December Doings

2024 feels like it’s been a long year does it not? Then why am I surprised that we’re already in December? It must be because Thanksgiving was so late that we’ve had no transition time to make our way over to the holiday frenzy. Well, never mind. We are here and we’re going to make the most of it.

The part I like best about decorating for the season is using the bounty from the garden. From late summer on, I save interesting leaves, branches, seed pods and anything else that catches my fancy from prunings and such. This year, a giant wreath of preserved magnolia leaves was created and it has been waiting to be commissioned since October. I shall insert in the preserved leaves of the oak-leaf hydrangea, okra and agapanthus seed pods, some allium heads I’d gilded last year and await everyone’s cries of approval. Otherwise, there will be coal in their stockings.

The many amaryllis I started a few weeks ago will begin to bloom in a week or so and matters should look festive for some good fa la la fun.

But first, there’s still the odd garden chore(s) to tend. So, here is the December to-do list:

1. Hurry up and finish any pending plant protecting tasks! Ditto for statuary and other articles left outdoors.

2. Complete mulching all plants.

3. Drain out all outdoor water pipes. Store hoses properly.

4. Keep bird feeders filled.

5. Keep on top of watering plants in greenhouse and house. Stay vigilant for signs of pests or disease.

6. Set aside seed and plant catalogs for making plans for next year’s growing seasons.

7. Archive garden photos taken through this year. They will come in handy when you design for next year.

8. Enjoy paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs blooming indoors.

9. Make use of this down time and relax! Don’t let the Holiday Season wear you down.

Cheers.

Note: Since I haven’t as yet got any decorations actually installed, here are some trees from years past from my home and elsewhere:

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Gobbling With Grievances And Gratitude

Thanksgiving is exactly what we need right now. As the holiday that quietly reaffirms us as one nation coming together to count our blessings and give thanks as we break bread with family and friends, we are particularly primed for it this year. As much as such gatherings are invariably fraught with old grudges and grievances, it is, if we are honest, about reconnecting and recognizing the bonds that hold us together.

This week, I know too many people who are going to their usual Thanksgiving gatherings with a greater than usual degree of trepidation. And I’ve been giving this matter a lot of thought. How can we change this narrative? Naturally, I turned to the wisdom imparted from the garden.

To start, we must accept that we are each responsible for the situation we are in. That is the plain truth. Acknowledge it. It is no different from when we confront a big problem in the garden. Take for instance the fall of a mighty tree that causes some significant and costly damage. Our first instinct is to blame it on the storm that felled the tree down. But the storm didn’t arrive specifically to cause that damage. It has no hidden reason. If we can concede that, then, we must look deeper and find the true cause(s).

So, first, lets consider individual responsibility. If I was the gardener I’d have to ask myself if I had done right by the tree. Was it in the right location? Was the tree suitable to the area and hence accordingly hardy? Had it been pruned and/or braced appropriately? Was it fed and watered regularly? Had I done due diligence in monitoring its health? What had I, if at all, neglected to do? It’s only in clearing my conscience fully can I then look elsewhere to ascertain the cause.

Collective responsibility – did we as gardeners/residents in the neighborhood ignore signs that should’ve raised a few red flags? Or, worse, did any of us choose to keep silent about something we observed “because it was not our business?” “ Not our problem!”? Not speaking up, failing to share information, conveying said information with clarity, lending a helping hand are all matters that concern everybody.

If individually or collectively we are fully absolved of any or all dereliction of duty, then and only then might we say it was singularly the storm that made the tree fall. You see my point? At this time, I’m not going to get started on the human factor in the changing climate resulting in more fierce and frequent storms happening everywhere!

I think I’ve made my case. We are all, directly or indirectly connected and part of a greater whole. We need to focus on how to be better. Do better. If only to keep coming together for Thanksgiving and celebrating this one life we each have been given.

So this year, make that decision to arrive at the holiday table with a resolve to set aside grievances. Avoid all conversation/debate about the elephant in the room if you can! Seriously. Let that matter be until each person has made peace with him/herself. For now, unclench your fist to offer an open hand. Declare a tentative truce. Instead, concentrate on the ties that make you family, shared histories and genes, common interests, play some games that everyone can enjoy ( Charades is my go to). Just maybe, it’ll be a whole lot more fun than you could’ve imagined.

