Getting Started

Posted on January 23, 2024 by shobha

This week, I’m beginning in earnest to stay on track with the gardening to-do list. Like in everything else, January offers a chance to start anew – eating healthy, working out, sleeping better are arguably on everybody’s list. As they should be. I don’t actually put those on my resolutions – they are simply a mainstay in my life. I try my best because they’re so important. Some days I’m more successful than others. C’est la vie.

Staying on target with time sensitive stuff is what I find more difficult. I begin with sincere intent but life invariably gets in the way and before I know it, I’m dangerously close to missing a deadline or I’ve missed the window to get a task done or I need to hustle madly. I know I’m not alone when this happens but that is hardly any comfort. But, over time, I’ve learned a few things to minimize such situations. The most important one is to be super-organized. I’m often asked how I do that so I thought I’d explain.

Every January 2^nd, I sit with paper (used sheets typed on one side and ready to be discarded are perfect as I can write on the reverse side), pen, new calendar (can be a hard copy or digital). Note: I find it very satisfying to actually write rather than type my lists into the computer. Physical writing helps me slow down and stay present. An Excel Spreadsheet might work better for you.

Each sheet of paper is assigned one topic – Home, Personal, Garden, Family, Art, Writing, Website, Business etc.. Then, under each go in all the items that need doing. In the interest of this column, lets consider ‘Garden’.

I already have digital master lists for each season.’s chores These are standard chores that simply get plugged into appropriate dates/days/months. I take into account already scheduled to-do items in other areas so there isn’t a clash of jobs or too much to do on any given day. Flexibility is also important.

For instance, spraying the fruit trees is not only time sensitive but temperature dependent as well because the organic treatments demand it. So, a specific week for this task is first assigned. Then, depending on the weather forecast for possible rain, wind conditions and/or temperature dips or spikes, a day is selected. Alternative days are also penciled in just in case either the forecast was inaccurate or something unexpected comes up. And on the day of spraying, stuff like window cleaning won’t be assigned. Windows get cleaned only after!

You see? I helps to have an overall understanding of what happens when.

I assign practically every single task. During the week, which days I’ll be weeding – shorter sessions done every other day work better for me as opposed to long hours of weeding. Reminders of when to feed plants in pots, hang up hummingbird feeders, prune different shrubs/trees, deadhead spent blooms, which seeds get started when, everything is marked down. Friday is my ‘overflow’ day – where stuff I couldn’t get around to on the assigned day in the week get addressed. It truly helps me stay on schedule.

Having already listed and sourced plants I need to purchase, I schedule the ordering online or checking with my local nursery for availability and reserving my selections in advance. What is required for each task is checked/cleaned and kept ready. For instance, in the case of starting seeds indoors, I make sure I have cleaned the seed trays, growing medium available, mister, labels, markers etc., are all on hand.

I consider costs of plants, new replacement tools, repairs or other purchases and work it into my budget – this is crucial because as we’re all too aware, we gardeners can lose all commonsense in our bid to acquire things for the garden.

Similar,ly how long big tasks will take are estimated and accommodated. The goal is to avoid unwelcome surprises, preventable delays and unrealistic expectations. Holidays and vacation plans must be factored!There’s enough in the course of gardening over which one has absolutely no control so, lets take charge of everything else that we can.

If you’re thinking all of this is too tedious or too much effort, it is absolutely not! This is the time when your dreams are all possible. You are the gardener you aspire to be, the weather is always perfect, all the plants grow and bloom as you wish and the garden is its most spectacular best. Indulge yourself in some joyous planning and prepping.

Now, lets get started.

Note: Since we’re in the planning and getting ready stage of the gardening season and the garden itself is under snow, I’m sharing a few of my garden related watercolors –

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Coming Home

Posted on January 17, 2024 by shobha

As much as I enjoy travel, nothing quite feels as comforting as coming back home. Refreshed from time spent away from the usual routines and inspired by all the new experiences and encounters, there’s an eagerness to settle back down and reboot life anew. Not a new life but the same one infused with new energy and ideas. It feels exciting and rich with possibilities.

In the familiar confines of home, surrounded by all the things that provide joy and/or motivation, I sit with a head full of thoughts and schemes. I look at innumerable photos and a slew of cryptic notes made hurriedly during my travels. Unlikely color combinations, creative products, newly discovered foods, ancient customs witnessed, styles and patterns of traditional clothing, architecture, music, gardens, home décor – everything is fodder for creativity. How to best implement what I’ve seen and learned in my garden, home, art and personal life is a thrilling challenge. As my eyes wander around home and garden, I see the results of what past travels have inspired. To others the connections may not be clearly apparent but its all there. Just with my own twist or interpretation.

