Not in my garden...Kim, the Blackswamp Girl had a post about things you won't see in her garden, and now I want to play! This first image represents three things you will never see in my garden: Dutch children (kissing or not), a windmill, and a "bed" flower bed! Now, the great thing about gardening in general is that you can do whatever you want, and this gal's flowers are quite lovely all year...I just don't like these particular decorations. Statues of children creep me out, and I prefer farm-type windmills as decorations. As for the "bed"....I'm not sure why it bugs me, much as I like puns and all. 
The other thing you won't see in my garden is a perfectly mown and manicured lawn. Not that I have anything against grass, but I refuse to listen to some obnoxious mower on my days off, and I'm not interested in maintaining the machine itself. But I have too large a lot not to have some lawn, so here's the grass I want: sedge! In fact, I have one growing here already that's marching toward lawn dominance, all I have to do is help. Look how cute it is!
And these adorable seed heads....in fact, they appeared twice this year! Drought response, maybe?
As you can see here, the sedge is the light green stuff...growing to about 6" in height and gracefully arching over. Now, it may not form a hard-core, impenetrable turf...but weeds aren't all that plentiful. Which brings me to my last NIMG...pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Aside from pony/horse manure, the only other fertilizers I'll use are natural, like this bat guano...
......I do use a rooting hormone like this one, to soak bare-root stuff and transplants in.
I also use wetting agents sometimes to help my sandy/silty soil absorb water and avoid runoff. I read the label carefully though, to be sure it's fully biodegradable, and won't add any uneccesary salts.
These "chemicals" are for my water garden tubs...the barley extract keeps the water clear naturally....
....and the mosquito dunks inhibit larvae growth without harming anything else. Even though I don't have fish in there, my froggies like to take a dip now and then.
The other thing you won't see in my garden is a perfectly mown and manicured lawn. Not that I have anything against grass, but I refuse to listen to some obnoxious mower on my days off, and I'm not interested in maintaining the machine itself. But I have too large a lot not to have some lawn, so here's the grass I want: sedge! In fact, I have one growing here already that's marching toward lawn dominance, all I have to do is help. Look how cute it is! And these adorable seed heads....in fact, they appeared twice this year! Drought response, maybe? As you can see here, the sedge is the light green stuff...growing to about 6" in height and gracefully arching over. Now, it may not form a hard-core, impenetrable turf...but weeds aren't all that plentiful. Which brings me to my last NIMG...pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Aside from pony/horse manure, the only other fertilizers I'll use are natural, like this bat guano.........I do use a rooting hormone like this one, to soak bare-root stuff and transplants in.
I also use wetting agents sometimes to help my sandy/silty soil absorb water and avoid runoff. I read the label carefully though, to be sure it's fully biodegradable, and won't add any uneccesary salts.These "chemicals" are for my water garden tubs...the barley extract keeps the water clear naturally........and the mosquito dunks inhibit larvae growth without harming anything else. Even though I don't have fish in there, my froggies like to take a dip now and then.
....."How is everything this evening Sir? May I have your waitress bring you another drink?" I mean, what the hell?! This was just last night, I'm coming into my driveway and this f-er was making himself right at home! I got several pictures before he took a hint and left....can you tell I desperately need to re-apply the Liquid Fence?! I told him he falls into the Not in My Garden category....I don't think he was listening!
18 comments:
Awww... I forgot about those kissing dutch kids. I used to see them all of the time when I was a kid but haven't spied any for a long time. (NIMG, either!) I'm giggling at your mention of being weirded out by kid statues. I don't know if I'm weirded out, but I can't think of any that I actually like, either. (And you would hate this picture in "The Jewel Box Garden" which shoes a baby doll face cradled within a wreath. Rather freaky!)
The cute little sedge rocks. I would be all for letting that stuff grow instead of a "proper lawn!"
Oh yea, a baby doll face would give me nightmares! I think I watched too much Twilight Zone when I was little...I remember an episode with a baby doll that would bite with poisoned teeth! *shudder*! My sedge is even cooler because it just appeared from nowhere a couple years ago....divine intervention?
Couldn't agree with you more on the yard art. You can add the ceramic geese with the scarfs and the small cement deer the are posed on the lawn of some of the "Klassier" gardens.
Heh....yea Bob, I'm with you on that! I really hate those geese, and clearly I have no need for FAKE deer!