Lets not give up before we even try.

For now, lets clear up the debris, review the state of the damage in the garden and make firm efforts to repair, replace, restore. In time, a new tree will be planted and we shall grow it to be mighty.

From the bottom of my heart I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Enjoy the beauty and majesty of some trees that captivated me this year :

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Moving Forward Because, We Are Not Going Back!

My garden is not what it was 20 years ago or even 2 years ago. Neither am I who I was 20 or 2 years ago! Time changes everything. Indeed, it must make change happen. Otherwise, we’d be at a standstill. No growth of any kind within ourselves or in the living world could only portend disaster. Life is about moving forward. Hopefully towards the light.

A garden, by nature, evolves. Plants grow and in time they fill out spaces sidling up to neighbors to form a matrix of colors and textures. Trees grow tall and transform areas from sunny to shady. Weather patterns shift and planting patterns are shaken up. All this without any help from human intervention! But of course, the gardener must do her interfering. New plants, new design ideas and new purchases have to be accommodated fairly often. At the very least I tweak and at the very most I overhaul.

Just this year alone, because of the necessary drainage project, the two front beds had to be dug up and then replanted. Despite saving many old plants, we lost several longstanding members in the process. Replacements plus new additions were put in. And just like that, these beds are no longer how they used to be. With any luck, they will be better. At least that is always the goal isn’t it?

This project was not entirely a surprise. There was always the need and intent to do it but nothing definitive had been penciled in. So I was a bit unprepared for the upheaval it caused in the garden and in my heart. But, having learned from the garden that nothing stays the same, I was, after a spot of feeling grumbling, able to get on board, accept the situation, make new plans for the old beds.

Similarly, setbacks in life have to be handled. In the face of defeat, we cannot keep looking back and yearning for what was and/or what might have been. While sadness, fear and anger are valid emotions to feel and must be acknowledged, we cannot move towards the light until we let go of the darkness. It might take a while but we will get there. One day at a time.

Imagine the world/garden we seek and lets figure out how to make it a reality. We plan, research, acquire required skills, sources and resources, create the right conditions, introduce our ideas/plants, give or get the appropriate support, nurture them all diligently, give time and patience to effect the envisioned change. Then and only then will we have moved forward. Turning back is never an option.

Note: Enjoy these images from the 2024 New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show. It’s fun, joyous, very creative and oh so inspiring!

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Leaning Into The Garden

What a week it was. Confusing, concerning and uncertain about what lies ahead for half the nation and jubilant for the other. I fall into the former category and I’m taking time to process, reflect and regroup. Giving oneself grace is perhaps the singular most requisite right now. As always, at such times, I look to the garden for guidance. Leaning into nature always heals and instructs.

Taking my concerns one by one, the garden is showing me how to understand, what to accept/take action and, sort through my emotions in order to think calmly and constructively. Most importantly, it teaches to have faith that my efforts to do good will help in the larger context to improve the world.

First and foremost, accept loss/failure. As a gardener, I’m all too familiar with losing plants or the dissipation of key features – watching them destroyed by weather or my own fault in neglecting to do due diligence of their needs. Acknowledging the loss is key. It is the first step to healing, to make right. It is how we take responsibility to move forward. Just as we learn to get past the loss of a plant(s) and replant with new ones, repair or replace a structure, redesign a bed, we must now assess the situation and decide what can be done. Feeling bad, sad, angry, fearful and hurt is normal. What we do about it is what defines who we are. And the garden teaches that the only way forward is to believe that better will come but, only if we participate in making that happen. This means reaching out to neighbors, the community and finding ways to engage with each other to lift us all up.

In no way am I trying to make this seem simple because it is not. This preliminary move is perhaps the hardest. To overcome the division and distance between ourselves is a huge ask. I struggle with that. But I know I must make my best effort. One person at a time. It is the only way to effect positive change. It’s going to require patience, forbearance and fortitude at an unprecedented level. However, this much I believe – it can be done. Just as gardens have been slowly and painstakingly recreated and resurrected from utter devastation by floods and fires to new grace and glory, we as a nation must do the very hard work of coming together.

