New Family Member and Extreme Gardening

Here on the third floor of our house, I can hear the sounds of gentle rain on this quiet Sunday before Memorial day. Emily, my adult daughter, is home for the Holiday. She is downtown visiting with a friend.  I thought I would do some blogging.

Tomorrow we travel to Milwaukee for a family gathering. We will meet the newest addition to the family, Reagan, who is almost eight months old. Reagan, her mother, Andrea and father, Anthony,  live in San Francisco. Andrea is my niece through marriage. So this means, once again, I am a great uncle and Ann a great aunt for the first time. I have the status many times over since most of my thirteen brothers and sisters have children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ten of us are still on this earth. Oh my, this makes me a great, great uncle.

So, Reagan, welcome to Wisconsin and to the ancestral home of your Grandparents, Chuck and Kathy.

And now let's turn to extreme gardening. Extreme gardening refers to the conditions faced when working in the Prospect Gardens.  Large sections of the gardens have step grades and are covered with rip-rap or rock used to manage water erosion. Underneath the rock is a carpet-like weed barrier  installed to prevent weeds. That's been a total failure. Soil washes down the rocks and fills in the spaces, creating an ideal environment for weeds and invasive plants. Rocks were hidden from view when we started restoration nearly six years.  We reluctantly hired a contractor to "bomb" areas with  herbicides as the first step in the restoration process.

We have gained control of the weeds but vigilance is required. The following four pictures of my recent plantings of purple cone flowers illustrate what's involved in extreme gardening. The numerous and different shaped beds in areas with rocks were created and planted following these seven steps.

1.  Purchase top soil. If you are fastidious and use a car place tarp in a trunk. For this plantings I purchased four bags. Over the years, we have trucked in a lot of top soil.
   
   

2. Layout out a design for a flower bed. Dig through and remove rocks. This time I was lucky because the rock was only one layer and was easily removed. In some places, the rock can be almost a foot deep. Be mindful of your steps and footings because your body will be at an angle. If not mindful and careful you may loose your balance.  Safety belt attached to railing is optional.


3. Using a box cutter, slice and remove the carpet-like weed barrier. You will need a sharp cutter since the carpet is tough and thick.

 4. Fill bed with new soil to the top and gently compact the soil.

 5. Install plants, mulch and water. Also if you are so inclined offer prayers, incantations or wishes for growth and plant health. 

 
6. For at least a week, maybe longer, and depending on weather, water as needed.  We have access to city water, for a fee, through a connection with a nearby fire hydrant.


7. Enjoy watching plants grow and eventually bloom in what was once a weed infested area.