What IS YOUR FAVORITE PART of BEING in the GARDEN?
I love the sense of peace and tranquility I get from being in a garden.
There’s no better place to unwind – to disconnect from daily concerns and connect with a gentler rhythm.
IF you had no care for costs would your GARDEN be BIG or SMALL?
WHY?
If cost were no concern, I’d have to go for a LARGE GARDEN!
I’m thinking of the many grand gardens I’ve visited in Great Britain, places like Bodnant Garden, Snowshill Manor, Chatsworth House, and so many more, where the garden presents itself as a series of garden rooms.
I imagine what it would be like to follow your fancy to whichever garden room had the best blooms or scent or fit your mood on any particular day.
I’d also like space for a large potager, or kitchen garden, and room for a greenhouse or two!
DOES A GARDEN GIVE YOU ENERGY?
Does a garden give me energy? Now that’s an interesting question!
I most often go to the garden to relax but I suppose you can think of that as a means of cultivating a sense of lightness and gentle energy, as opposed to frenetic energy.
I do know that after spending time in the garden, I’m restored and better equipped to take on the day.
IF YOU HAD TO PICK THREE FAVORITE PLANTS WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
TELL US WHY if you can?
This is a hard one, so I’m going to go with the three plants that come to me and fits:
TOMATOES, because they are so versatile. – from freshly sliced heirlooms to tomato sauce on pizza. I can’t imagine life without tomatoes.
WISTERIA, because there’s nothing as magnificent as a wisteria in full bloom. Between the show-stopping flowers and the heady scent, wisteria always takes my breath away.
IRISES, because they may be my favorite flower. I especially like Douglas Iris, which is a California native and one of the first to bloom in my garden. But, really, I love all varieties, they’re delicate, yet strong, but never bold and brash.
PEONIES, because I can’t count to three and they are simply magnificent!
WHICH FLOWER MOST DESCRIBES YOUR PERSONALITY?
I relate best to lacecap hydrangeas. Here’s why: they prefer shady conditions; their flowers aren’t as showy as their better-known cousins the mophead varieties; they tend to wilt when it gets too hot, but a nice cool drink will revive them. That pretty much sums me up!
I only use a seaweed based fertilizer that I dilute with water.
It’s an all-purpose organic choice.
Although, I do fertilize my lemon tree and fuchsias with used tea leaves.
At what AGE did you start to GARDEN?
I don’t remember exactly when I started gardening, but some of my earliest childhood memories are of planting radishes. Why radishes?I don’t know…I don’t even like radishes. But remember planting them in our family garden. I think cosmos were the first flowers I planted, maybe at the age of 7 or 8. Both radishes and cosmos provide easy success for a young gardener!
Any Tricks for Deer or WILD TURKEYS?
The only trick I have for deer is to plant things with strong scents and stick leaves around the plants the deer prefer. They seem to avoid certain salvias, especially Salvia clevelandii, better than any deer deterrent I’ve tried. Our backyard is fenced to keep them out, but the deer literally raise their young in our front yard, but they don’t go near the salvia. The neighborhood turkeys haven’t figured out that our dog Maggie is more afraid of them, so they stay away.
Tell which season gives you the most JOY in descending order………
Favorite first than least favorite last!
SPRING because that’s when my garden looks its best. It’s also the season that’s so full of promise for the future. Watching plants reemerge after the winter is nothing short of miraculous, to me.
FALL, even I miss the explosion of fall color that I enjoyed back east, there are still trees in California that change color. And, I appreciate the Fall days and promise of rainfall.
WINTER, because we all need time to snuggle down and rest.
Summer is a tough one, because I appreciate the bounty of produce I get even from my few raised beds, but I really don’t like hot weather!
There’s nothing that I love more than an English cottage-style garden. I’m fortunate to be able to visit England every summer, and the highlight of our trips…you might even say, the main focus…is visiting gardens that are part of the National Trust.
When we lived in Alexandria, Virginia, we inherited a fabulous perennial garden from the previous homeowner. There was always something in bloom…and we had a wisteria that was a real show stopper. Cars would stop in front of our house to admire it.
When we moved to California 25 years ago,I had visions of recreating the beautiful garden I had in Virginia. The only problem is that the climates are drastically different. I killed a LOT of plants those first few years. I think it took me five years to finally come to terms with the fact that it really wouldn’t rain all summer. Frustrated with my lack of gardening success, I started to focus on plants that would attract wildlife. I’m quite taken by California quail, and I read somewhere that they like flowering currant, or ribes. I planted a few, and sure enough, we started seeing more quail in our yard. From there, I looked for plants that would attract pollinators, and overtime, developed a garden that is predominately California natives. Of course, there will always be room for non-native favorites, but the natives really do support a wider variety of wildlife.
Now when I garden, I take time to notice the birds that call our garden home, I like to think of them as my gardening buddies. We’ve watched generations of chicks hatch and enjoyed discovering how many varieties of bees visit our flowers. Best of all, native plants are generally drought tolerant, thereby requiring very little water and they seem to need less fussing. I’m lucky to have found a landscape designer who knows a tremendous amount about native and drought tolerant plants. Working with her, I’ve been able to create a garden that is always in bloom.
I’m adding my own question, because you asked it of someone earlier, and it’s the only one I had a ready answer for:(CONTESSA LOVES THAT YOU DID THIS!)
NAME TWO GARDENERS YOU’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE OVER FOR DINNER.
That’s easy, Monty Don and Beatrice Potter. Monty Don is the host of Gardeners World on the BBC (US viewers can watch him on BritBox). Not only is he extremely knowledgable about gardening, he approaches it with a sense of joy. It’s not an overstatement to say that Monty Don has helped me get through these uncertain pandemic times. I’ve been known to binge watch multiple episodes in one sitting. And, Beatrix Potter was a business woman and conservationist way ahead of her time. She bought acres and acres of land up England’s Lake District and later left over 4,000 acres to the National Trust. Plus, she raised sheep and was the first woman elected as president of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association.
LEAVE US WITH A GARDEN QUOTE…….PLEASE!
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
Lady Bird Johnson
THANK YOU PAT for a VISIT TO YOUR GARDEN and your STUNNING PHOTOS!
That mushroom looks FAKE?
The View the Flowers and the WILDLIFE SURROUND YOU!
Looks like PARADISE to ME!
PAT OWNS A SMALL BOOK STORE IN MY HOME TOWN OF ORINDA,CALIFORNIA.
If you want to SHOP SMALL and support HER;
she can be found on INSTAGRAM HERE at ORINDA BOOKS.
Or give the shop a RING……….925-254-7606.
MY bet is they can ORDER and ship just as FAST as THAT MAMMOTH AMAZON COMPANY!
Little secret…………they are steps away from the United States POSTAL OFFICE!
PAT LOVES TO WALK………….XX
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