Key features in my garden such as the espaliered fence of fruit trees, the lush vertical garden, the pergola with native wisteria sprawled over it are obvious examples but adapted to suit the location and climate. The checkerboard garden came from seeing a huge chess board installed in a garden in France – not directly related. The design of the walkway was inspired by a pattern of piping in a blouse worn by a woman selling fruit at a market in Sweden.

In recent years, the colors of the tulips that bring great cheer in the spring, are inspired by art works in various museums. The color choices have evolved over the years. No doubt they will continue to do so.

It is similar in the house. Colors, furnishings, meals and music stand testimony to how travel opens the mind and enriches lives.

My own art is influenced more subtly – I’m not always aware until much later how I’ve been influenced by the light, colors and styles of the landscapes seen.

Unlike how it is when I come home from a summer trip, a winter homecoming is a gift of time. No pressing garden chores await. While the garden is asleep, I have the luxury to take my time to think, plan, design, source, schedule, create.

I returned very early Tuesday morning just as the snow had begun falling. The drive home was slow as the roads were already icy. Now, with unpacking done, accumulated mail sorted, laundry completed, I’m at leisure to harvest what inspirations I’ve picked up from my trip.

As the garden lies coated in white, the bones are sharply visible – my imagination has free rein to think about new plants to introduce, edits to make, colors to experiment and, revel in a most spectacular garden that lives for the moment only in my mind.

Everything is possible.

I present my ‘blank canvas’ –

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Resolving January

Posted on January 10, 2024 by shobha

Having reviewed in November, reflected in December, January is when it’s time to resolve. Resolve ideas and/or problems, resolve to do and make better. It is after all, the month when the world works on resolutions is it not?

As I go through my notes of observations, thoughts, wishes and wants in the garden, I’m generally struck by two things. The length of the musings and the sheer ambition of the gardener. Its laughable at first glance. But then, on reexamination, several things require the same action, a few items are quick fixes, some matters need a bit of tweaking while a couple are mere suggestions for pondering, others are long term projects and the remaining are simply pipe dreams.

Once triage, troubleshooting and targets have been sorted out, things look so much more manageable. Seed starting is scheduled, ditto for repairs and replacements. I break down bigger projects into doable sections and plan accordingly – taking into account seasons, my own work/personal calendar, time required and the possible need for additional manpower. Plants to be added are sourced and ordered – preferably from local nurseries. When and where to plant them determined.

Naturally, it all depends on the various circumstances, availability of what is needed, my budget and how easily I can obtain the necessary plants and/or structures. I have learned that no matter how well I’ve planned and prepped, it pays to stay flexible. Mother Nature has a habit of tossing out curve balls just for fun. My best effort is to have a plan, a commitment to execute it to the best of my ability and always allow for the Universe to intervene. Because, for better or worse, it will.

I’m still away from my garden and reveling in warmer climes but Nature continues to be my Muse –my recent watercolors –

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December Decisions

Posted on December 19, 2023 by shobha

I’m far away from my garden at present. For the past week, I’ve been in the very lush, very green city-state of Singapore. It’s also very warm and humid. While I’m enamored with the natural beauty of the dense plantings, it’s been challenging to spend long hours wandering outdoors. Still, one cannot but revel in a country that has chosen to invest significantly in environmental sustainability. The rest of us would do well to emulate this example.

So, not withstanding the joy of visiting with family and partaking of the myriad culinary offerings that Singapore is renowned for, I’ve been inspired by all the plantings to think about my own garden and how I can do better.

As I’d indicated last month, November is when I review how the garden performed through the year. Just observations, no judgments or justifications. Simply things of significance to note. December is when I reflect on those notes. The hows and whys are considered.

The strange, wet summer resulted in several plants doing poorly. Some failed to bear flower or fruit. Others struggled to grow and still others thrived. How and why did this happen? Rain prevented timely pollination, plants in areas that got water logged were unhappy, others on higher ground loved the rain. This tells me if I need to relocate or replace certain plants – that’s something within my power. However, I cannot control shifting weather patterns and its impact on pollination. I check the plants who showed resilience – perhaps more of those should be introduced in the garden. Edit the members that do not have the staying power of a changing climate.

