7-7-11 Visitors

Above is a picture taken by Sharri R. who is the interim preschool director at the church. I believe this is the doe that I encountered while watering the garden one quiet afternoon. She walked out of the woods near where the pastor parks and continued on into the back part of the garden that's right there. I happened to be standing about 15 feet away watering that same garden. She was wary of me but more interested in eating than running away. At first I was worried she would be after the flowers I had just planted. But, then I noticed that she was only eating the tender green vines that were creeping up the plants. It's a miracle! A deer that only eats the plants you want them to eat. She was eating the weeds I was going to have to labor in the heat and humidity to yank off of the plants anyway. I love this doe! And how could anyone resist those cute little fawns she has in tow? Thanks Sharri for this wonderful picture.

The rest of the garden is going strong. So far I have harvested half a dozen large cucumbers and a bunch of cherry tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. So we will have plenty of bell peppers and an eggplant or two. The sunflowers are in full bloom. Some of the flower heads are almost ready for harvesting and drying to get their seeds. We lost one cucumber plant. I don't know if it caught a disease or what happened. I realized too late that perhaps I should have planted the cucumbers in a different part of the garden than where I planted them last year. I know a little about crop rotation but it slipped my mind on planting day. Also, the snow peas shriveled up for the season and I pulled them up and planted a butterfly bush. I'm hoping that the blooms from the butterfly bush will attract pollinators. If nothing else, it will provide some color.

As for the rest of the garden beds, all is well. Besides a few weeds here and there, the garden has been low maintenance this year. When I started gardening at the church in 2009 I couldn't imagine a time when the gardens would be somewhat stable and mostly maintenance-free. It's a good feeling but one I don't expect will last too long. Soon enough it will be time to pull out the summer plants and put in the mums and winter pansies.

On a side note, I can't stop thinking about planters for the railings on the front entrance of the church. I want to buy them now but I've told myself that I should wait until next growing season. I don't want to introduce too many new elements at once. But the wait is killing me!

New Plants for a New Year

lavender and oregano

So a new growing year has started and everything is well under way. The vegetable garden has been planted. Two hanging baskets have been added to the big pine tree in front of the church. The tulips around the cross have come and gone. And there is still a ton of weeding to be done.

strawberries

brussels sprouts

bush tomatoes

mini and regular sunflowers

I'd like to say a sincere thank you to my friend Kyle for helping me plant the carrots and other leftover seedlings this past Saturday. It was a hot afternoon and I think it was a little more than he signed up for. So thanks again Kyle. Your help was greatly appreciated.

cherry tomatoes and basil

snow peas

thyme and rosemary

eggplant, sunflower, cucumbers

Speaking of the vegetable garden, I should probably tell you what is planted in there this year. I started a bunch of things from seed this Spring and didn't label them very well so some of them are a bit of a mystery. But we'll find out what they are for sure in a month or so when everything starts to mature and really produce the produce. Anyway, here's what I planted from left to right if you start closest to the tower entrance and follow the wall along the playground: 2 different kinds of lavender, oregano, strawberries, brussels sprouts, bush tomatoes, basil, mini sunflowers and 2 regular sunflowers, more tomatoes, snow peas, thyme, rosemary, yellow bell pepper, egg plant, cucumbers, carrots, jalapenos, and marigolds around everything to keep the pests away. I'm hoping for a decent crop of fruits and veggies this year. So far I've harvested a handful of strawberries and a small bowl full of snow peas which have all been delicious. I'm hoping that by the time the garden is in full swing that we'll have so much produce that we'll have enough to give to Rising Hope up the street which is a mission church where they feed the homeless. We will definitely have enough cucumbers and jalapenos to share. One would think that spicy jalapenos wouldn't be the first item on a homeless person's list of foods to crave. But, one of my friends who has fed the homeless a lot in the past said that she had quite a few of the guys asking for hot sauce and the like. Anyway, so we have a good veggie garden planted and growing.

jalapeno and bell peppers

The next step is to plant the annuals for the summer. I have a few flats of marigolds, impatiens, and petunias. Hopefully I can get those in this week if the rain will ever let up. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain. But, it has rained enough the past few weeks and I would like a good long, dry afternoon so I can pull weeds and get some plants in.

