a list of plants that are in bloom in my garden today, but instead I took a video so you can see what color I have now. Go to Anne's Garden and enjoy!

The vegetable garden area is now cleaned up with the garlic mulched and protected by netting against pesky squirrels who like to dig up everything I plant, whether they like to eat it or not. I made the mistake of not protecting it last year. This year I am not making that same mistake! I do learn from my mistakes; it may take me awhile, but I do learn.

I have used the lawn mower to gather up my leaves since it makes good mulch and is easier than raking. I don't have a leaf blower, but don't need one the way I need good mulch. It also saves me the money I would have to spend on a leaf blower. Gardening Anne's way is the cheap way of course. But it works for me!

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden

Recently while visiting my friend Margot in Pittsburgh, I had a chance to go to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden. If you ever go to Pittsburgh, make sure that this wonderful garden on your to see list. You will not regret it! The Conservatory, which was founded in 1893, has several rooms with lush plants that take you from the tropics to the rain forest; with orchids and ferns to an incredible dahlia garden outside, the colors and textures of the plants will stun you. Not only were the flowers of the dahlias huge, the plants were so large they had to be staked. So here are a few pictures of this amazing place.

Sometimes the gargoyles are obvious; sometimes you have to look for them.

The sculptures give bright color amongst the green plantings.

There is an entire room of ferns. This picture shows just how varied ferns can be.

I can see a face in this orchid!

My feet aren't small enough to fit into these dazzling lady slippers.

Here is a wall of succulents.



These dahlias are almost as tall as me.

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Margot enjoys a break in the tropics.

This knot garden is far tidier than anything I have ever planted.

Window of Opportunity

Today was not a complete bust in the garden, although I thought it would be. All week I have been cleaning up and I created a pile of future compost for the city to cart away to the compost center. I let them take care of it since they have more space than I have and the equipment to get it smoking hot.



Anyways, today was the day I was going to bag it all up and what did it do? Rain of course. An all day rain. A cold rain. A wonderful rain, if only it had come in the middle of August when I really wanted it. It rains, it pours, but never when I really need it. Such is Mother Nature and Father Sky.



And windows of opportunity. Take them when you can. An hour ago it ceased raining, and yes I was out there filling nine bags of future black gold. So thank you Mother Nature and Father Sky for providing me with that opportunity.



This week I intend to can pickles, if my cucumbers haven't rotted yet. I took a canning class at the Cooperative Extension Center and figure I can do that! So I went out and bought a hot water bath canner, plus all the stuff to go with it. And if I don't drop dead of botulism when I open a can I will write how absolutely wonderful they taste! If only I had watched and helped my grandmother when she did it. The things I could have learned. That was a window of opportunity I missed and I know I am the poorer for it. Here she is, Florence (Finky) Stitt Donnelly, the hardest working person I ever knew, and I only knew her when she was retired!

More on Stratford

The town of Stratford, Ontario has many lovely gardens to enjoy. Near where I stayed at the Bard and Breakfast is the Stratford Gallery. Surrounding this gallery are some lovely gardens one can stroll through or just sit and contemplate whatever one wishes to contemplate about. If you have never been to this city, then do plan to visit it some day. You will certainly enjoy yourself here.

Among the many chores I have to do in the fall is digging up the potatoes, cleaning and drying them so I have potatoes to eat all winter long. This can be quite a chore as the cat seems to think they are footballs for her to play with. This year I planted heirloom varieties: All Blue, German Butterball, Purple Viking and La Ratte Fingerlings. Now to make potato and leek soup!





Another chore I managed to get done this past weekend was return the houseplants indoors after their summer vacation outside. They seem to enjoy the out of doors more than inside (don't we all) but since they can't survive Michigan winters they necessarily need to be moved back inside. I spray them with water first to hopefully dislodge any critters before bringing them in. Now they are enjoying comfortable companionship with my other true love, books.

Garden cleanup continues of course. It is never over with until the last leaves are raked. But I don't mind. Especially now that I am retired and can do whatever I need to do outside any day of the week.

Staying in Stratford Ontario at the Bard and Breakfast

I recently made a trip to Stratford, Ontario to see some plays. The plays are not the only reason for visiting this beautiful city. I have been staying at a bed and breakfast place called "The Bard and Breakfast" the last few times I have visited because I so enjoy the gardens. I also enjoy my host, Elizabeth, a congenial lady, which is what you might expect since she is a wonderful gardener.

Elizabeth makes excellent use of color in an area that includes a lot of shade. The Bard and Breakfast was on the garden walk in Stratford last year so you know these gardens are special. So here are a few pictures I took while I was there and if they entice you to visit this city I am sure you won't regret it. You might also want to see one of the wonderful plays while you are there. I thoroughly enjoyed Jacques Brel and Evita, but whichever plays you see, don't miss Elizabeth's gardens!

Good Things Come if You Wait

I didn’t really expect anything from the nasturtiums I planted since I planted the seeds late. I am always running behind it seems. But lo and behold (if I may be so quaint) one of the plants is actually in bloom right now! So the lesson learned here, is never give up. It isn’t too late. It may be the ides of September, but what the heck. Take the color whenever you can!




I planted some of these giant colchicums a couple of years ago and they seem to be spreading. If you want a bulb for fall, this one is for you. They may not last long, but they are spectacular while in bloom. Just the shot of color to boost the gardener’s happiness level. And happiness is what it is all about.



I’m inclined to cut glads when they flops and stick them in a vase. This glad is giving a nice accent to the deck.



The fall sedums are coming into their own these days. Sedum Autumn Joy is so reliable, year after year.



The cardinal flowers have been blooming for quite awhile now. I have to stake them a bit so I don’t mow them down when I cut the grass.



This variegated phlox has just rebloomed. And to think that it isn’t suffering from powdery mildew! What a great phlox this one is.



I just planted this Luna Pink Swirl Hibiscus this year. It started blooming two months ago and it is still giving me some blooms. What a good choice I made here!



Fall would not be complete without that tomato red color on the many plants I managed to tuck in here and there and everywhere in the garden. Whether it is this striped roma, or the purple smudge which has provided me with lots of tomato sauce, I can’t complain. It is an everyday thing since that bright red color says “pick me, pick me!” I will take color wherever I can get it.



Okay, so the birdhouse gourd is worth it. Yes indeed it is. Even though it annihilated the cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant and everything else in its wake. Okay, it seems to be getting along with the green beans; they like to crawl up each other with the sunflower stalks to balance them. I don’t know if I will actually succeed in making a birdhouse out of this gourd, but I am so excited to see three, yes three of them out there! I patiently waited, and now I am stuffing myself with homegrown potatoes, overindulging on the best tomatoes ever, and yes I even have some birdhouse gourds to look forward to.



Some folks may look at fall wistfully, thinking there goes summer for another year. I am thinking, life is good, the harvest is plenty, and all is right with the world.