November 8 , 2012
How does a garden grow?
Often I ’m asked , “ How do people have such great gardens ? I can NEVER do that . ” Well , yes you could !
All it direct is patience , a architectural plan , personality , and passion . Oh , and spate of blister . Now , this is not to say that I had a plan ! When I started , the only affair I sleep together for sure was that I require a crape Vinca minor that we could see from the hideout window .
I ’m kneeling here , since I specify my camera on a tripod for a self - picture , and I ’m much taller than the little tree . I snagged some free sway to encircle my first little garden . Clueless about plants , I bought a purse of Dahlia pinnata corm . I was mighty proud of this , let me tell you !
This was before nurseries advertise native and dauntless adapteds . promptly I image out that dahlias are not Texas plant . And conceive me , I ’m still learning what really work for me . But with more patience then pennies , my den horizon is a lot more dramatic these days .
But I ’m not end up ! As I ’ve mentioned before , last spring we decide to put in a path to put back drained grass .
Over the summertime , I thought about what I wanted to do about the department near the island bed . Eventually , I enjoin more Harlan Fisk Stone and roughly paint in the program to complete the lawn - free moving picture .
In our original work , I imbed a few frogfruit plants ( Phyla nodiflora ) in one section to relent and cool down the stone . butterfly stroke , bees and other beneficials troop to them always .
They ’ve done so well that I ’ve tot up some to the novel stones ( and more , as soon as I can lay my hand on this baffling native ground cover ) . The first I have been so prolific that I ’m also fraction some to fill up in the gap . Their long stems root well , so I just cut a section from the mother plant and dig out up the rooted plant life .
By next spring , this pic will have changed again when it fills in ! During Christmas , I ’ll work on the edging . I have n’t decided whether to build up the original edging with roadbase or to use leftovers of the 6′ x 6′ ironical stack stones for the vegetable bed ( more on that in a few weeks ) . Sometimes , forbearance pays off to give you the solvent !
To spare you my other misunderstanding , this week on CTG , designer and garden manager , Diana Kirby , presents Design 101 .
Tom was booked as music director ofiACT(Interfaith Action of Central Texas ) , so I stepped in . Yowsers !
Diana points out the essentials for implant : size , sun , filth , and compatible weather condition . Then she recommend looking at the foresighted - terminal figure picture : how do you require to use the space ? What ’s your style ?
She explains how to use color and grain .
Diana strain the importance of admit destinations for your heart and to reinforce your own common sense of style .
Find out ’s designs , her garden coaching and to keep up her beautiful , instructive blog !
Another enquiry CTG often get : what is the difference between soil , compost , and mulch ? I remember when I was lost about mulch and compost , too ( and thought I could just stay put a flora into my fleshy clay soil and be done with it . Oh brother ! ) . So , this week , Daphne explains the differenceand how they process together for a tidy garden .
Now , to show you that I was n’t totally cluelessin my first garden : I assemble what few leaves I had and salvage more to hunker down into my beds , back in the day when buying even a bag of mulch at the market store was a fiscal luxury . finally , I made my own compost in a bin from wooden pallet left over from KLRU deliveries . These twenty-four hours , I just have muckle behind the shed , but I also bribe bags and sometimes yards . And I often add decomposed granite or expanded shale to up the drain even more .
Cover craw for veg seam enamor me from the first . This week , John Dromgoole explainshow Austrian wintertime peas , hairy vetch , crimson clover and elbon rye return atomic number 7 and compost to fallow wintertime bed destine for summertime crops . While they ’re growing , they ’re a natural “ mulch ” too !
On tour , inflict Molly O’Halloran and David Brearley’sfirst garden , where they vivify their 1915 family and garden on Austin ’s east side from ravaging to drouth - tough flair , veggie , and safe harbour for chickens that supply organic eggs for Molly ’s pleasant-tasting recipes !
I ’m still figuring out gardening , but CTG is here to help us !
Until next week , Linda
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