I reflect on how my designs fared. The success or failure of color schemes. My choices of plants need adjusting and adapting all the time. How can to do better is a constant quest. I learn all the time. My focus is to grow mostly native plants most adapted to my area. Within this lot, I look for form and function – they must look good, integrate well with the whole design, attract pollinators, provide color/shape/texture/movement/structure/flowers and/or fruit. Staying power through all the seasons is a bonus.

This is the time to think about what is lacking, where the gaps are. I take into account soil conditions, surrounding tree growth that has changed an area from sunny to more shady and, other growth requirements.

Similarly, I go over my notes, if any, from November about the hardscape. Did the wet summer rot a fence post or was it carpenter bees making too many holes in it? That factor would need me to consider if a simple replacement is sufficient or must I change the choice of the material of all the posts. Faded or peeling paint of structures or outdoor furniture, a pathways that isn’t quite intuitive – does it need tweaking or a whole relaying.

I make notes and then depending on the answers to all the questions, I do the necessary research to eliminate problems, introduce new plants or more of old ones, take out or bring in a special feature, plan a wholly different section. December provides a gardener with the luxury of time to really think about all the minutiae. Stuff that easily gets overlooked at other times but contributes enormously to the success of gardening.

Personally, I find this exercise a wonderful antidote to all the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season. It provides a mental escape and the satisfaction of knowing at the end of which awaits a proper plan of action to start the New Year on the right footing.

Happy Holidays one and all. I’ll be back in the New Year. And now, I return to enjoying my time in equatorial Singapore.

Note: Some scenes from Singapore – Horticulture, art, street scenes and such.

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After The Festive Frenzy

Posted on November 28, 2023 by shobha

We’re in post-Thanksgiving recovery mode. I don’t know about anyone else but, in my home, the entire long weekend is fraught with happenings. There’s the preparing first – for company and The Meal. Overnight guest quarters readied, grocery shopping done, menus planned, house put to order etc.,. Then, between the many meals (including the big one) and all the catching up and conversations, interspersed with brisk walks, raucous parlor games like Charades, excursions to see the season’s decorations and displays ( they start earlier and earlier), the four days fly by. It’s all good and yet, once over, I’m left with a desperate need for respite – a retreat to restore my energy and find my mental balance.

As much as I adore this Holiday and look forward to it as no other, I’m always ready for a breather come Monday. The quiet of the garden beckons for a moment of rest. No work, not even a tiny bit of tidy up is encouraged. Simply the welcome embrace of a most soothing calm to enjoy.

I stand in the meadow, close my eyes and inhale deeply the crisp, cool air – like a deep cleanse, all the cobwebs in my head disappear. Suddenly, I’m made more aware of where I am and the activities going on around me.

I hear the rustle of leaves still clinging to limbs like lovers reluctant to say goodbye. The birds are very much in evidence – flashes of color brightening up the mostly monochromatic brown landscape. They’re busy chattering and winging there way around on missions only they know and are actually quite loud. In my fatigue from partying all weekend, I had failed to notice them at first!

I smell wood-smoke from neighboring houses and imagine neighbors decompressing by the fireside. The sunlight warming my face eases me into a state of bliss as I scan shrubs for the vernal promise of nascent buds. I watch squirrels hurrying around like the Mad Hatter – what are they late for? Small stirrings in the leaf litter tell me of tiny critters too busy to mind my presence. My random footfall disturbs one of the resident garden snakes; he looks none too happy to be aroused and after a brief, futile attempt at looking menacing, he slithers into a pile of leaves near by.

It had rained hard overnight so, the soil is still wet and renders the grass dewy and very green. I resist the temptation to slip my shoes and socks off and feel the earth in bare feet. But, I can imagine the tickle of squelchy, cold soil. The witch-hazel in the far corner by the woods sends out tendrils of fragrance reminding me what season it really is.

Despite the untenanted appearance, the garden is very much alive with all manner of busy. There’s a plethora of movement and sound, smells and texture. I’ve only been out here for a half hour or so but in that short time, I’ve been recharged and refreshed. Ready to get on with the demands of the day. But perhaps I’ll remain a little while longer – it just feels so good to take in all the details of Nature’s seasonal offerings. Puts into perspective what really matters and how blessed I am.

Thanksgiving is not just a day. It is always.

