Questions + Answers

From Hope V.

Hi Allison, 

Something tells me you’re a gardener. Are you perusing catalogs yet for this gardening season? What are your go-to catalogs? Are you into annuals, perennials, vegetables? Do you have any special garden projects you will be tackling this year?

P. S. If you need any seed I collect my own and have some easy annual seed I could send you. I use annuals as tall fillers and for butterflies and other pollinators. Have a great day!

Hope

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Dear Hope,

I aspire to be a gardener, but cannot call myself one as I am not dedicated to the art enough to have mastered anything about it. I do love it though — I have so many plans every year to keep developing all of the areas outside our home, but I am always too ambitious. Last year, I planted perennials in the beds where I’d been putting bulbs and flowers that need extra care in previous years — after fussing over dahlias and peonies for a few springs and summers, I’ve gotten the message that flowers probably aren’t my thing. I’ve figured out that low maintenance is best for me. Therefore, I lean on things like potted boxwoods, heartier ferns, and small trees. We don’t have a lot of lawn, and I like it that way. What is there, I’d like to let grow into mostly pollinator garden, but we’re not there yet. Maybe this will be the year! Then there’s that half Great Dane we have to consider — I’ve thought about putting a few raised beds in our tiny little front yard too — the pollinators would have a better chance of survival up off the ground where our dear Winifred couldn’t send them to an early grave.

So, the sad answer is no, I haven’t been looking at catalogs. We grew vegetables in containers the first year we lived in this house, and after that I kinda decided that I should buy my vegetables from one of the spectacular farm stands we have in Nashville. It’s much less expensive and I can’t really yield enough at home to make all the effort and worry worth it. You’ve heard of the $15 tomato?

I do get pretty spiritual about my houseplants. I talk to every one of them when I water about once a week. I get close to my green babies and hate it when I lose one. At the moment, I’m having really good luck with indoor succulents and a few ferns. If you’re ever in Nashville, visit Creekside Nursery — it’s my favorite place to buy plants in town and they have the prettiest collection of pots that I know of. I’d link it, but they’re so cool they don’t even have a website to my knowledge. It’s where I bought both of my favorites from last year — a Japanese maple in honor of my mother’s birthday that I potted and put in the front yard, and an asparagus fern in honor of my father’s that’s in the breakfast area.

One thing I’m going to have to do — get rid of some rose bushes that don’t get enough light and plant cedars in their pots instead. Most things are potted — our entire back is a courtyard. I’ll keep you posted on that. We transplanted two cedars from pots into the actual ground last year and they’re doing great. We did the same with two lilacs. I suppose if I don’t get that privacy fence around the house that I desire, I can grow some really tall trees around it.

Thank you for your question, Hope. Here’s to a happy spring.

I hope y’all have a fantastic weekend.

PEACE. LOVE.

Allison

Send me a question at allisonmoorercontact@gmail.com

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