Learning To Truly Enjoy Your Garden
Gardeners are such a diverse lot.
There are the fanatics - those who enjoy all phases of gardening, never seeming to get enough.
There are the specialists - those who immerse themselves in certain plants or specific aspects of gardening.
And then there are the putterers. These are special gardeners. They may not know all the plants by name or what is or isn’t a weed. But they do thoroughly enjoy their gardens. They love to putter, doing little chores, feeling as close to nature as we fanatics do, only on a smaller scale.
Some putterers are from the old school of learning. Most of their gardening methods are not found in today’s gardening journals. Instead, they have been handed down from generation to generation. I write with some authority on this subject since my childhood was blessed with one such putterer, my dad Phil Caruso. Saturday he celebrates his 95th birthday. Over the course of many years, I have watched him tinker in the garden, doing the chores he liked and always finding time to sit and enjoy what he had accomplished. For this I envy him. He is not constantly looking for new plants to plant or beds to create. He simply enjoys what is there.
Though Mom is the real gardener in the family (she fits in the fanatic category), I can always tell when Dad has been outside helping. His method for tying up drooping raspberry canes and peonies is very evident. It was handed down from his dad. The row of peonies is tied as a group against the fence with white string, as are the raspberries. The only difference between Dad’s and Grandpa’s method is that Grandpa used bailing wire. The string may not be aesthetically pleasing now, but in a few short weeks, it will be camouflaged with leaves and the plants will be standing tall.
Another lesson he learned from Grandpa was, if it’s alive, why dig it out. In the back yard stands a peach tree, if you can call it a tree. It’s really one large, weeping branch attached to a leaning trunk. Dad has babied this tree for more than 35 years and each year that lone branch has produced bushels of sweet fruit.
To keep the tree from toppling over from the weight of the fruit, Dad has employed the clothes-line method of staking. This is a little unorthodox, but so is the tree. Dad simply tied a rope to the branch and pulled it in the opposite direction of the lean. He stretched the rope taut and attached it to the oak tree 15 feet away. You only see the rope if you look up. Hey, it works.
Dad loves to prune … anything and everything (a genetic flaw in all men). Pruning off the lower branches of the fir tree opened up the view and provided a shade tree to sit under (good move). But the Japanese red maple is gone (bad move). And, since nothing goes to waste, the resultant debris is all used. The small branches make great firewood and the large branches are used as props for heavy, fruit-laden branches of the apple tree.
The vegetable garden is Dad’s number one garden pleasure. Not only does it provide delicious meals, it also provides a chance for him to share his bounty with friends and neighbors. As of this week, the radishes and spinach are up. Soon to follow will be onions, potatoes, beets and peas. And you can bet the corn will be knee-high by the Fourth of July.
Dad may not know a snapdragon from a daisy, but he loves his big yard. Each morning before he heads off to work (yes, he does still go to work), he patiently hand waters every tree, shrub and flower within the radius of the hose. On the days he does his real puttering, he dons shoes, pants and a hat that are as old as he is. And when he arms himself with Grandpa’s old clippers, I know there’s trouble brewin’. Mom says not to worry. Plants are very forgiving when it comes to Dad, except for the Japanese maple.
When he’s finished stacking pots, emptying the wheelbarrow, watering, staking and tying or whatever chore he has chosen for the day, he rests in a nearby patio chair and surveys his garden. He leans back, slaps the arm of the chair a few times, and with a big, handsome smile says, “Isn’t this positively marvelous?”
It certainly is. Happy birthday, Daddy.
And to all, a Happy Easter.
xxxx
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review