Note: Here are some images from my visit a week ago to the NYBG. So many ideas for creating more autumn drama in our own gardens –

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Rest And Review

Posted on November 15, 2023 by shobha

I’m taking my cue from Nature and slowly easing into a state of rest. Not quite the sit back and put my feet up kind of rest – at least not yet. That comes later in late December into January. For now, I’m just taking long pauses to enjoy the last of autumn and think about this past growing season.

With most of the essential garden chores completed, these slow days are very welcome. It’s a golden opportunity to linger outside and take the time to access the garden at a leisurely pace.

With the bones of the garden clearly visible, it becomes apparent if something is amiss. What needs repair, refreshing or replacing can be easily determined. With myriad photographs to refer to, I then consider how the plants did – individually as well as in relation to its neighbors. Did everyone get along? Who were the prima donnas? Who didn’t meet expectations? Who exceeded expectations? Which members went rogue? Did colors , combinations and designs work out? What could be subtracted or added or changed? These are the questions I ask. I make notes.

This review is a sort of stock taking. No judgment, no excuses, no bias – a simple report card. I make a list of all my observances and those will be considered later in December when I am indeed on the couch, feet up, libation of choice in hand and preferably with a roaring fire near by.

Like Nature, I’m slowing my pace. From a fast Salsa I ease into a slow Waltz. The body and mind are ready for a respite of an unhurried, measured rhythm. In partnership with Earth herself, I too need the winter to rest and refresh.

Senescence in the garden –

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Act Of Faith

Posted on November 7, 2023 by shobha

Bulb planting got done last weekend. All of a 1000 give or take a few. The weather cooperated beautifully. Sunny, not too windy and comfortably cool conditions made the daunting task much easier to tackle. I say daunting because it is. There are so many holes to dig, drop a bulb and then fill back whilst maneuvering ones way around myriad established perennials. In my garden, it takes two days of steady planting by a team of two minimum. One drills holes the other fills.

In the past, I did the whole thing myself. But age catches up and help is necessary – family is roped in. I’m immensely grateful for their willingness to go along with my horticultural ambitions or, as they like to call it, my craziness. This year, I’ve been handicapped by wayward knees so it has been particularly meaningful to get the support of loved ones.

Like a child of a farming family taking time from school to help with planting/harvest, my daughter drove down from her graduate school in Ithaca to do her fair share in getting the bulb planting done. I’m thinking next year, I’ll try to get her cohorts from school to join in and give my husband a break!

Despite having a direct, realistic understanding of the weather patterns and climate shifts, the loss, reduction or changes in certain flora and/or fauna of value to the ecosystem, gardeners are an optimistic lot. The very business of gardening is about the future. What I plant now will only yield in time ahead. Through all the vagaries of the weather and general circumstances, on pure faith we sow, plant, water, feed, weed and nurture. It’s going to be just fine – we feel this viscerally. It would be impossible to garden without that conviction.

When it comes to bulb planting, it takes an extra dose of faith. The bulbs look innocuous – brown, rotund, little nuggets full of the promise of a beautiful tomorrow. With the goal of celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of spring, we envision the flowers put forth by the myriad bulbs and plant. We bury the bulbs in cavities of appropriate depths scattered through beds and meadow and come away with the conviction that they will deliver. Our full trust in Nature is commendable. In our interactions with other humans we do not display quite the same degree of faith. Human nature seems so much more fickle and treacherous than Nature herself.

Currently, at a time when we cannot ignore the acts and words of so many people within our midst as well as afar that demonstrate the worst of human traits, we must seek solace somewhere. That somewhere is a garden – ones own or elsewhere. Here, we find comfort and courage to face the future. In planting a bulb, a seed or a young plant, we firmly express our faith that there will be better tomorrow. Life would simply be unbearable otherwise.

Note: I encourage those without gardens to grow something(s) in a pot. A houseplant, an amaryllis, micro-greens, anything. I promise, you will feel so much better as you watch it grow. Have faith.

Images of bulb planting this past weekend – A mix of assorted tulips, alliums, camassia, fritillaria and ornithogalums were this year’s choice.

Unpacking the boxes of bulbs. What was I thinking when I ordered so many?!!!

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November! Last Call!

Posted on October 31, 2023 by shobha

November! The month of winding down the gardening, finding comfort indoors and giving thanks. A month for review and gratitude. This gift of time behooves me to use it well. As I go about the final round of garden chores, I take stock of how things went for both garden and gardener. Were expectations met? Did I do right by my covenant to do no harm? What balls were dropped? What were the successes/failures? It’s an inventory of what all has happened in the garden this passing year.

