A List and a Giveaway

The List

I’ve spent a lot of time catching up on my Google Reader lately and have stumbled upon some posts and sites I thought you all would love as well. Here are the top five things I’ve been reading lately:

1. Shit My Students Write  As a writing instructor, this is the best site I’ve found in quite some time, perhaps ever. It’s hilarious. Enjoy.

2. Beginner’s Mind  This is a Yoga Journal blog I’ve started reading. Shepherd’s refreshing perspectives on topics that range from daily yoga practice to iPhone applications are a nice break in the typical work day.

3. The Beekeeper’s Bible  I’ve been a long-time fan of bees and and dream of having my own hive one of these days. The pictures in this Design*Sponge post are so pretty, and I’ve added this book to my summer reading list.

4. Blueberry Plants  This post comes from one of my favorite gardening blogs, Veggie Gardening Tips. My in-laws are rooting my husband and me some blueberry cuttings from their bushes, so I’m constantly thinking about where those will go in our yard.

5. What NOT to do in the Garden  In keeping with my recent post about how NOT to grow a garden, I found comfort in knowing that seasoned gardeners make mistakes as well. These are some good tips that any of you who garden will like as well.

Gardening Advice #3–To Compost or Not to Compost?

The answer is always to compost!

My friend Rachel recently asked if I composted and what advice I had on the subject. I do compost and have learned quite a lot in the past few years I’ve been doing so.

Lesson #1: Compost Must Be Turned

Bosmere Compost Bin

Back in 2008 when I decided to start a compost pile, I bought one of these. It came highly recommended and looked neat and tidy, which was important to me at the time. I thought this would be a an ideal composter because it is easy to assemble (i.e. I didn’t have to build it); it has a lid at the top for easily adding food scraps, leaves, etc.; and it has a sliding door at the bottom for compost retrieval. According to everything I read, all I had to do was drop scraps in the top in the appropriate ratios, and in a few months, I would have beautiful compost coming out the bottom that I could shovel in my garden or pots.

Well, this isn’t exactly what happened. First, my husband and I moved out of our rental and bought a house. We (smartly, I think) decided not to try to move the partially composted material. We left all that behind, packed up the compost bin, and started over at the new place. So, we lost a few precious months, but I figured no biggie, we’d have that thing filled up again in no time.

We moved into our new house in 2009 and have yet to pull any compost out of the bin. To be sure, there are bugs in there doing something. The fact that I have been able to add to it on a regular basis means that the pile gradually shrinks. Also, when I lift the door at the bottom, what I see is beginning to resemble compost, but there are still a lot of whole particles in there. The problem is this: I took their claims at face value and haven’t turned the pile once. Alternately, when I move piles of leaves from one area to another (turning by proxy), they break down in no time.

Conclusion: Compost Must Be Turned.

Gardening Advice #2: Need Privacy Hedge, Not Rude

My friend Melanie has asked me for some advice on planting a privacy hedge in her front yard. She has these specifications: the hedge will be in full sun, and she doesn’t want her family “to look like uninviting hermits.”

I’m not sure how large her front yard is, but I think most, if not all, of these options should work well no matter the size.

Boxwood hedge

Option #1: For a formal hedge that is high on privacy, I suggest American Holly or Boxwood. A formal hedge requires patience and a willingness to trim regularly to keep the shape. Not my cup of tea, but a good option for formal neighborhoods and/or full-screen hedges. This type of hedge will also likely require a ladder (or a giant).

 

 

 

Leland Cypress border

 

 

 

 

Option #2: For a less formal hedge that is still somewhat structured, I suggest Leland Cypress. I think these trees are beautiful and grow quite quickly. They are also nice layering options. Melanie could plant a few of these and plant shrubs or bedding plants in front or behind.

 

 

Forsythia in full bloom

 

 

 

Option #3: For an even less formal look, I suggest flowering shrubs. There are so many to choose from, and all are wonderful options: forsythia, a prolific bloomer is gorgeous in early spring; spirea soon follows with long stalks of white flowers; and azaleas and rhododendrons bring up the tail with beautiful, exotic-looking flowers in all colors.

 

 

I have a plethora of these flowering shrubs in my yard, and they work nicely together–just as one finishes blooming, another is beginning. I’m a fan of old-fashioned plants, and these all fit the bill. When I can ask grandparents or other older folks for advice on a specific plant, I think I’m growing the right thing.

A few words of advice to Melanie about this latter option:

1. Don’t plant them too close together. All of these will get to at least 8 ft. tall (and forsythia and azaleas/rhododendrons will grow that wide as well) if you let them. Don’t cram ‘em together. They’ll be much prettier and create more privacy if you space them out (6-8 ft, I say).
2. These will require occasional pruning. The azaleas and rhododendrons will get “leggy” if they get too big. Read up on pruning before going at it. I’ve learned from experience that an electric hedge trimmer isn’t always the best option for these free-form-type plants. Invest in some pruning sheers.
3. Mix and/or layer these shrubs. Not only will this help stagger the blooming, but it will look less structured and, depending on how they are arranged, create a tighter privacy screen without sacrificing beauty.

Spirea and azalea mixed border

 

I’ve given Melanie several options, but, as you can tell, I lean toward option #3, mixed flowering shrubs. I say, “Why plant plain shrubs when you can plant ones that flower?” I also think this option best fits her need for privacy without appearing “uninviting.” Anywhere that azaleas, forsythia, spirea, and other flowering shrubs are planted is a place that looks inviting and like there just might be a pie cooling in the window.

What about you? What are your favorite privacy solutions?

 

Photos linked to sources

Gardening Advice #1: Small Garden, Pregnant

Tiffany, one of my favorite friends from college, recently asked me for some gardening advice. She wanted to know:

1. What I am planting this year.
2. What my planting favorites are.
3. What I would recommend for a small garden and a pregnant gardener.

This is not my friend.

photo credit: Ernst Vikne

Here are my responses:

1. I sent Tiffany a link to my garden plan for this year and explained that it is for a fairly large garden.
2. I combined my answers to #2 and #3 because if I had a small garden, I would only plant my favorites. Also, I think most of these are relatively easy and don’t need too much attention, which will be useful when it is crazy hot outside and she is nine months pregnant.

Here are my suggestions:

• Cucumbers on trellis–because these are super easy and prolific
• Tomatoes–because summer without tomatoes is sad
• Zucchini–because these are super easy and prolific
• Jalapeno or other hot peppers–because these are super easy and prolific

As you can see, all of these suggestions are “super easy and prolific” except tomatoes. But even tomatoes are relatively easy, especially if you buy bush varieties, and the cherry varieties are quite prolific.

After hearing my suggestions, Tiffany wanted to know about lettuce, too. She is planning to grow it in a flower box. I told her I have found lettuce to be pretty easy, but that it gets bitter when the weather gets hot (which is pretty early down here in Mississippi and Tiffany’s home, Alabama). It’s a good spring crop though, and I think her flower box idea sounds perfect!

I love giving advice, and I bet some of you do too. Anyone have some other small-garden suggestions for my friend Tiffany?