Today Dora May, Grace, and I visited the Ball Seed Company Gardens. We arrived at 9ish, paid our $5 dollars and went on an hour long tour that seemed like a few minutes. The tour guide was so gracious that she actually planned the tour with respect to alternating sun and shade locations to give us a chance to cool off.

First, we went up a few grassed cement steps to the upper garden area. (Grassed cement steps? Don’t ask! Just go and see them for yourself.) Once on top we started to descend in a curve beneath perfectly spaced flat-topped window box arches filled with cascading petunias and more.

Once the arches ended, we were in the vegetable garden filled with chillin red chilies and lovely cardunas. Pots of red and pink geraniums contrasted nicely with the tomatoes and corn stalks.

Next, we wound our way under some trees that had a lacy understory of coleus, ferns, and hosta. I love the red hot coleus that is a brilliant satin throughout or the red weave that has alternating green woven with pure lavender red.

For all you arts and crafters, there is a rock display of flat rocks with rebar through them standing approximately 6 foot high. All I see is an incredible amount of work and that is if…if none of those rock chips strike you as you drill a hole in the middle of each of them. My thought, and probably much safer, is to get plaster of paris and make a rock display. That would take real artistry to paint them to look like rocks, but much safer, I think.

Finally, you could purchase 3 colors of Astilbe chinese for 1 dollar a piece. I bought vision in red which is a purple red flowered Astilbe. Yes, there were some peaceful water gardens to lull you, as well.

For the schedule, click here.

Now, for all you folks that have been waiting patiently for some beautiful garden pics, enjoy the slideshow below:

“Radiant City”, a video/documentary on suburban sprawl exposes the isolation and starkness that exists in a structured society that actually presupposes you have one vehicle per adult. I kept waiting for them to mention the lack of trees and flowers and gardens in this vast suburbia. Maybe they did, but if they did it was only in passing. They were speaking more about the wasteland effect of power shopping centers being within driving and not walking distances of the suburbanite’s homes and that there were no gathering spots for neighborhoods to get to know one another.

They ignored the fact that there were no trees, no gardens, no birds, no streams, and no rivers. A realtor highlighted the fact that the upper class houses resided on a “large lake” which really looked like a large sterile pond. Ponds and lakes naturally provide the water and nutrients for plants and wildlife, but not when you surround the boundaries of the lake with large rocks and boulders. There are no large willows whose overhanging branches make for great rope swings. You swing like Tarzan over the water while hanging on to the rope and then you let go, splashing into the water below. A great way to cool off in the hot summer days. However, if there are no tree branches over the water and no spot for willows or large silver maples to grow up from, you can kiss this recreation or pasttime goodbye.

How about adding some gardens and animal life to the individual homes as a way to get to know the neighbors. The growing green movement means that you seek to live healthy and do it at the lowest possible cost. The 25 feet or less in front of the homes would make great vegetable gardens. Yes, usually they are in the backyard, but some of suburbia only have decks and patios with little else. Vegetable plants need full sun, especially in the morning hours.

By getting rid of shrubs you should have the necessary space and if you buy wooden or bamboo poles that you shape into teepees instead of the metal cones, your vegetable garden should look great and even sheik. Vegetable gardens requires watering and mulching and /or weeding. What a great way to get to know your neighbors while you are discussing what you planted this year and how last years crop went.

Taking the green movement even further, how about raising some chickens so that you can get country fresh eggs throughout a large portion of the year. Yes, laws may have to be changed, so change them. Chickens can be raised in rabbit hutches off the ground and you can limit the number of chickens to a reasonable number that your yard can support. You could even build some decks and patios for the specific purpose of putting chicken hutches on. If you use rabbit-type hutches, you do not need any hen houses at all and just before winter, you can enjoy fresh chicken meat as you butcher your chickens. In the spring, you purchases a fresh batch of chicks and start all over again.

Lastly, when some power centers outgrow their usefulness, tear down the buildings and rip up the huge parking lots. Bring in tons of celery soil, fine, rich dark black humus soil, and make community gardens for all to enjoy and gather at. If your power center is still flourishing, ask the suburb fathers for some community property that could be tilled up for gardening. Get the green movement going in your community.

Don’t let suburbia remain a wasteland. Affect change by doing what others have done in years gone by. Make a difference in your quality of life. Don’t let life pass you by while you shut yourself off from the rest of the world. No, facebook is not enough. If laws prevent the greening of America, change them for the better.

…so today is a special post – from the heart.

Today has been a hot day and I finally planted my snapdragons and Red Accent Impatiens in a rectangle box planter in the front of our yard. Yes, I know…it is a bit late. However, I had to be able to video it in case there is someone out there that needs to know how to plant a tall box planter! LOL

The reason why this is a special post is that I have finally figured out what type of gardener I am. I am a “relationship” gardener. I have always been that and probably will always be. Some of my gardens can look fabulous, while others not so much. Why? I do not prescribe to the theory that only Great Plants are allowed in my garden. To me each plant is special and each type of plant has it’s own personality. That said I cater to my plants. Right place, right plant. For the most part, shade plants go in the shade and sun plants in the sun.

I do have a small yard and so sometimes I have to tuck shrubs in areas where I otherwise would not put them. At least for now, that is. Also, if the plants do better in morning sun, by george they will get the morning sun -tomato plants come to mind here. However, since the neighborhood woodchuck is still a resident, I have barricaded my 4 tomato plants with buckets additional tomato cages and bits of fencing, so the plants are protected, but the landscaping surely looks wild.

That leads me to my last point that I am a member of Prairie Enthusiasts. So prairie plants, which are native “weeds” to some people, have a place in my yard as well. Did you know that Nettle is a useful herb? Hence, I have some nettle patches soon to be harvested.
I do have Japanese beetles, but I prefer to keep them quarantined. Quarantined? At the back end of my property I have a nice patch of wild grape vines as well as in back of my tomato plants I have a few tall yellow flowered prairie plants that look like mullein but do not have the hairy leaves. The Japanese beetles love both of these plants, so why should they go anywhere else! If so, they get some baking soda on them so they get the general idea.
To sum up, I love plants: individuals, small groups, and even landscaped plantings. So you will find some gorgeous plantings here… sometimes. Just don’t look for them. You will find all kinds of individual plants, and the critters that walk by them or try to bother them. Can’t leave the critters out…they can be beautiful too, in their own way.