Garden Mentors and Facilitators; A Love Story.

Image copyrighted by Sheila RobertsonScratch beneath the surface of many gardeners’ bio - graphies and one finds inspiring people who influenced and  helped them realize their dreams. Sometimes these pivotal characters are responsible for imbuing a love of gardening; sometimes they are mentors to those who have already discovered a passion for horticulture. Often they are simply generous souls who, by contributing time and energy, help gardeners achieve their goals. A magic occurs when they also become one’s friends for life.

Sheila Robertson, aka Orchard Annie, had left a lenghty commentary on one of my blogs. It was so comprenhensive that I reprinted it in a blog post of its own. Then, I decided that I needed to know more about her. How did she come to amass such a body of practical gardening information?

Inspired by my curiosity, she submitted an informal autobiography in which she pays tribute to the men in her life that facilitated her journey. Serendipitously, inside her narrative, I discovered a romantic thread.

Although she has always been sufficiently strong and independent to “go it alone” and has been proud to do so, several men contributed to helping her realize her garden dreams. By doing so, they also enhanced her horticultural experiences while she travelled abroad or gardened at home. In her own words, excerpted from a mostly unedited first draft, here is Sheila's story.

Image copywrited by Sheila RobertsonAs a stay at home mom of fourteen years living in an owner built home economizing a family of five on a joiner man’s wages, budget and sweat equity are dear friends of mine. I was spoiled by a husband who built cabinetry for the likes of the King of Spain at a world-class yacht works. I only had to envision it and he would create it for me. I learnt to expect quality in my goals: attention to detail is everything, the medium can be budget. My favorite free pastime was checking out books from the library and feasting my eyes on landscape and home design.

When I found myself single and moving 60 miles for work, I had to relearn everything I knew about gardening, such as rabbits in the country are kept in check by hawks, in the burbs they are a nightmare!

I had researched what would add value to the home as I planned to stay only the few years until my youngest was out of school, so I set to work on low maintenance, best value curb appeal: evergreens, flowering shrubs, long lived perennials and, because this neighborhood is chock-a-block with dense shade trees of gigantic potential, small ornamental trees to create privacy and dappled shade.

High volume at work meant 20 hours of overtime weekly; exhausting but it afforded me the indulgence of several trips to Europe.

A view of the RHS Gardens at Wisely; image copyrighted by Sheila Robertson.One of the most vivid and haunting memories of all my travels was touring the Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Wisely in Surrey, acclaimed the best of all the RHS. No form of garden is unrepresented and each is done to perfection. At every turn there is a breathtaking surprise.... turn round to see where you’ve been, the changed perspective offers a whole different delight. Their extensive arboretum is also aesthetically laid out, not a hodgepodge of species as so many are.

So there I was, gob stopped with awe looking about me and wishing I had someone to share this with, someone who appreciated the beauty… someone who appreciated me.

A bus had arrived and the passengers milled past I noticed many were smiling white haired couples hand in hand, enthralled by the magic only a garden paradise can bring, so touchingly in love with the world and each other.  I said to myself, “That’s what I want. Of every wish in life, I would be exactly like them.”

On returning home, I signed up on Match UK with the headline, “Would you care to show a lady from the States around Surrey?”…, wonderful friends to be made online! The extraordinary glimpses into British life these friends afforded me can’t be found in any guided tour I’d been on through the Visit Britain website. 

Orla, a manageress at my circa 1600 hotel and now dear friend, introduced me to her friend Clive via a phone call. An hour later, this enthusiastic hiker and history buff was leading me through woods to a lonely disused Norman church upon a steep ridge overlooking a valley. In the UK, building is restricted to certain areas, the effect is awe-inspiring: islands of dwellings in a sea of green farmland with waves of crazy quilt hedgerows.

Clive showed me his favorite estates, a centuries old mill turned into a restaurant with water wheel on display in operation, obscure village museums and most importantly, before I owned GPS he would drive me through the route I’d be on the days I was alone. I never tired of fitting in several stops every day, each home unique, each garden a revelation of how the same plants in bloom can paint a whole different picture.