I make note of my assessments and observations. In December, I will reflect on the points. But for now I must get the remaining chores completed.

Things To Do In November

1. First and foremost, put away all Halloween decorations. Set up Thanksgiving displays – gourds, pumpkins, ornamental kales and cabbages, chrysanthemums and asters.

2. Having cut back plants and cleared debris, mulch all plant beds with fallen leaves and/or bark chips. Putting down layers of newspaper or opened up paper grocery bags over the soil and then covering with fallen leaves is a really good, eco-friendly, sustainable practice.

3. Hurry up and finish all pending tasks from last month!

4. Finish planting spring flowering bulbs.

5. Protect pots to be left outdoors, vulnerable plants such as boxwood, certain roses, and garden statuary.

6. Reinstall and fill bird feeders. Note: in my area, we are cautioned to not put up feeders due to bear sightings.

7. Be prepared for snow and ice. Keep snow shovels, grit or sand, firewood stocked and handy.

8. In case of power outage, have candles, flashlights, matches and batteries on the ready. A radio too – I have a radio that uses batteries but it can also be charged up by mechanical cranking. Came in handy when a few years ago we lost power and Internet for a whole week due to Hurricane Sandy.

9. Finish raking leaves. Remember, leaving fallen leaves in place is encouraged. I keep only the various paths and my tiny lawn clear as the former needs to be kept safe for passage and the latter risks getting smothered to death if the thick pile of leaves shed from surrounding trees are left in place. Those leaves on the lawn are raked and distributed over the adjacent beds.

10. Clean and store tools. Get appropriate ones sharpened.

11. Start setting aside seed and plant catalogs. Soon you will be planning for next year!

12. While the weather is pleasant enough, keep on weed watch!

13. In the greenhouse, be sure the heater is doing its job. Ventilation is also important to keep plants healthy.

14. Start a routine for regular watering of plants indoors. Keep vigil for early signs of pests or disease.

15. Start growing amaryllis and paperwhites for seasonal cheer. Similarly, put bulbs such as hyacinths, muscari , crocus and tulips in for cooling. (I use my refrigerator). In about fourteen to eighteen weeks, you can start forcing them and pretend it is spring indoors!

16. Enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving. Plan for it.

Some scenes from the garden and home –

Brugamansia giving a final hurrah for the season. I brought it indoors to best enjoy its beauty and fragrance.

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Glimmers In The Gloaming Of The Garden

Posted on October 17, 2023 by shobha

At this time of year, there is an ethereal quality to the light so special that I’m moved to pause and simply bathe in it. Neither warm nor cool, it skims over my person as if to reassure me that it is real and is here to close out the days of warm weather with grace and beauty. Come late afternoon, the low slants of beams set the garden aglow. Every plant appears gilded, every wing speckled in gold dust. The golden hour of a day, a season, a year.

In the gloaming are revealed glimmers that bring so much joy, such unparalleled beauty.

Going about the myriad chores of the season, it is easy to miss the glimmers. But, I’ve learned over the years to slow down, sit down even, in order to do justice to this seasonal gift from Nature. How else would I be at liberty to observe the iridescent clusters of mason bees having one final fling with the mass of asters before the first frost claims the flowers for itself and the revelers go into hibernation.

The Amsonia scattered at various points of the garden grab the light to draw attention to themselves – their leaves having turned a bright yellow shout for attention as the rays of sunlight sets it afire. In contrast, the burgundy leaves of the oakleaf hydrangea appear like smoldering embers when back lit.

As leaves from surrounding trees silently swirl and twirl down in a bolero guided by the music of the wind only they can hear, I’m suddenly conscious of the air turning cold and pull my coat tighter. I feel privileged to have witnessed this collaborative performance of natural elements that feels both intimate and public at the same time.

In the midst of decay and senescence, my eyes stop at a tumble of rambunctious nasturtiums. The happily trailing plant still wears leaves that radiate emerald green punctuated by flowers of brilliant vermilion – as though it’s celebrating something known only to itself. I’m envious of its carefree ways.

Soon, I will harvest the leaves to make one final batch of pesto to freeze for winter meals. Memories of the growing season and dreams for the one to come will be indulged.

The hydrangea have begun to blush deeply and I take a break from some tedious chores to cut armloads of the flowers – to bring them indoors to fill big white, ironstone pitchers. They mark the season in a most graceful manner. With such a large bounty, I’m able to share it with those who enjoy them as much. Spreading the joy is a gardener’s perk.

