Cold Climate Gardening

Long-time readers of my blog know that I have never shied away from being honest about the poor upkeep of my garden. Sometimes I find beauty in the weeds, and sometimes they depress me, but I’ve never pretended they didn’t exist. I agree with Colleen that fear of “not doing it right,” or “not being good enough,” can keep someone from starting to garden–it almost stopped me. So I am happy to make my contribution to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:

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Unknown species of filipendulaThis filipendula has been growing well in my garden for several years. I ordered it in the mail as Queen of the Prairie, Filipendula ‘Venusta Rubra’, but the flowers aren’t pink enough for that. In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that although it grows vigorously, the center has died out. This is supposed to be a sign that it needs to be divided and reset, but since it grows so well that you really have to look to see the died-out center, it hasn’t exactly made it to the top of my garden to-do list.

Today the whole family learned that someone else discovered that died-out center.

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Forsythia before pruning beganBack in April, I discussed my upcoming plans to prune my forsythia bush. It wasn’t flowering very much, and my commenters agreed with me that it needed a heavy pruning. Some even suggested cutting the whole thing down to the ground. But I felt a little too nervous to do that.

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Instead of a single day of good fortune like yesterday’s auspicious 07/07/07, this has been a week of luck for one reason: rain. Although it can’t be discerned from the surrounding woods with their uncommon fullness bordering on rainforest-like lushness, this summer has been uncommonly dry. Late spring and summer started out so well it wasn’t conceivable that midseason has me contemplating water conservation and rationing. I’m thinking the “D” word but trying hard not to say it.

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As I mentioned recently, I’m going to Oklahoma City this fall to participate in a panel discussion on garden blogs. Yes, these professional writers, accustomed as they are to newspaper, magazine, television, radio, and even marketing work, are a bit intimidated and confused by blogging–so I’m told. Some are downright misinformed. So, along with Mary Ann Newcomer (who suggested my name), and David Perry, I’m going to attempt to educate them. We’ve got one hour, including time for questions.

Yeah, right.

I think, all by myself, I could talk for a couple of hours on blogging, especially if I got into what software …

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As I said in the previous post, I’m going to Oklahoma City this fall, Lord willing. But get this:
I have never made my own hotel reservations
I haven’t flown on a plane in 30 years
I travel so little, I don’t even own luggage
Do you know how much flying has changed in thirty years? Not only was this before stricter security regulations, and before internet access for ticket purchases, it was even before airline deregulation. (If you don’t remember the big to-do over airline deregulation, I am probably old enough to be your mother.) What hasn’t changed about flying since I was last on a plane?

So …

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As many of you know, I am a member of the Garden Writers Association. A while back, I was asked to be a member of a panel discussion on garden blogs at the annual symposium, which is being held this year on September 28th through October 1st in Oklahoma City.

This explains the message on the tip box, way down at the bottom of the sidebar, that says, “Help me get to Oklahoma City.” Much to my grown offspring’s astonishment, the GWA doesn’t pay the expenses of their panelists. You get a small honorarium and a big hint that they hope you’ll donate …

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