The sunny days of pre-spring are upon us and our thoughts not only wander but race to the garden in a flurry to get out and do something. At least my thoughts do and I remind myself to go slow as I might be a little stiff from the winter hibernation. Do you want to start something new this year? Last year maybe you added blueberries and an apple tree or two and a raised bed for salad greens and you are ready to move on to something else. What about taking out some lawn and making a meadow? A meadow “like a lawn it is a calming place for the eye to rest, yet with the richness and complexity of a border. Unlike lawns, meadows are better for the environment, a safe habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators, a place where native ecology can thrive…meadows require less maintenance and consume significantly less resources than a lawn or border.” (from the preface to The American Meadow Garden by John Greenlee). This concept was brought to our attention by local landscape architect John Pellitier. John Greenlee came to Eugene recently to talk about planting meadows and this fired John P. up and he called us to talk about it and see what plants we had available. Yesterday he stopped by to pick up some Juncus effuses ‘Gold Strike’ and he noticed the beautiful meadow book on our counter. (Yes we listen to our customers and do our best to respond). We have quite a few grasses and perennials that do well in meadow gardens and we have natural meadows full of camas and native grasses surrounding the nursery. If this excites you and you want to add some meadow to your landscape come out and we’ll help you get started or call John Pellitier and he’ll get you going.
I want to sincerely thank all the folks who have come by and announced that they are planting ornamental and blueberry gardens now and throughout this fall. Why? Because fall is the best time to plant, (in my gardening opinion) and they are volunteering to do it without me forcing my way on them. Late summer and autumn are great times to plant because it allows the plant to go in the ground just as the rains begin (today) and the roots have a chance to reach down and establish the plant during the winter. As the spring sun returns the fall planted plants are off and running rather that just starting out. If you are skeptical or have never done it that way give it a try and see how it goes for you. I planted a friends lavender garden in the fall and it looked like dots on a mulched landscape yet by March everything was pushing growth and she was so happy the job was done and the lavender well on its way. Another reason to plant now is that Pleasant Hill Nursery has a wide selection of very full, very healthy, high quality plants. Visit us and see.
Go to your local farmer’s market for no other reason than because it is just fun. For me it is pure pleasure with tasty treats added on top. My local market is in Creswell behind the library off the main street, Oregon Street. It is on my way home and conveniently open from 4 – 7 p.m. I can’t wait to get there and see who is selling what and have a chat with my ‘market friends’. This is a very small market, maybe twenty vendors. This is the second year it’s been going on and some of the same folks have come every time to sell their goods and come they do, whether they make much money or not. The showing up every time is what eventually will make them ‘successful’. Success at the farmer’s market comes in many forms. One is not there to ‘get rich’ so there has to be some other benefits. One of the most successful vendors is the cute old guy, Jim, who makes bird houses, ‘guaranteed to house birds’. He also started making boxes and shelves, items that the other vendors buy to display their wares. I noticed he is now making cash boxes. I don’t think he had a grand plan for this is just worked out like that and he has enough money to go fishing with his buddy. Michelle, my co-worker, meets me at the market and sometimes some other friends stop by. One has to look carefully and ask questions and enjoy the process, find out about the sellers, what they like to grow or make, what is the best thing they have today. I found some Meyer lemons, brought up from California, no not locally grown, which is difficult at best, and I bought all three of them for 75 cents each. What Michelle and I like to do is buy a little from each booth or at least say hello and admire their wares.
There comes a time in late May - early June when the vegetative growth in the Willamette valley is so lush, so full, dripping with flowers and dew drops from the still cool mornings. The air is oxygenated to a point that it is almost hard to breath or is that because of the great beauty surrounding us. This part of Oregon is a paradise of plant varieties and green growth. In these past few days of sultry, damp yet warm days I've felt like I was in Hawaii or some other tropical jungle paradise.
When we have a problem, concern or desire how do we go about finding the answer or does the answer come to us?
I was recently laid up for four days with a bout of vertigo. At first, of course, I thought I was dying or at least had some dreaded disease. My husband left to go on a planned trip and I thought I'd be okay or if I died no one would find me for days. Anyway after the initial drama queen act, I found a good book and between sleeping and reading and once driving the car (not a good idea) I realized I might just have the Spring Fever I thought I was coming down with. I looked dizziness and vertigo up in a couple of
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