On my part, after I have taken the time to cool my outrage, soothe my heart, repair frayed nerves, I will strengthen my resolve and take courage to be the person I want to be. It will happen over some time and I will be patient with myself. After all, if I cannot overcome how I feel, how can I expect as much from anyone else? My initial efforts have started with focus on primarily my immediate world – to be a better neighbor. Since the pandemic, there have been a number of new families I have yet to meet. I’m considering how best to connect – a holiday open house for all? Or drop off home-baked cookies and/or holiday cards to connect with the new neighbors and reconnect with the old? Just as new plants are welcomed into my garden and helped to assimilate with the others or new features introduced to enhance the garden as a whole, I intend to do the work of bringing people together. Comfort is found in the company of good neighbors.

Note: There are many other lessons pertinent to our current conditions and I will share them in the coming weeks. Change takes time so lets be patient with ourselves and each other. Take it one step at a time. The journey will be arduous so lets do what we can to stay healthy and strong in mind, body and spirit. We are in this together.

Here are images from 2020 – another very difficult, scary and uncertain time fraught with division. We got through that didn’t we? Most photos are from my garden, a few are from my forays elsewhere –

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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November Is Lit!

This year, the month starts auspiciously with the celebration of Diwali – the festival of lights. The biggest Indian festival that is all about the triumph of good over evil. Lights of all manner illuminate homes, streets, neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities. Sweets of every sort are prepared or purchased, distributed, shared and consumed. New clothes are worn and duly shown off. Fireworks light up the skies all over the country. It is one hugely joyous time.

I myself am getting ready for the Diwali celebration at home albeit in a significantly smaller scale. The house will be sparkling with a significant number of candles. Outdoors, the solar powered lights have been set up. We in the lower Hudson Valley are currently on a red flag alert because of the very dry spell we have been experiencing. So fire pits and other kinds of hazards that could start a forest fire are banned. Should it be lifted by Friday, we plan to enjoy sparklers and light traditional Indian oil lamps. We, a small diverse group of family and friends will make merry and dine in good fun and fellowship.

The great bulb planting marathon is scheduled for this weekend. And they will light up the spring garden. I can already see it in my mind’s eye. Bulb planting is all about having faith in the future – that it will be better.

The elephant in the room or should I say in the month is of course the elections. Exactly a week away. To say I am totally stressed out is an understatement. Which is why this year, both Diwali and bulb planting have taken on a larger significance. My most sincere hope is for this nation to unite and preserve our democracy. A nation that values integrity, honesty, kindness, compassion, empathy, diversity, equality and inclusivity – traits that are the hallmark of our humanity and a great civilization.

So be sure to make your voice heard with your vote. Vote with your conscience and your heart.

And now, here is the to-do list for November –

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

2. Having cut back plants and cleared debris, mulch all plant beds.

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. Fill bird feeders.

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.

9. Finish raking leaves. But, as far as possible let fallen leaves remain as is to mulch, provide shelter to small critters and subsequently enrich the soil as they naturally decay. I only clear the tiny front front lawn and walking paths. Those leaves get blown into the beds. The leaves in the meadow are not touched.

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!

16. Enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving.

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Worried About Weird

October – the month of strange and spooky sights culminating in the grand finale that is Halloween. But this year, the weather has decided to go all in and turned positively weird. And I’m a bit rattled. The month began typically enough with temperatures dipping as the days got distinctly shorter. That signaled to me to get cracking with the Fall chores in the garden. Having been away a while, I was behind in tasks like getting the greenhouse cleaned and its winter residents prepared for the move in. So I hustled. A few plants were already showing some stress from having been kept outdoors a tad too long. Finally, this past weekend the whole project got done. Whew!

However, by aforementioned weekend, the temperature had climbed to suggest we were back to summer. Sunny and warm felt great personally but not for this time of October in the garden. Positively unsettling. While most plants are retiring for the season and many have gone to seed, some, emboldened by the weather, have begun reblooming completely out of turn. It’s a confused state of affairs alright.