Gaaaaaa, those kissing whatsits, how horrible, who ever thought them up should be ...., well something very unpleasant. ;-)
And deer are a no-no too. With me it's slugs and snails that are the bane of my gardening life.
Have a great weekend!
I actually had a garden bed once! We recycled the headboard and footboard of a beat-up old twin bed as supports for a wooden planting box. It was filled with light potting soil amd we grew stuff like thyme and alyssum in it.
That was a dozen years ago, and it was amusing in that yard, but would never work here.
I'm with you on the natural and organic products, Lisa and promise not to buy any Dutch boys and girls or wooden windmills. They were super popular in the IL town where I lived in the 1980's - don't see them much in Texas.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
PS, I think you're remembering the Devil Doll Trilogy with Karen Black. I saw her at a film festival a few years ago, where she said that the role meant she stayed famous to several generations of teenage boys.
Thanks Yolanda!
Annie-Some decorations definately have their place....funny no Dutch kids in Texas. Trilogy, yea-I remember there WERE more than one of those biting doll episodes....~shudder~. Still creeps me out!
Guy laid down some rules about what we cannot have in our garden, and number one on his list is rhododendrons because they remind him of rainy Seattle (tho' when I was there, I didn't see any). No two was tanbark because he thinks it's tacky. And number three was junipers because they smell like cat pee.
Me, I'm all "never say never" in the garden. We have some gnomes, but they're small. Statues of children kissing seems like something from my grandma's generation. The "garden bed" just seems like a bad idea...big piece of indoor furniture slowly rusting/rotting in the garden..? Nice.
P.S. My soil science teacher disapproved of incorporating bat guano for some environmental reason. I don't remember now what that reason was. Does that ring a bell with anyone?
Oh, and I forgot to add... I have thought about making a "garden bed" that isn't quite so obvious, for the dog. As in, hopefully if she has a place to really rest, she'll stay the heck out of the places I don't want her. lol.
P.S. Your blog has so many pictures, it really slows down my computer!
:)
Chuck-Funny that Guy doesn't want a tree that smells like cat pee, but he's okay with actual cats. Funny also that you should have trouble with my pictures, cuz' YOUR blog used to be too big to load on my home computer's dial-up. But the guano thing, I'd not heard about that. In fact, I positioned a big planter right below my own bat house, hoping they'd fertilize it for me. If you remember why guano's not good, please let me know.
Kim-I bet your "assistant" will love to have her own bed! Definately worth the risk of possible tackiness, though I'd wager you'll do it in style!
Hmmm, I've never heard that bat guano has any environmental issues!
I make my own compost, have my own homegrown chicken poo and clean out my neighbors horse stalls for their manure, but two products that I STILL buy and swear by is bat guano and worm castings. Can't garden without them.
And Lisa, I too placed a container beneath my bat houses... The little buggers STILL haven't delivered! Just where is all that poo going? I expected it to look like the bottom of the chicken roost. I had visions of a great bat-poo operation. heh
I am going to get my own worm bin though. Do you have one?
Hurray! Someone else who likes alternative lawns. It's a pity that I could see only two of your pictures, despite checking with two browsers. (I can see the NIMG pics of the flower bed and the deer). I'll have to check back later.
P.S. It turns out that the pictures blocked at my work. Arbitrary net nanny strikes again.
Vonne-Yes I do have a worm bin...posts are under my "worm bin" tag. Heh...funny you tried to put the bats to work too, we'll have to see whose cooperate first. I have 2 composters going outside, but the worms are "housepets". Not exactly standard fare, but my som lets me visit and enjoy his dog and 2 cats, so I get some exposure to furry pets without the fur or expense-yay!
Bam-I totally understand the hassle of those rotten net nannies...seems like a lot of people seem to believe that they know what we should all be doing...*sigh*. Great to hear from an alternative lawn fan!
Well, duh! I totally missed the "worm bin" tag!
I did check out the mason bee tag and have already been bugging my hubby to make some blocks for me.
Okay, on my way to check out your little 'house pets'. :)
btw - I just read Amy Stewart's book and can't wait to have my own 'worm tea'. I bet my orchids would be thrilled.
Vonne-That worm tea is a real production to make...I just use the "leachate" that's in the bottom bin to water my plants. I have read that this "has no nutritional value" for them, but the plants did not read the article! The mason bees are fun, and they say that if you use paper tube liners, it's more sanitary for the bees.
Post a Comment