Winter Break

As you probably already imagined, I am taking a nice long break from the garden during the winter. We had a few warm days earlier in the month that I took advantage of. Two of the hose reels were still out in the open so I wheeled them up to the shed for safe keeping. I also got a lot of weeds pulled around the children's garden and I pulled up that black stuff that was put down to discourage weeds. I won't go into how much I dislike that stuff. It's gone out of that garden and the kitchen garden near the elevator entrance which makes me happy. I would rather keep the weeds down with mulch for right now. When I was finished, the flower beds looks clean and ready for planting in the spring.

Speaking of the spring, I can't wait for the first couple of warm days when the crocus I planted on the hill will bloom and welcome people to worship. I also planted some purple and white tulips around the cross in front of the church that should be in full bloom around Easter. Before the grass gets long enough to mow, I need to put a border up around the tulips and daffodils that I planted last year around the church sign. My other main focus is to get the brambles and vines out of the one patch of garden as people first turn in to the driveway. It has been the bane of my gardening since I started working the soil up there. Someone told me I might need to dig way down to get the roots of the vines. But, I would just be happy if the first foot deep of soil were vine-free.

I might have to rent a tiller at some point which kind of scares me. Those are powerful machines that are very capable of maiming and injuring a person. My friend's dad had one when I was growing up and we borrowed it once to till up the soil for a new kitchen garden. I remember it took a lot of strength to really work the soil with it. I also remember the tiller having problems with rocks. I have a healthy fear of rocks being shot out of the ground by a tiller. Maybe I'll get one of the men to help me if I go through with that idea.

Other than gardening I have been filling the winter months with other service work. I'm still helping out at adoption days with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation . Holding kittens is good for the soul. I've also been crocheting up a storm making baby hats and granny squares for the American Indians on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. A lady collects the squares and stitches them together to make blankets. The hats go to the hospital and are used for the newborns. They also accept warm clothing items for people of all ages and sizes living on the rez. I've been to that reservation when I was working for the Center of Military History and I've met the people and seen the poverty firsthand. We attended one of their veteran's powwows and were welcomed by everyone in attendance which was really cool. I still have the pen that they gave me with the beaded band around it. Finally, I'm interviewing with the county to start visiting with older folks in the area. They also run the Meals on Wheels program and other services to help out seniors. As soon as I can catch my breath I want to start back stuffing care packages at the USO.

I hope everyone out there had a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year!

They Like It; They Really, Really Like It

I did a ton of work last week clearing the lower branches from the smaller trees, weeding, trimming the hedges, planting, and most importantly I mulched. My friend Kevin helped me heap the mulch into his flatbed at Lowes and unload it at the church. It would have taken several trips or I would have had to rent one of their trucks if it hadn't been for his generous offer to help. So, thank you Kevin J.* for helping on Saturday!

Anyway, it took me four hours to do all of the mulching and limb clearing on Saturday and I was exhausted when it was finished. But, it was totally worth it because the mulch really makes the plants pop. In fact, on Sunday at the early service, Dorothy M. stood up and thanked "whoever had planted the flowers in the pots out front." I wasn't going to get up and say, "I did it!" I had every intention of being the phantom gardener. But Celeste, our Pastor, said "I know who did it. It was Heather. And she's been doing all of the other gardening as well." So everyone clapped and I waved from my pew. It was nice to get the round of applause.

I also got this email the next day from Nancy D.:
" Hi! I think you are the one who did the planters at the church entrances? I just want to echo the praise that Dorothy M. gave at the early service today. What a difference it makes! The place looks much more welcoming, bright, cheerful, & cared for! Thanks so much for caring & being willing to do the work."

I'm so happy that the landscaping makes people happy. I don't do the work for praise but it is nice once in a while to get positive feedback. I don't really garden and landscape at the church for any particular reason. I just see it as a way I can give back to my faith community and my fellow parishioners. It's also a healthy outlet and a stress reducer. I can go up to the garden and get a full body workout and be alone with my thoughts for a few hours. Plus, it's nice to do work with tangible results at the end. It's exciting for me to watch things grow that I've planted. It's also exciting to see things grow that I didn't plant and wonder what will pop up next and what it'll look like when it's matured. There are setbacks, mysteries, and a little bit of heartache as well. But, it's all a part of gardening  in a very public setting. The joys far outweigh the pains so I'll keep coming back. 

* all last names have been changed to initials just in case people don't want their identities floating around in cyberspace.  

Pumpkins for Sale and Planting the Pansies

So the annual church pumpkin sale is on. The prices are really reasonable so I think I'll get my pumpkin from the church again this year. Plus, they have more varieties than the grocery store so I can't really lose.