Meanwhile, weirdly, there was no sign of the shipment of bulbs that usually arrives by early October and I was getting a wee bit concerned. What a relief when it was finally delivered late Saturday evening. But now, we were looking ahead at a whole week of daytime temperatures in the 70s going down to late 50s at night. Way too warm! For bulb planting, the soil temperature needs to be below 55 degrees. I’m hoping to plant over the first weekend in November. All my under-gardeners (okay family) have been told to be ready. I hate to consider postponing the great planting marathon. It’s a quandary that might be a foretelling of future gardening practices as the climate changes.

Until a few years ago, I planted bulbs in early October. That has been slowly delayed into November. To think of doing the job closer to Thanksgiving and beyond is weird. And there is also concern about the winter itself. Many bulbs require weeks of solid cold to bloom in Spring. Will we have that? And for how long? Worrisome for sure.

Other Fall chores like emptying, cleaning and putting away pots, winter-pruning hedges and shrubs, cutting back certain plants, draining and shutting off outdoor taps were also accomplished. Felt mighty odd to be doing the work in summer like weather. It’s been very dry here so the lack of rain is an additional bummer. What on earth is going on?!

But one thing I’m certain of – we gardeners are resilient and will figure out how to pivot and learn what needs to be changed, adjusted and adapted. Till then, we shall commiserate, complain and carry on gardening.

Scenes from the garden today – senescence, renaissance in the nonce!

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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October Rising

October Rising

Fall is well and truly here. Daylight arrives late as one who decided to sleep in a tad longer. The garden still abundant in blooms appears to have acquired distinctly autumnal colors. I step out to commune with the plants and the honed air slices through my linen shirt sending me hurrying inside to grab a shawl. Having only recently returned from vacation, there hasn’t been time to swap out the seasonal closet. But now, I’m taking my cues from the turning leaves and scheduling the retiring of lighter clothes and reemploying warmer wear. My heart however, has yet to let go of summer.

The myriad chores of the season await but first, I want to savor the days remaining when one can still linger outside basking in sparkling sunlight and boisterous beauty. Because Fall is, if nothing, lusty and lovely.

Things To Do In October

1. Yes, weeding continues!

2. Time to plant perennials and trees. Give a good dose of compost to each. Water regularly. Perennials already in place can be divided and re-planted as well.

3. Cut back all spent plants except what is needed for seasonal interest and what you’re saving for the birds.

4. Collect seeds. Store in labeled envelopes in a cool, dry space.

5. Last call to root cuttings of geraniums, coleus, rosemary etc.,

6. Get all pots of tender perennials into clean greenhouse or other winter shelters. Wash plants and pots thoroughly first – minimizes pest infestation.

7. Plant bulbs as weather gets consistently cooler. Bulbs can be planted until the soil freezes solid.

8. Rake leaves. Add to compost pile or deposit in woods. I leave a good part as is to protect the earth, provide winter refuge to critters and eventually nourish the soil when the leaves will naturally break down.

9. Give the compost heap a good stir.

10 Clean out vegetable garden except for cool weather plants that are still producing. Apply several inches of compost on cleared beds. Plant green manure to enrich the soil – optional.

11. Clean and put away (or cover) outdoor furniture.

12. Check what needs repairing, repainting, replacing and get to it!

15 Clean all equipment and tools. Store neatly.

16. As temperatures plummet, protect tender shrubs and immovable  frost sensitive pots and statuary. I cover the former with burlap and for the latter, I first cover with sturdy plastic and then use burlap so it looks halfway decent.

17. Remove suckers from ornamental and fruit trees. Prune roses and wisteria. Remove dead and decaying limbs from all plants.

18. Fill up bird feeders. Keep them filled through the winter. Put up nest boxes for the spring.

19. Get into the autumnal spirit – fill window boxes and urns with seasonal plants and produce.

13. Lift tender bulbs, corms and tubers such as dahlias and canna. Store in dry, frost-free place. As I grow mine in pots, I merely cut the plants down and move the pots into the basement where they will spend the winter in dormancy.

14. Drain and close all outdoor water faucets. Empty rain barrel and hoses. Store.

My terrace and meadow right now –

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Climate Change Is Cruel

We have been talking about Climate Change for many years now. From the days of hearing about the hole in the ozone layer (remember that?), global warming (old term) has been on the radar pretty much consistently. Those of us who work in/with Nature are the canaries of Climate Change. We notice any anomaly that occurs in the environment.