The hydrangea perform once again at the holidays. Sprayed in gold, they light up the dark corners of the interior and chase away the melancholic shadows.

This being the time to divide plants, there are several that need to be attended in my garden. Particularly the ever exuberant asters, goldenrods and wood anemones. All beloved natives that surely every garden must welcome but they do need to be reined in periodically. All my ‘extras’ are readily accepted by friends and neighbors. It pleases me no end that a piece of my garden resides in theirs. Just as my own garden cherishes quite a few members that arrived from similar acts of generosity.

Continuing the spirit of sharing, in getting the plants ready for the greenhouse, a great deal of pruning and cutting occurs. From the rosemary and bay plants, I make little bundles of the cuttings and give them away to the keen cooks in my life. The thought that they will enjoy many winter meals perfumed by the herbs is enough to warm my heart. There really is joy in giving.

Small, subtle glimmers. Expansive, enduring bliss.

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To Cut Or Not To Cut – That Is The Conundrum

Posted on October 10, 2023 by shobha

Now that the big task of getting the many ( including some very large) plants trimmed, washed and moved into the greenhouse, I’m feeling rather relieved. It’s usually a race against time to get this job done before tender perennials and tropicals are subjected to an early frost. Not so this year – I’ve had the luxury of taking my time to give adequate attention to each plant. And I’m grateful for it. Even so, its a bit disconcerting that temperatures haven’t really dipped as expected. Wonder how fall and winter will pan out.

The task at hand is the clean up of garden beds and the meadow. There’s a great deal of direction to delay cutting back of plants till the spring. Leave them be for birds to forage and to provide winter interest. I have two problems with that. Firstly, my spring blooming bulbs are planted every fall within those areas. So, fully grown plants preclude proper bulb planting. One cannot get into the beds and plant around them – I tried it one year and it was ridiculously hard. I was left severely scratched up and had body parts complaining loudly of the torture of being subjected to contorting my way around.

Secondly, by late fall/early winter, any seed heads left on the plants are depleted of seeds. They’ve given it their all. Any foraging or sheltering to be done happens at ground level. And, after the first big snowfall, any upright plant is smothered down. No poetically charming winter interest to be had by way of swaying stalks or dramatic seed pods. Then, in spring, after the snow has melted, its all one slimy, unsightly mess. The task of clearing it up is gross and if not removed, the glorious emergence of the bulbs is spoiled.

However, since I’m a believer in providing for the critters and doing good things for the environment, I’ve hit a happy compromise. The beds of perennial plants stay up till the very day before bulb planting commences. This is usually during the second week of November. My cue to schedule Bulb Planting Days is when the shipment arrives – they send it at the appropriate time according to Hardiness Zones. All the cuttings are moved to the compost heap.
After bulb planting is completed, leaves fallen over the tiny lawn are removed and used as mulch over these beds.
Note: This week, I’ll be dividing certain perennials and replanting.

Similarly, in the meadow, the cut back happens just before the bulbs must go in. Here however, several plants are left to stand – they remain full in form and provide good hideaways for the fauna. The heavy leaf fall in the meadow is left in place as well. So there is really adequate food and shelter here as well as in the adjoining woods. Other shrubs on the property also provide for the wildlife.

The general cut back and clean up permits work that needs to get done now and also sets up the garden for a comfortable segue way to the spring season. Nothing is left too pristine or lifeless. Neat but not too neat though, to some human visitors, it is not neat enough!
Ultimately, I remain with the sense of satisfaction of doing what really works for my garden without neglecting the creatures that inhabit it. No principles need be compromised.

Such a balance is possible in every garden. It isn’t ever all or nothing. We don’t have to do everything the ‘experts’ say – just as in child rearing, a sincere gardener must take into account the data and current practices, then apply their own understanding, instinct and judgment to do what is best for their specific gardens and the environment at large. We are, after all, the privileged and benevolent custodians of our piece of land. As we are of our children. Neither truly belong to us.

A few images of goings on in the greenhouse, meadow and elsewhere in the garden:

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Seeds of Design

by Shobha Vanchiswar

Category Archives: The Garden Demystified

Getting Started

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Coming Home

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Resolving January

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December Decisions

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After The Festive Frenzy

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Rest And Review

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Act Of Faith

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November! Last Call!

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Glimmers In The Gloaming Of The Garden

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To Cut Or Not To Cut – That Is The Conundrum

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