I had several outings with an exceedingly well-mannered Protection Officer from New Scotland Yard who had worked with the Royal Family. He was my personal tour guide at Windsor Castle, so amazing the attention to detail, plus the tale of a ghost he had witnessed! The moat surrounding the Round Tower is a steep bank of landscaped splendor with black swans in the water far below…

On a trip the following year, I truly thought I was destined to live in England when I met Franklyn…….so like-minded and in love with touring estates, hiking sheep-dotted pastures and oceans of bluebell-coated woodland… and letting a pocket guide to the best pubs in England direct us over hill and dale down idyllic country lanes to cross-road hamlets and fantastic meals.  Then the recession hit so hard that neither of us could travel and I haven't returned to Europe since.

Back in the USA, in 2009, Sheila met Steve through Match.com: Steve is a cheerful, caring and athletic farm boy with degrees in engineering and project management. He admitted to me he usually hated helping in the garden; however, the example I set of loving the process just as much as the finished product (and the subsequent enjoyment of these private havens from the rest of the world!) caused my yard to become his hobby also. It’s just him and me creating these plans…

Image copyrighted by Sheila RobertsonSteve’s engineering skills and school of hard knocks land-use knowledge from the farm are invaluable. He also has a much better eye for fine tuning curves and proportions. The plant materials and placement are my forte; Steve offers suggestions but, as in all things, never insists. I very much appreciate he does not care how I spend my time as long as it’s his choice when he joins in.

Thus far he has designed and built concrete piers to clip the large shade sail over the deck to, a grape arbor with benches, a fountain, a potting bench, several fences and paths, and two 300 gallon water butts (an inch of rain fills both) are replete with pumps for hoses in addition to large taps to quickly fill watering cans.

Image copyrighted by Sheila RobertsonIn a soggy spot of the lawn we dug out an 18-foot diameter circle one foot deep, tiled it, and used up those yards and yards of that ugly stone mulch I detested as drainage gravel sandwiched between landscape fabric to keep the layers from migrating into the clay below and fine black gravel on top. It makes an impressive fire pit area.

What I had once fervently wished for at RHS Wisely is mine! Both Steve and my hair have faded to white, and smiling hand in hand, he takes me to all of the public gardens and museums my little heart desires. I love him dearly. We have many more phases before our own English gardens rival those I fell in love with in Britain; I have no doubt they will be achieved. In all my dreams, I never knew life could be this much rewarding and fun!

Sheila gardens in Wisconsin in USDA Zone 5a. Due to the severity and unpredictability of the Great Lakes weather patterns, she plants only USDA Zone 4 perennials. When I first met her online, I encouraged her to create a blog of her own. Here is a link to her cleverly titled “Scents and Centsability”.

Baseball, Aging Gardeners, and Yoga

Baseball player Evan Longoria practicing Yoga. Ownership of this image is unclear because various websites have posted it without acreditation. Gardening books don’t address it, and colleagues keep the information to themselves. There is a sad truth that an aging body is a gardener’s worst enemy. Weakening muscles and arthritis sometimes place painful and exhausting obstacles in the way of the most dedicated and talented among us.

Winter is the next worst adversary. Mature, housebound gardeners who are unable to maintain a reasonable level of physical fitness between end autumn and early spring, are in for an unpleasant surprise when they try to bend, crouch, heave, or dig after six months of idleness. Inactivity compromises overall health and one's ability to garden efficiently, productively, and without pain.

My endurance in the garden diminishes as I get older; and I love gardening too much to resign myself to the unavoidable aging process. Last year, I decided to do something about it. I joined a community center that offered generous use of its Olympic-sized swimming pool, as long as I chose to swim in the early mornings up to 10:30 AM.

My weekly regime in the pool made a difference. I was able to stand on my feet for longer periods supervising my staff without feeling exhausted or racked with pain.[Also helpful was taking a warm bath after the garden work day was over]. However, I felt that I was not doing enough.

In todays world, my age group is supposed to feel younger than the same age group of previous generations. While I do feel younger in heart and mind than my parents did at the same age, my body refuses to remain as young as my mind.

This winter, after a successful experience with alternative medicine, I decided to take my physical regimen to another level. During the autumn, when I was struggling with an issue that western medicine was unable to resolve, I decided it was time to think outside the box and turned my focus Eastward, searching for alternative solutions.

I already knew that members of Asian cultures had been practicing their versions of healing and medicine for thousands of years longer than Western civilization has. If they were successfully caring for their sick while our ancestors were still living in caves, perhaps Eastern medicine might offer better solutions for whatever ailed me. It did!

Thinking outside the box had meant investigating acupuncture. I’m glad I chose that route because it offered greater healing than I could have ever imagine - and it was all drug-free. That success led me to Chinese health exercises known as Qi Kong, and a recommendation from my acupuncturist to expand my horizons by investigating Osteopathy- not an Eastern healing process but - another alternative to conventional Western medicine.

Upon meeting the Osteopath, another side of the thinking box was opened. “Now that you’re retired” she asked, “what else are you doing to keep your mind and body healthy. Do you practice Qi Kong or Yoga?”

Yoga? Ya gotta be kiddin! Isn’t that stuff for women? “No”, she said. “In India, where Yoga was developed, it’s a male activity. The reason Western women embrace it more enthusiastically that Western men do is because it has a spirituality about it that does not resonate well with many men. That’s a pity because it is a very beneficial activity for everyone”.

My osteopath had planted an idea in my brain that required further research. If I were to take up the practice of Yoga, I would prefer to do so amongst other men. In my neighborhood, 98% of all Yoga practitioners are women. Why would I want to engage in an athletic activity with friends of my wife and daughters?

A sports activity with mostly women just didn’t resonate well with me. Ever since I retired from industry, I noticed that I missed the camaraderie of my male coworkers and that unless I decide to take up a team sport – is there a hockey team for those over 65? -   male bonding experiences at community activities are going to be few.

I decided to hit the internet to find out if there was a way to combine yoga and male bonding. By typing in search words such as men and yoga, I was surprised to discover accidentally that professional athletes, most with macho public profiles, practice Yoga and are proud to do so.

A common narrative runs through their bios. Most had suffered repeated stress to a limb, muscle, bone, or ligament. Some required surgery. None of their bodies healed as expected. All experienced lingering pain or discomfort for which modern Western medicine was unable to offer further intervention.

As a last resort, the athletes were advised to investigate Yoga, to experiment with it, to see if they could find a healthy [i.e. non-pharmaceutical] relief for their pain and discomfort. In all case, the athletes discovered not only relief but an inner peace, as well. They also realized that practicing Yoga had turned them into better athletes. Both their minds and their bodies were now stronger.

When I came across a photo of third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, in a Yoga pose, in a room full of women, I realized that my need to be surrounded by male buddies in order to exercise, was an unrealistic and perhaps silly expectation. If professional athletes are comfortable in a Yoga studio, surrounded by women, other men should be equally comfortable there, as well.

In the end, I found a studio near my home where parking is easy and the instructors are passionate and approachable. Most important, they demonstrate sincere appreciation for an aging Yoga newbie like me.

It is now a month since I began practicing Yoga. My posture has improved, core muscles are tighter, gait flows smoother, my endurance improves weekly, appetite is more moderate, and the mind is on its way to a surprising serenity I had not anticipated or asked for.

Will Yoga allow me more flexibility and less discomfort in the garden this upcoming spring? Will I have more stamina? Will my arthritis finally stop sabotaging my body? I don’t know just yet. It will take a full a season of gardening to find out. When I have the answer to these very important questions, I will share them with you because other aging gardeners ought to know!

P.S. According to Kevin Zirm, Assistant Content Director for STACK Media, there are at least nine other known professional athletes who practice yoga:- Shaquille O’Neal, a former NBA player, LeBron James, forward for the Miami Heat, Ray Lewis linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Victor Cruz, wide receiver for the New York Giants, Mike Krzyzewski, men’s basketball coach, the New Zealand All Blacks, rugby team, Kevin Garnett, forward for the Boston Celtics, and Kevin Love, forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Read his entire article of September 17, 2012, at this link:- http://www.stack.com/2012/09/17/yoga-athletes/

Plant Gardens in the Sky; a book review about penthouse gardening

Roof Terrace Gardening, Michele Osborne, Aquamarine.

Gardening in the sky is not a novel idea. As far back as 600 or 500 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of urban hanging gardens to please his wife, saddened when she was separated from the plants of her homeland.

Today, many urban dwellers choose to incorporate adjacent rooftops into their living spaces. Here, on these very desirable roofs, terraces, and balconies, they create lush outdoor gardens that enhance the quality of their lives by adding a natural balance to city living.

High above the bustle of densely populated areas, urbanites living in these privileged spaces are able to experience air that seems purer, a sense of freedom and privacy, brighter daylight, infinitely more sunlight, and closeness to nature that is often associated with mountaintop experiences. At these heights, people are more likely to be aware of the ever-changing shapes of clouds, the colorful drama of sunrises and sunsets, and the majesty of thunderstorms.

With strategic planning, apartment dwellers that are fortunate enough to include a rooftop into their living quarters, a concept sometimes known as a penthouse, can enjoy many of the benefits of a garden. However, the approach to achieving a quality outdoor life, high above a densely populated urban area, requires an approach different from that used to create a bucolic retreat in a back yard or on an estate.

A rooftop garden design must take into consideration building and zoning regulations, structural integrity of the apartment building, irrigation and waterproofing, physical access for both enjoyment and maintenance, and weather elements that are harsher at great heights than they are at street level.

In this very practical mass-market publication, the author offers a variety of inspiring design ideas that meet the needs of most aspiring rooftop gardeners. Readers will learn how to plan a design for a multipurpose outdoor space that takes into consideration one’s needs for entertaining, relaxation, play, and contemplation.

The author has also includes suggestions for furniture, containers, ornamentation, lighting, water features, and the selection of plants. Readers will be guided into choosing vegetation, not only for beauty, but also for privacy, shade, accents, visual background filler, and for growing food. The plant recommendations are influenced by the ability of certain vegetation to withstand the exposed, harsh conditions associated with windy, sun drenched rooftop gardens.

Michele Osborne graduated from the Sorbonne in Paris as a linguist before moving to England. There, her passion for art and architecture inspired her to become a landscape designer. Working privately and with developers and architects, she has completed projects both in England and abroad. 

Designing many roof terraces in London's East End and Docklands allowed her to discover views of the city, which she found so exhilarating that she decided to abandon her Victorian terraced house in favour of a converted telephone exchange, where she could build her own roof garden. She is a winner of the prestigious Guardian's Britannia Home - builder's Award for "Best Landscaping" and her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Garden History in London.

This Visitor Deserves a Gardening Blog of Her Own

Front porch. Image copyrighted by Sheila Robertson, Scents and Centsabilty.comA recent visitor to my blog has taken a very long journey through all of my posts. Sheila, who signs as Orchard Annie, leaves comments that reflect a reader with a passion for gardening who truly deserves a blog of her own.

The play yard. Image copyrighted by Sheila Robertson, Scents and Centsabilty.comI was so impressed with the breadth of one of the comments she posted that I contacted her to ask permission to use them as a freestanding guest blog. Her advice, written in a unique, folksy style, was a reaction to Part 3 of a three-part post that first appeared here in 2009. In that series, I advise readers how to create beautiful landscapes using perennials and flowering shrubs. I titled it How to Paint a Masterpiece in the Garden.

A spring flowerbed. Image copyrighted by Sheila Robertson, Scents and Centsabilty.com In Part three, I dealt with the monetary aspect of perennial gardening. Click to link to that article: http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/2009/12/10/how-to-paint-a-masterpiece-in-the-garden-part-three.html  

Image copyrighted by Sheila Robertson, Scents and Centsabilty.comBelow are suggestions that Sheila added to my post about designing a perennial garden on a budget. Although I have done some minor editing for flow, most of the text is in its original form so that readers can get to know her, as I have, through the personality of her writing style. All of the images above that illustrate this post belong to her.

Expansion on your budget ideas.
1) Intersperse low, wide growing evergreens. The tiniest pots can be had for $5 at big box stores. They take being overrun or severe pruning so that in the case you have to move or get too busy or ill to take care of a flowerbed there is a gorgeous plan B waiting to be revealed.