Over the last few years, I’ve observed a diminished number of butterflies in the garden. My organically maintained garden full of butterfly magnets for plants used to see a diverse range of butterflies but now hosts fewer and fewer of them and that is cause for concern. Grave concern. I’ve spent countless hours trying to understand what’s happening. Was it something I said to put off the beloved visitors? Frivolity aside, I really have agonized over the situation. I’ve questioned every action taken and have failed to find an explanation. But, there are distinct possibilities.

Two things seem plausible. They are not really separate but rather belong to a cause and effect scenario. The first, is that a few years ago, a neighbor began using a landscaping service to spray their property with an ‘organic’ chemical to kill whatever ticks might be around. Now, any spray of any kind, from simple vinegar solutions to aforementioned organic solutions to synthetic inorganic compounds is never specific. They kill any vulnerable bug – good and bad. They are not bug specific. And while a property is being treated, the wind carries the spray well beyond the property lines. I have no doubt that over the years my garden has received its fair share of that organic application every two months during the growth seasons. Hence, adults, larvae or eggs of good insects have possibly been killed. A crying shame of a terrible loss.

Additionally, these neighbors actually do not garden at all. It’s all mostly closely cropped grass lawns. Nothing would want to or could live there! The way to keep the tick population down is to have lots of plants attractive to birds and other pollinators which would control those darn ticks. This logic completely eludes the neighbors. I also have great concern for the long term health consequences for their young children and dogs who play on the sprayed grass. It’s all very frustrating.

The other factor is of course the climate that is indeed changing. We’re all contending with milder winters, too much rain, too little rain, unprecedented heat, frequent and more fierce storms – all wildly alarming. As a result, the native flora and fauna that have co-evolved are thrown out of sync. Spring arrives ahead of schedule because of the warmer winter preceding it. Flowers bloom but they are earlier than expected and their specific pollinator are not present. They either have yet to return from their winter retreats or are still to awaken from their seasonal sleep.

This year, the milkweeds and several other plants bloomed too early – no doubt because of the very hot temperatures in June and July. Well before many butterflies show up. I have, to date, this season, noted only a couple of swallowtails and exactly one Monarch. Really sad.

Other plants are late to bloom. So the eternal optimist in me is hoping the butterflies will show up when those tardy flowers decide to perform.

And then, there is the sad fact that because of the prolonged heat wave(s), lack of timely rain followed by too much rain, all the nicely developing fruits such as apples, pears and persimmons have dropped off. Nary a fruit remains. I’m trying to understand how, if at all, to handle the shifting climate which, in truth, is a moving target. Any thoughts?

Meanwhile, the dreaded Spotted Lantern fly has reached my part of world. Ugh. Unsurprisingly, they were first seen on the Concord grapevine and were ruthlessly crushed right away. The bugs not the grapes. If the grape harvest will happen at all remains to be seen. The pests have been seen elsewhere in the garden as well. Again, vinegar or soap sprays are recommended but I’m not sure they will actually work because they must come in direct contact with the bugs. In which case, if I can actually see them, I might as well crush them and thereby prevent spraying any beneficial critters hanging around.

On inquiring how a couple of public gardens in my area are dealing with this particular pest, I’m told they vacuum them when they’re seen. Beyond that, they’ve noticed some predation but are awaiting for some sort of natural balance to occur. In my garden, we’re counting on the birds to come feast on the pests! So, we are back to saying that we must plant to support the beneficial wildlife!

Tried and true old fashioned knowledge and practices are going to have to be revived and made de rigueur.

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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At Last!

At last it’s feeling like a normal August. Warm but not insanely so. Humid but not soupy. After weeks and weeks of awful conditions, I spent this past weekend deliriously happy to be in the garden. Mosquitoes notwithstanding, it was sheer joy to be taking care of a myriad chores.

The weeds had gone to town – clearly they thoroughly appreciated the fact that they could thrived unfettered whilst the gardener took refuge from the high temperatures and/or heavy rains. A good number of hours were spent at this task. Many areas got divested of the opportunists and you could almost hear those spaces breathe with relief. Things are now looking cared for so the Horticultural Social Services will not find reason to take away my custody of this piece of paradise.

