Planning Day

I just needed a break. Not a McDonald's break! A library gardening book break. I have a stack here that I want to go through for ideas, and have already this morning ordered 3 of them that will be useful to have around.

Easy Care Shade Flowers - Patricia A. Taylor

Landscape Problem Solver - Jeff and Liz Ball

The Natural Water Garden - Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

I'll spend the afternoon at the kitchen table ( my planning center; it's just a dream to actually HAVE a planning center) Reading/skimming as the case may be. Ordering, or taking notes, or deeming unuseful and putting in the library return bag.

I might even move out to the deck table as it warms up outside. Sweet tea, gardening books, paper and pen - nothing better!

This year I am not making the mistake I've made every spring since I had money to spend. I have always gone to all the greenhouses (and there are many many in our area!) the first week they're open, and bought whatever caught my fancy. Then, back at home, I'd look for good places to put them. Often, I'd wait too long and end up just sticking them in the ground somewhere, anywhere, without thought or plan. Hence the Monarda, Joe Pye and Spice Bush in a dry sunny spot where they've languished until that wonderful Bog Day. Instead, I'm researching and planning - garden bed by garden bed, plant by plant - with an eye to the BEST plan for our place. As ideas pop into my head, instead of running out and doing them, I'm writing them in an idea file and studying them, to complete when I'm SURE they'll work well.

In the middle of the night, I had the idea to run outside, dig up the scattered Lunaria plants, and transplant them to the front (west) wooded area. They WILL do well there. They do well everywhere, LOL! They transplant easily at this stage. I can't imagine any reason why I shouldn't do it. But, I didn't run out and move them this morning. The task/idea is written on that idea page, so I can think about it in the light of day. Probably I'll move them tomorrow. Who knows, maybe tonight.

It's odd (to me) that nothing grows on its own in the wooded area except the trees. AHA! I know why I should WAIT to transplant them! Larry will want those leaves mowed/mulched and he'd mow right over anything in that area. Either I need to rake away the leaves to a spot where he can mow freely, or I need to mow them now, myself. But not today. I'm signing off to read.

Got Shade - Carolyn Harstad

Landscaping With Wildflowers - Jim Wilson

Covering Ground - Barbara Ellis

Michigan Gardening Guide - Boland, Coit and Hair

On a later date (maybe one of the upcoming deluge days this week) I plan to list all the gardening books I own.

I was perplexed to realise, this Spring, that I had donated my older gardening books to Goodwill, and now have mostly herb gardening books. Useful for my herb garden, but that's only one fairly small bit of the property. What was I thinking???

Now I'm building it back up, but in specific categories - a book for each garden I'm going to be cultivating. And I will read each book first (from the library) to make sure it is truly useful. That's probably why I donated the old books last year - found them not useful. Or else, I had the tunnel vision idea that the gardens, landscaping and all, whould be done with herbs.