Garden talk....

It has been sunny and beautiful for the past 4 days here in Gaylord. It has been so nice to get outside and get some real sunshine, to be sitting in our newly arranged living room and see the sun making shadows on the floor. I have spring fever.

Yesterday morning, I was in our living room and I looked out the window and saw a tan four door sedan slow down and stop in front of our house. I then looked closer and saw that there was what looked like a woman taking a picture of our house! I just stood there and I couldn’t really think of any good reason there would be a stranger taking pictures of our home. After I went through every possible conspiracy theory (I need to stop reading Dirk Pitt novels) I just shrugged and didn’t think any more about it. I still find it strange…but…what are ya going to do?

Our friends Dan and Andrea are moving into their first home this month. It is a super cute house and when they e-mailed me the pictures I had serious garden envy. They have a great lawn that looks like it was taken care of pretty well by the previous owner. The great thing is there is so much space to have a fabulous garden! In this house we are in, I do not want to invest to much time and money in a house that isn’t ours and we can’t take it with us if and when we ever leave here. So I contain myself to a garden that meets my garden needs and is as inexpensive as possible. As long as I get free plants, or very discounted plants from the discount super stores who hire people who don’t know how to care for their plants in the store and then have to sell them at 75% off because they over watered them. A tip to you – if you even know half of what you are doing, you can revive these plants and have a healthy one the next year. Note: only try this with Perennials – Annuals, since they are for color and show, it is worth buying the already beautiful and showy, healthy plant. They only last a few months (in Michigan) and you want to get the most out of them when you can. If you are reading this from a warmer climate, what we consider an annual may be a perennial to you – and the “nurse back to health” advice may work wonders for your garden and your pocket book. Another great source for plants is to find a gardening friend who has established plants that they are willing to divide. You then take the plant fragment and plop it in the ground and water and feed. Presto-immediate plants – for free. The one thing to remember is that with these methods, it will take time before your garden grows into a ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ worthy place to be. So if you are someone who does not want to take the time to nurse and wait, just buy the plants, hire a gardener, or just plant evergreen shrubs.

I wish that Gaylord had a Bordines. I would so totally be working there right now. Forget social work.