Virginia Country from A to Z: G is for Gardening

"It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening.  You have to love your garden, whether you like it or not."  W.C. Sellar  1936

My grandparents had a 400 acre farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I spent every available moment as a child.  

From dawn to dusk, like a small annoying dog, I followed my grandfather as he did his chores, showing him bugs, talking to him about the new kittens in the barn, and ballet shoes, and did he want to swing on the tire swing, and how's come the tractor is red, and why do they call them Black-eyed Susans?

One morning, squatting in the dirt in the vegetable garden, I tugged on the lacy tuft of a new carrot, thinking that I would check on its progress and see how it was doing down there in the dark and if it needed any help growing.  My grandfather explained that a carrot knows the right thing to do because it is connected to the earth.

   

Like everything else on the planet, human beings are made up of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen (plus a smidge of phosphorus, iron, sodium, silicon, sulphur, ammonia and a pinch of trace elements) 

    

but unlike a carrot, humans seem to put an extraordinary amount of effort into trying to separate ourselves from our connection to the earth and other living beings.  Perhaps the fate of humans will be as Winston Churchill once famously said of Americans, that we always get it right in the end, we just try everything else first. 

"If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener."   

J.C. Raulston 

The mystery of nature is, to a great extent, the allure of gardening.

A speck of dirt on my gardening glove is billions of years older than I am and contains a whole inner cosmos that is undetectable to the most powerful microscope- an infinity in a microcosm.

"When weeding, the way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant."

A garden will grow or die, but it will not be intimidated or rushed.

The wisdom of its passive resistance slows us down and draws us back into the slow circles of nature.  This may be why the horticulturalist, artist, garden designer and writer, Gertrude Jekkyl, said that a garden is a grand teacher.  

It teaches patience and careful watchfulness, industry and thrift, and above all, she said, it teaches entire trust in the nature of nature.

The American love of gardening began with the first settlers who arrived in search of arable land.  Their kitchen gardens were derived from typical English plans- a walled garden, lined with fruit trees and divided into beds.

"A cauliflower is a cabbage with a college education."

 Mark Twain

The first American gardening book, A Treatise on Gardening, is believed to have been written in the 1760s by John Randolph, the last Royal Attorney General in colonial Virginia, and a member of one of Virginia's most influential families.

Espaliered fruit trees allow efficient fruit production, and were used to create a focal point, define the boundaries of a garden and decorate walls and fences, 

such as those at Mount Vernon.

There are many beautiful ways to espalier trees,

and it's a wonderful technique for small space gardening, 

or even rooftop gardening in the city.

A basic espalier form is the horizontal cordon.  A double cordon can be shaped in about two years.

Or you could espalier some Rosemary this afternoon.

"My rule of thumb for mulch is to double my initial estimate of bags needed plus three.  

Then I'm only two bags short."

The best garden design incorporates elements that stimulate, and elements that relax. 

Water features are classic details because they often do both.  Even a compact terrace can have a birdbath or small fountain.

A water feature is sometimes an afterthought, but consider when planning your garden, that it might actually be the best place to begin.  

Kathryn Gustafson

It can provide an axis or focal point, mask noise and create architectural interest with hardscaping.

"You don't have too many slugs, 

you merely have a deficiency of ducks."

A water feature can be a grand place for ducks,

or just practical.  And fun.

Just remember in gardening that growth takes time.  Be patient.  And while you're waiting, pull a weed.

We think that country life is more a state of mind, than a state of, well... State.

Whether your home is the city, by the sea, in the mountains or Farm town, USA, country life is about how you approach living your day, how you feel about your home, and how you care for yourself and your neighbors.

Virginia Country Life from A-Z is a series inspired by our homes in Virginia.  It's about some things and people we love, and some ideas for making your life a little more country- wherever you are.

Next post... H is for...

Great Gardening Books for Beginners:

                       

For Organic Gardening:

        

For Container Gardening:



Designing a Garden from Scratch or Redesigning an Existing Garden: