A topic that garden writers don’t seem to spend much ink on is one that’s near and dear to my heart. I call it wayward gardening, but I’m sure there are plenty of other names for it. Undisciplined, maybe, or squirrel-brained. Wayward gardening is what happens when I go out to the garden to tackle a particular task, weeding the daylilies, say, or changing the water in the hummingbird feeders. Before I know it, I’m doing something completely different, most likely something I didn’t even think needed to be done.
This morning I went out to weed the perennial bed out behind the house. It has become a jungle in the past few weeks, thanks to all the rain we’ve had. In an ideal world, I’d get rid of weeds when they’re still small and haven’t yet staked out large swaths of territory. But between the rain and the B-52-bomber mosquitoes, I haven’t gotten around to it. Standing in the garden, weeder in hand, I noticed that the butterfly weed I’d planted last year was missing in action. On closer inspection, I discovered that it was struggling to survive amidst a crowd of robust geraniums that had grown far beyond their bounds. I surveyed the entire garden. Geraniums were everywhere. Once-tidy clumps of foliage topped by pert magenta flowers were happily sprawling in all directions. I wondered what other plants might they be choking out.
Generally, I encourage plants that I love to spread out because they keep down weeds. And I love geraniums. In addition to their colorful flowers, they have a distinctive peppery herbal smell and they are indefatigable. If they get too leggy, a haircut halfway through the summer brings a fresh flush of foliage. But it was time to take action before the mixed perennial bed turned into wall-to-wall geraniums.
So, this is where the wayward gardener in me takes over. As I started pulling out clumps of geraniums, I couldn’t bear the thought of tossing them out. A phrase my mother used more than I care to remember was “perfectly good.” As in, “that’s a perfectly good parka. Just put some duct tape over the holes where the feathers are coming out.” What was I to do with all these perfectly good geraniums?
The solution lay directly behind me. Weeds have colonized a stretch of spindly ivy and pachysandra that grows along the base of the retaining wall that supports the patio. I had never attempted to do anything with this woebegone area before, but suddenly I had a thought. What if I tore out all the weeds, threw in some compost, and planted my excess geraniums there? By this time it was raining pretty hard, but rain keeps down the mosquitoes and I was already so dirty it didn’t make sense to quit. Besides, transplanting is best done in cool, overcast weather. Perfect.
A couple of hours later, I had pulled out three big baskets of weeds, spread three baskets of mulch, and planted about fifty geranium shoots. They will look pretty bedraggled for a while because that’s how geraniums look after being relocated. But I know they’ll be strong and lush in a few weeks.
Meanwhile, the perennial bed is still full of weeds. I think they grew a couple of inches while I was transplanting the geraniums. But the butterfly weed has a new lease on life. I hope it will be full of flowers in August when the monarchs arrive. Tomorrow, the weeds!
Mickey Rathbun, an Amherst-based lawyer turned journalist, has written the Get Growing column since 2016.
When planning summer vacations, many of us tend to overlook the fabulous destinations that are close to home in favor of faraway places that require plane tickets and rental cars. I was inspired recently by an Amherst friend who told me that he and his wife recently took a trip out to the Berkshires and had a wonderful time visiting the area’s many historic and cultural sites, including the Gilded Age mansion Naumkeag; Herman Melville’s house, Arrowhead; Edith Wharton’s house, the Mount; Hancock Shaker Village and Berkshire Botanical Garden. The Berkshires are an hour away, but I never seem to get there unless I’m entertaining out of town visitors.
Even if you’re not keen on historical houses, BBG has lots to offer in addition to its lovely gardens. Every year, BBG brings together some of the region’s most talented designers and invites them to create individual container gardens displayed in an exhibit called Contained Exuberance. Tucked away in different spots throughout the garden, the display remains on exhibit through September and features a walkabout tour with the designers scheduled during the first day of the BBG’s Grow Show, Aug. 10.
Another BBG exhibit is Shimmering Flowers, the creation of New York City-based artist Nancy Lorenz. Drawing on her years spent living in Japan and techniques from traditional Asian crafts, Lorenz has created gilt and mother-of-pearl paintings that complement the Garden’s collections. The show also includes Lorenz’s cast bronze landscape vessels that will be filled with arrangements by talented floral designers, whose interpretations of the art are reflected in unique displays of flowers and other natural materials.
BBG recently opened Lucy’s Garden, which is home to 22 fabulous topiaries, each representing a different country. Jumbo the Elephant is big enough to sit on, and he spouts a fountain from his trunk.
No reservations required!