GARDENING OBEY RULES
My friend Marianne lays down the rules !
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1. Thou shall not argue with the Great Creator.
Put the right plant in the right place. You will eliminate a host of gardening sins by accepting that some plants need sun, some seek shade and some are picky about soil.
2. Thou shall not take the name of a dying plant in vain.
Give the poor thing a death with dignity. Why waste time and money trying to keep a struggling plant alive with chemo treatments? There are plenty of plants that will survive happily in your garden's unique conditions. It's your job to find out which ones.
3. Keep holey all containers.
Good drainage is essential to potted plants. This also means not letting pots sit in their own drainage water.
4. Honor thy Mother Nature and Father Time.
Use native plants when possible and recognize that plants continue to grow over time. So don't put a big-leaved rhodie in front of a low picture window, or a young tree directly beneath the power lines. Using dwarf varieties can eliminate many pruning chores in the future.
5. Thou shall not kill beautiful insects by spraying broad-spectrum pesticides.
You'll create more work for yourself later on if you murder the beneficial bugs in your garden. If you must resort to violence to save the life of a valuable plant, arm yourself with information about the problem insects and use the least-toxic method to control them.
6. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's lawn.
If you have less than perfect lawn-growing conditions -- too shady, too dry or too sloped to grow grass -- choose ground covers instead.
7. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife or husband if they do all the gardening next door and have a beautiful yard.
Make friends and ask the names of the plants that grow best for them. The easy way to figure out what will do well in your yard is to find out what is doing well for the neighbors. If they don't know the names of plants you admire, ask for a leaf sample and bring it to your local nursery.
8. Thou shall not lie about how much you water during restricted times.
Plant drought-resistant plants instead. Improving your soil with organic matter, adding a mulch and learning to avoid plants with a drinking problem will keep you honest about your water use.
9. Thou shall steal more color from flowering shrubs.
Blooming bushes offer more flowers for less work than any perennial or annual. In the Pacific Northwest we can have yearlong color from easy-care shrubs, including forsythia, lilacs, spiraea, Rose of Sharon, rhododendrons, heathers and azaleas.
10. Thou shall be ashamed of your naked soil.
Use layers of newspaper as an undergarment for mulches, cover up with ground covers and pack plants close together to cover up exposed soil -- all ways to spend less time weedin' in your Garden of Eden.
A WORD ABOUT TOOLS....
In Search of the Best Gardening Tools
Different kinds of gardens require different kinds of garden tools. Hardware stores mostly cater for a wide range of tools, but there are shops that specialize in the more expensive kind of garden tool that shouts quality.
Wherever you decide to shop, here are a few pointers to advise you.
Do you have small garden or a large one? A small garden will not require the same large equipment that would be of use in an extensive one. A ride-on mower is unnecessary if you only have a small strip of lawn.
Another point to consider is who does most of the gardening? Some tools are too heavy for use by women.
When you buy secateurs make sure the blade always stays sharp to avoid damaging the plant. Look for models that have blades that can be sharpened or replaced, models with tension control and with sizes that best fit your hands.
Secateurs usually cost around $50 - $130.
Hedge trimmers or shears are handy - but only if you have a hedge, or plan on growing one. Some hedge trimmers have curved blades to stop branches from sliding out when cut.
Forks are used for turning and aerating compost and breaking up lumps of soil. The cheaper ones are often not strong enough for heavy soil, so go for sturdiness instead of price. Forks usually cost around $30 - $100.
A shovel has a scoop blade and is best used to move around dirt and garden soil. A spade has a flat blade great for cutting edges, digging and dividing plants. The edge of a spade should be kept sharpened for clean and efficient cutting will cause the least amount of damage to plants.
These are a basic garden necessity and usually cost from $30 - $50.
A pruning saw is used for pruning trees and larger shrubs, while secateurs are for plants like roses.
Pruning saws have a narrow curved blade that fits between stems or branches and easily and cuts them as you pull the saw backwards. They are approximately $27- $55.
A chipping hoe is a handy tool for getting rid of small weeds. The Dutch or push-hoe is slightly more user-friendly as the action required to use it does not jar the neck and shoulder quite so much.
A rake is also a basic requirement for the garden. The strong rake with the flat head and sharp metal prongs is used for smoothing a garden bed and getting out the last of the bumps and weeds.
The plastic rake is used to gather leaves and grass clippings only.
Gardening tools don't have to be expensive.
Flea markets and garage sales can be excellent places to pick up great tool bargain.
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