Notes from D.J.
Emerging from Winter
The signs are all here: garden shows, plant conferences, and calls from folks eager to discuss ideas and dreams for spring.
There’s a definite interest in vegetable gardening and edible landscaping now. It’s partly for economic reasons, but also reflects a yearning for the days before big suburban lawns and agribusiness made growing food at home a more bygone endeavor.
A Book to Consider
Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, by Douglas W. Tallamy (Timber Press, 2007).
Imperfect Gardens
In 1993, I rented a booth at the Dogwood Arts Festival Home and Garden Show to launch my new garden design business. The hours were long, but it was fun to visit with a steady stream of gardeners, colleagues, and potential clients.
One evening, an inquisitive, middle-aged woman stopped by, promising to return later in the evening after she visited other booths at the show. Sure enough - just before closing time - the woman appeared, announcing that she wanted to schedule an appointment with me. “I’ve decided you would be the person least likely to laugh when you see our yard,” she said, with apparent sincerity.
I’ve thought of this woman’s comment over the years, and it has helped shape my business philosophy:
- No garden is ever perfect, and perfection should not be a goal.
- The best garden is a collaborative effort between client and professional – a sharing of vision, observation, and expertise.
Saving the Hemlocks
In my mind, there is no tree more beautiful than a hemlock. My husband and I have thirty-two of them on a three-fourths acre lot. Most are Canadian, but there are a few Carolina ones interspersed.
Unfortunately, most of our hemlocks have become infested with the hemlock woolly adelgid, which can slowly kill the trees we value so much for their grace, privacy, and welcoming shelter for wildlife. We have treated the hemlocks, which now have a good chance for a long life, unlike many of those located in forests throughout Southern Appalachia.