You must look upon your garden as a hobby, not a property value return. I cringe to recall my sister-in-law sodding a beautiful yard because she wanted to spend time camping  with the kids on weekends and not to be stuck taking care of the yard. A high maintenance yard can actually lower the selling price of a home.

2) Multi colored collection of fall planted bulbs (crocus, Spanish blue bell, etc.) can be found at very reasonable bulk prices. Plant them wider than recommended and be patient, in 4 years you will be able to transplant them into those lovely solid colored drifts displayed on magazine covers.

3) If you see a garden you adore, make a habit of taking your walks on that route. Surely an avid gardener working in their yard loves a compliment and eventually will share their knowledge and their plants. I often supply grocery sacks for complete strangers. Take along some plastic sacks in your pocket (for the pooch right?) and a Sharpie to write on the sack the name and height of the plants you receive. If you forget the particulars, you can type in an image search on Bing for some good examples of what to combine them with, along with care instructions.

4) Alan Titchmarsh had a "Love Your Garden" episode (I love YouTube!) on a man's room after room of exceedingly formal clipped and topiaried gardens where monochromatics were stunning. You cannot convince me that formal gardens are budget though, how anyone keeps a whole yard of box or yew uniformly healthy is not possible to imagine.

5) Plant permanently. Some combos are low maintenance forever heaven. I bought bulk mixed, 4 months of bloom, daffodils from Brecks - (order a catalog, a coupon comes with it, and if you start an online order then decide the price is too steep and delete it before the payment is sent they'll sometimes email a coupon) -  and interspersed them with budget daylilies chosen for their bloom time, color and heights.

Gilbert H Wild and Son have hearty bare rootstock day lilies and though the new varieties are pricey, older ones can be had for $2.75. When daffodils fade, the day lilies completely cover the withering foliage (no clean up!) - both daffodils and day lilies are long lived perennials that tolerate total neglect. - (Don't put nitrogen on day lilies or you'll get all foliage and no flowers.) – Eventually, this combo will choke out any and every weed, even grass. As with all perennials after bloom, I chop the entire day lily plants down to the ground: they soon send up foliage as fresh as springtime. In this bed, I will be able to take the bagging lawn mower over the entire island.

6) Plant a hedge if you cannot afford a fence. An appraiser told me a board or like fence will retain it's value in resale, chain-link fences will recoup half of their cost, and a filled in hedge will add as much value as a board fence to your property's value.

Research what grows best in your area. I planted a big box emerald green arborvitae and then discovered a Wisconsin native, that I found later, that was much more vigorous and care free. I bought the smallest size shrubs and carefully plotted out placing them to compliment what my neighbors had in place so they would look less awkward while puny. The wind and sun scald they suffered [and which stunted them] stopped when I started applying Cloud Cover (a polymer that slows evaporation) before the temperatures dropped below 40F. The manufacturer of that product also recommends applications throughout the growing season to decrease watering.

7) Look beyond your own perimeter before planning. It may be tempting to nix an unattractive shrub but probably a previous homeowner put it there in order to hide an unpleasant view. Likewise, there could be an attractive view waiting to be borrowed from next door or the horizon if you carve out a frame for it.

8) Research the varieties of plants present in your yard. Many shrubs respond thankfully to renewal pruning, and many crowded expensive perennials look like a bed of weeds for want of transplanting.

9) Learn how to prune and don't be afraid of it! You will increase the beauty and lifetime of shrubs and trees twenty fold as well as keep the size in check, but it must be done before the point of no return.

Likewise, don't feel heartless about discarding the remnants of flowers you've divided. Overcrowded borders do not perform to their full potential: you will get frustrated and feel you must start from scratch with a whole new planting scheme.

If it makes you feel better put divided plant discards in a cardboard box at the end of your drive marked "free, variety, color and height."  If they don't disappear, which would surprise me, take them to the municipal yard waste site and set them slightly apart from the pile. If no one takes them, the pay loader there won't object to adding the cardboard box to the compost heap. A friend with a lawn care business collects all the plant divisions he can get, piles them into his work yard and waters them until he gets a request for a garden.

