From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Dear Dee and Carol, Friends and Gardeners,
Whew, thought May might not EVER get here, tho I know better. Things are lookin’ up and comin’ up all around me. Just a few patches of snow on Shafer Butte so I am going for broke this week in the garden.
Here’s the “to do” list from the kitchen counter:
Plant out all the accumulated tomato starts. Sadly, this does not include my pathetic one inch high seedlings. (They are outside right this minute, soaking up the sun. Maybe I should join them with my pillow and a book.)
Pop the seeds for the Chinese Noodle Beans in the ground, next to a fence. I have a packet from Nan Ondra (love those pass-a-longs) and one from Baker Creek.
Time to create a hill for the Prescott Fond Blanc Melon, cantaloupe type, plus one for the Big Red Warty Thing, a winter squash.
Find a home spot for the Malabar spinach. I saw it growing at Rodale’s organic farm a couple years ago, trained up a trellis. It was mid-September and tender, tart and tasty.
I have lots of arugula seeds, so this time I’ll start a batch of Italian Rustic. We love arugula and can eat it every day in one recipe or another.
I sautéed up a mess of the baby bok choi this week. MAN! I LOVE cooking what I grew! We had another salad of those micro greens, too.
My raspberries are covered with flower blossoms and full of promise. The established canes have made their way from the border bed into the back lawn, and Flyboy is giving them a wide berth. Now ya know, when it comes to his lawn, not much gets in the way. I was surprised he didn’t whack them off with the mower. The newly planted canes are showing nice leaf growth. Neighbors will probably hate me next year when those jump the fence line…or, they may thank me.
The little alpine strawberries are coming on in the strawberry pot but I have to say, I am seriously disappointed with the spendy trendy Mara des Boise strawberries. Not a one of them lived. I am going to write to WFF this week and ask for a refund or a replacement.
Imagine whirled peas. Yup, my peas are up. Just a teensy bit. But they are up. And the garlic is about to ‘scape. Not “E-SCAPE” but scape = the flower buds at the ends of the stalks. Whimsical looking but so good when stir fried or turned into a slightly garlicky pesto for pasta. Here’s an idea, pasta w/garlic scape pesto, fresh garden peas and a bit of a bite from some added arugula or microgreens.
I have a crazy busy gardening week ahead - gardening for clients and getting my stuff all squared away at the same time. I have flats of annuals sitting in the driveway and in the front seat of the truck. Last year’s perennial bargains are in hiding around the back corner of the house where I don’t have to look at them and feel all guilty they aren’t in the ground….yet. A ½ flat of thyme, a penstemon, big desert sage, a beat up clematis…you get the idea. Eyes and imagination are always bigger than the number of hours I have to get the stuff planted. Oh, and then there is the pine tree on the front porch. THE front porch! It was used as a Christmas decoration. I have every intention of taking it to the cabin and planting it. Yes, I do. I promise.
Dee, if you write and tell me you are eating your first tomato, I may just throw myself on the ground and cry. And Carol, I am thinking instead of white plastic forks to keep the rabbits at bay, maybe you should try clear plastic forks so it doesn’t look like……well, white plastic forks upside down in the garden.
It’s so nice out there, I may just go have a nap by my tomatoes after all, it IS Sunday.
MA
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Historically, garden urns have been showing up in gardener's yards for millenia and may have been incorporated into early Roman and Greek gardens. The Syrian amphora is a common urn style today and was adopted by the Romans and Greeks as drinking pitchers or containers for many of their liquid resources.
I can imagine some creative gardener in 14th century BC utilising a leaking amphora as a garden ornament and thus the trend started.
Today garden urns are predominantly used in the formal garden setting. Large urns, or vases as some may prefer, often sit atop walls or plinths and add a very regal dimension to the garden. Often they are design elements used purely by themselves while nowadays many gardeners are exploring their usability by planting inside them as well.
Succulent plants lend themselves very well to being contained within garden urns. Masses of echeveria or a statuesque agave or even an unholy, and very sharp, crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) prove to be wonderful growing companions inside these urns.
If you're thinking about adding one, or two, to your garden then be aware that they're not usually cheap. Even though many of them are made out of fibreglass (to reduce the weight) or concrete (cheaper) you're unlikely to find many new offerings constructed of ceramic pottery these days. Even if you did, you would find that they probably won't last the distance in an outdoor setting and crack within the first year or two.
How to use garden urns
Garden urns are best used as focal points which is often why they are used in the formal garden. Whether they are used to embrace a set of stairs or solely sitting on a plinth in the middle of a garden bed they will instantly draw your eye and attention.
They work best when they are given some room to show off as well. In the garden steps setting they are allowed to be on display because they break up the architecture of the stairs. As a focal point they need some room to be admired and enjoyed and work well with a paved perimeter.
If you plan to use your garden urns as containers then consider wisely which plants may be accomodated inside them. Low maintenance succulents or ornamental grasses lend themselves well and the architecture of the plant can really accentuate the beauty of the urn. Plants that offer a little height as well as a compact, or weeping, growing habit work the best.
Another graceful use of garden urns is like the one pictured above where they are incorporated into the garden and set the scene of ravaged history. Allowing them to be half-buried or covered with mosses adds some old-worldiness to the design and can help age a new garden considerably.
Points to consider when designing with garden urns
However you choose to use garden urns in your yard always take some time to contemplate the alternatives. If you're permitted, take a few home and try them in your different scenarios before buying. At least this way you'll know that you've made a good choice.
