The Old Rugged Cross

So, last Fall I undertook the challenge to create a giant cross on the front lawn that faces Belle View Boulevard. Celeste had approached me about planting some tulip bulbs she had bought into the shape of a cross. I of course said yes. So I got to work with string and popsicle sticks to plot out the size and outline of the cross. Then I got a shovel and dug out the grass and mixed garden soil in with the existing soil. Since it was Fall, I bought some violas  in purple and white to fill in around the bulbs to give color during the winter. Now, as you can see in the picture, the cross has bloomed and it's gorgeous if I do say so myself. There are three kinds of daffodil bulbs planted that bloom in early, mid, and late spring so there will be color for a little longer. I don't think they will last until Easter but you never know.

The tulips that I planted around the wooden cross have started to grow and bloom. I put some purple violas at the base of the cross to add some winter color. They go perfectly with the tulips and they also look gorgeous and welcoming.

I started trimming the liriope and other decorative grasses on Saturday. It's going to take at least one more day to finish with that. I have a ton of weeding to do as well before I can start preparing the children's garden for the veggie plants. I bought a few veggies at the hardware store this past weekend including tomatoes and corn. I also started the seedlings to grow green beans, lima beans, peas, cucumbers, and egg plants. Then I'll find pepper plants at the plant nursery next month. Hopefully it will be a good growing year. If it's as hot as last summer, the tomatoes will do really well. We shall see I guess. For now I need to focus on prepping the gardens and worry about the summer later.

3-8-12 Early Spring - Gearing up for Summer

So, I didn't get as much of a winter break from the garden as in most years. Winter didn't really hit us or at least it didn't hit us hard. We only had a few hard frosts and it didn't really snow. With spring coming sooner this year, I need to hurry to get my seedlings started. I have the starter soil and trays but haven't made the time to get everything started. I also want to buy some bush green bean seeds to plant and possibly some peas. I might have waited too late for the peas though. They probably should have gone in at the end of last month. We shall see.

On my list of things to do in the garden is to get the beds ready for spring and summer planting. I bought some Preen weed preventor to shake into the flower beds. I don't want to be out there pulling weeds when the summer temperatures are near 100 with 100% humidity. On top of that I need to start mixing in garden soil and compost in the veggie garden beds and trim or pull out the old plants. When that's finally finished I can tend to planting new hanging baskets and putting some spring color in with the pansies. I've heard snapdragons will do good in the spring and I know they go through the summer. So I might see if they have those in at the garden center yet. Finally, I need to trim the decorative grasses so they will grow big and bushy again and not look as scraggily for the spring.

My one big improvement this growing season will be to add some planter boxes along the railing on the main entrance porch that faces the street. I want to have all sorts of colors and textures in the boxes so people see them from the street and know that the people of MVUMC care about their church and want to welcome new people in. I also want to plant small shrubs and flowers in the giant pots that used to house the two evergreens that fried a few summers ago. I need to unearth the giant root balls from them first which is why I wimped out and didn't plant anything permanent in there last year. 

As a side project, I had offered to paint the pillars in the fellowship hall this spring. Every time I look at the blue sponge painted pillars I can't help but think of my sister's room back in middle school in the late 80's or early 90's. Needless to say, the fellowship hall looks dated and not as welcoming as it could be. My mom is worried that after I paint the pillars, the rest of the walls and chair railing will look like they need new paint. That's a risk I'm willing to take. I haven't decided on a shade yet but I'm thinking of an off-white with a touch of yellow and brown in it so that it's cheery and warm but not in your face.

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.