10) Pruning lessons: I got over my fear working at my father-in-law's apple orchard "Don't worry, you can't kill them," he said. Volunteer at a municipal garden, where you will be greatly appreciated and where you find out which tools suit you best before you buy any. YouTube has several wonderful tutorials from all parts of the country on every variety of plant.

11) Scour the classified ads in Spring. Garden clubs hold plant sales as fundraisers, and the prices are so right! Arrive early if you can: members pot up slips from their own gardens, sometimes it's the "I shouldn't have splurged" rarest, priciest plants that they share.

12) Consider long-lived edible plants. I have ruby stemmed rhubarb at the end of a ferny asparagus hedge. The rhubarb stays lovely as long as I reach in to bust off the flowers stalks as they appear, and if the leaves get tired or crowded looking, they make swift single layer mulch that dries to earth color in a few days. The asparagus backs an Asian gravel garden with stone "islands", a Buddha temple, and bamboo fountain, redbud, Siberian iris, and dwarf conifers. Both the asparagus and rhubarb blend nicely with that theme....and the best part is that both plants are the first flavors of Spring!

Thank you, Sheila/Orchard Annie, for your input. To introduce her to my readers, I requested that she email some photos of her garden and a short biography. I was not prepared for what I received. She sent me enough mouth-watering images of her horticultural work to create many interesting garden blogs and her biography revealed a romantic narrative about the role of men in her gardening life. I will share that lovely story in a future post.

Readers who recognize Sheila's talent from the photos she supplied, and from her original and intimate style of communicating, are invited to leave a comment below to encourage her to create her own blog.

Visitors who missed out on my three- part series can link to Part 1 and 2 here:

How to Paint a Masterpiece in Your Garden Part 1 http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/2009/11/27/how-to-paint-a-masterpiece-in-the-garden-part-one.html

How to Paint a Masterpiece in Your Garden Part 2 http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/2009/12/4/how-to-paint-a-masterpiece-in-the-garden-part-two.html

Plants That Perform All Season, a book review

Powerhouse Plants, 510 Top Performers for Multi-Season Beauty, Graham Rice, Timber Press,

Graham Rice is an international renowned and respected plantsman with gardening experience on both sides of the Atlantic. He is also an award-winning writer with more than twenty gardening books to his credit.

This latest work reaches out to readers who garden on small plots of land where plants must do double duty because there is room for so few of them. To create beautiful and interesting gardens under these confining conditions, Mr. Rice recommends that we consider using versatile powerhouse plants.

Such plants enhance the design of small gardens because they multi task throughout the growing season. Included in this category are perennials, shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, vines and ground cover, all of which put on visual performances that last longer than their respective plant tags indicate. They do that by transforming themselves from a flowering summer perennial, for example, into a display of intensely colored fall foliage.

The inherent potential of these versatile players allows the gardener to create different and evolving plant combinations for various times of the year, all the while using a minimum number of plants.

Readers will be delighted that the author’s suggestions are confined to ones that are easy to grow, hardy, and glorious performers. Nothing makes a gardener happier than to discover that a beautiful plant is also a workhorse and that it requires little attention.

In that respect, nature has been very cooperative. Mr. Rice has managed to identify no less than five hundred and ten of these powerhouse plants – each with characteristics that evolve or linger in the garden, and whose beauty and visual interest is sustained long after they have lost one of their salient features.

Such a plant will display at least two of the following attributes: - spring shoots pushing through the soil, fresh unfurling foliage, spring flowers, summer flowers, summer foliage, attractive fruit and berries, evergreen foliage, vibrant colors in the fall, bark, interesting and colorful stems in winter, and winter or spring foliage rosettes.

Of course the above list doesn’t even begin to address other characteristics that a plant make contribute to the garden. These would include form, shape, texture, movement, fragrance, birds, and butterflies. All are qualities that enhance the value of most of the recommended plants in this book.

Gardeners who struggle to maximize the visual appeal of their small gardens will be relieved that there is now a handbook to help make that an easier task. Creative homeowners with larger gardens will also benefit because versatile, all-season, powerhouse plants enrich the appearance of all gardens, regardless of their size.