While people are perusing the pumpkins I have been trying to make the church pretty with new flowers. I put in some pansies in the areas on either side of the elevator entrance. I also got some mums and put those in the pots flanking the doors. For the shepherd hooks I bought some hanging baskets and put violas in two of them and a mum and pansies in the third one. Then I put the single hook near the tower entrance and the double one near the elevator entrance.

I decided that I wanted to put as many perennials in the memorial garden as possible. That area is a pain to haul the hose over to and is also the hottest garden bed in the whole churchyard. I got some daisies and some purple flowering plants to go with the purple pin cushion flowers and pink bee balm. I think I need some more color in there. I may look for something to add in. I think I saw just the plants I need at Lowes last night. But I better get what I have planted first.

I also bought a ton of garden soil. I'm mixing it in when I plant the new perennials. I'm also going to mix a couple of bags of it in the children's garden to prepare the ground for next year. I want to plant more veggies next year like green beans, peas, eggplant, squash, and of course more tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. I don't think I'll plant anything that trails all over the place like watermelon again. The vines tend to get trampled. I might do strawberries though and see if they'll take over this one barren hill near the day school entrance. I really dislike that space right now including the weird mushroom cloud, half-dead boxwood that inhabits the area. I tried putting in bee balm plants but I think they don't get enough water there. That space needs a hearty plant that will spread out but won't be as destructive as ivy. I'll have to think about that.

The Party's Over - Let's Garden!

So the wedding went well. There were no major disasters and everyone seemed to have a really great time. It really was one heck of a party.

It's been hard to get back into my gardening now that the wedding is over. the weeds are starting to take over again and I can't seem to drag myself up to the churchyard to do anything about it. I did go up and harvest the head of the sunflower. the petals were dry and falling off and the head was drooping so I figured I would cut it off and hang it up at home to dry. If all goes well then I will have a ton of sunflower seeds to plant and eat.

I also tried harvesting one of the watermelons that was getting really big. but when I cut it open it was still mostly white inside. So I guess I will need to be patient for a little while longer for the rest of the melons to grow and mature. I find it amusing that watermelons are seen as a summer fruit when they mature in the late summer and early fall. If anyone can explain that to me I would love to know why that is.

Soon it will be mum and pansy season. I'll also need to mulch everywhere and maybe edge the beds around the church sign so my spring bulbs aren't mowed down again. I was hoping to plant some bulbs around the cross also. I need to find some lavender tulips. I think someone mentioned that they had a big bag of crocus bulbs. Those would be fun to put in the lawn. They usually come up way before the guy starts mowing (and killing my plants).

Sad news, the evergreen trees I planted in the big pots on the patio have died. I think it was too hot and sunny for them up there. I might try something a little more hearty and better suited for our Virginia summers. I was thinking boxwood or something of the like. I'll ask at the nursery. The vinca I planted with the evergreens has grown out of control. They almost make up for the hulking dead trees behind them. I'll wait to pull the trees out until the vinca has gone for the winter. I might just keep annuals up there but I like the look of an evergreen or shrub flanking the doors. I guess I'll try shrubs and if they don't work then we'll go to annuals.

MIA

Sorry that I have been MIA for most of this month. My sister is getting married in a few days and August has been our crunch time.

The garden is doing great for the most part. the watermelon are bouncing back. there are three melons that I have found so far and one of them is about 4 inches tall already. We lost one to the animals but they haven't bothered the others. The sunflower that I grew from seed is huge and has bloomed. I've seen sunflowers all of my life but I will never get over how glorious they are when they bloom. The tomato plants are nearing the end of their growth cycle. They're still producing tomatoes but the plants part is not as lush as it was early this month. The cucumber plant is still churning out cucumbers. There are two that are almost ripe for picking. The basil plant is huge. I heard from two other friends who planted basil this year that their plants grew out of control. They really love this hot and humid weather!

The only issue I am having right now is with erosion. the dirt is washing away where I planted the bee balm at the edge of the main garden. it needs mulch but I haven't made the time to buy any. there are also six plants waiting to go into the ground. they will unfortunately have to wait until after my sister's wedding. I don't want to get poison ivy again or ruin my hands and nails before the big day. I also don't want a ton of mosquito bites all over my arms and legs. I'm being selfish but in this case I'm going to allow it. She's the only sister and sibling that I've got and I want her wedding to be awesome! I would say perfect but perfect wedding are usually boring:)

I'll post pictures of the overgrown garden as soon as I can. It's amazing to see how everything has grown and sprawled across the beds.