I cut back plants both in beds and in pots giving them the chance to rest a bit before putting out fresh growth. They should do well till the fall weather arrives. A few plants will even put out a second flush of flowers.

Some of the younger espaliers were in desperate need of pruning – in order to keep their assigned patterns, all wayward limbs were removed. The persimmon candelabra, quince cordon and magnolia fan look so much better now. Espalier is all about training plants to grow in a specific design and oversight is necessary to train and maintain them accordingly.

After cutting several branches of the magnolia, it seemed too much of a shame to simply toss them on the compost heap. They deserved to be made into a wreath or garland. But I knew the leaves needed a treatment of sorts to keep their fresh look. A quick search online gave me the method to use – Submerge the magnolia leaves in a solution of glycerin and hot water (1:2 ratio) for 4 days, then let them dry off fully before using them. Simple right? Certainly worth a shot.

Our local pharmacies do not carry glycerin so it was ordered online and by weeks end the treatment should be underway. If all goes well, a nice homegrown magnolia wreath will be adorning the front door this holiday season. Fingers crossed.

It wasn’t all work in the garden. Al fresco meals were enjoyed. I observed the hummingbirds jockey for first dibs at the feeder while they also made their rounds of the hibiscus, agapanthus and the charming red trumpets of the cardinal vine. The goldfinches seem to have made claim of the coneflowers growing madly at the base of the Concord grape arbor. In the meadow, the Monarchs have discovered a myriad of treats.

Does this gardener’s heart good to see the garden being graced by them all.

After too long I am at last thoroughly enjoying puttering around the garden. May August make up for the disappointment of June and July.

Sharing more photographs taken by @brosnahan_arts –

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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Draining Disruptions

Just when the summer garden is hitting its peak and one is tempted to sit back a bit for extended hours of basking in the glow of job well done, comes along a project that can no longer be ignored or put off. In a couple of weeks the two perennials beds in the front garden and most of the length of the side path are going to be dug up to get some drainage problems resolved.

For years now, every time we experienced a really ferocious bout of rain, where the rate of falling water outpaced the rate of drainage, water seeped into the basement through those aforementioned foundation walls. A French drain in the unfinished basement could not cope with the water at such times so there’d be pools of water in various parts of the basement floor. Things would dry eventually and because the floor was built at a slight slope and opens out to the terrace, there is never a possibility of flooding. However, as we all know, letting damp linger around is not a good thing. For a good while I put off getting the situation remedied. Creating chaos in the garden made me procrastinate. However, with climate change, thunderstorms are happening more fiercely and frequently. The drainage problem simply had to be solved.

Out will come a large portion of perennials to make room for digging trenches 6 feet deep. Corrugated irrigation pipes placed at the bottom of the trenches after waterproofing the foundation walls that meets the garden, will allow rain water to be diverted to a dry well in the herb garden. A part of the herb garden will be temporarily dismantled to create that dry well. After all that work has been accomplished, the trenches will be filled back in and herb garden reestablished. Path and front beds replanted and order restored.

I chose August for this project because that meant the project would be completed well before bulb planting season. As much as I’m loathe to have my garden dug up, I’m using this opportunity to seriously and ruthlessly review the plantings. For some time now I’ve been thinking about redoing the front beds but its daunting to deal with established areas. Now however, with plants dug up anyway, one might as well execute the ideas and plant the plants that were just items on a wish list till now.

My initial resistance to starting this project is making way for creativity and the joy of new experiments with design and plants. I’d like to keep it simple but exciting. Not everything will be new. Some beloved longtime residents such as Baptisia, Joe Pye, phlox paniculata and such will be grandfathered in. I must find my wish-list of plants-to-try and make my selections. Source those plants preferably at my local nursery. No horticultural divas allowed of course. The human ones are bad enough.

My immediate challenge will be keeping the plants set aside for replanting safe and healthy till the whole project is completed. Fingers crossed no heat wave will occur. Plants evicted from the beds will be given new residences elsewhere in the garden. Some will be re homed in a friend’s new garden. No one will be cast away. The tenets of humanism will prevail. Always.

Note: In keeping with the theme of creating some disorder, here are some images of (mostly) the front beds in random order –

(c) 2024 Shobha Vanchiswar

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