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Copyright © 2012 by Diane LaSauce All rights Reserved
the path ahead
15 Sunday Apr 2012
Tag Archives: renewal
gardeners never die ~ they simply spade away
25 Sunday Mar 2012
Do you remember when your fingers first touched soil?
Perhaps your mother found you in the yard, covered in the stuff and quickly swept you off into the kitchen sink or bath tub for a scrub.
Remember those rough passes of the washcloth?
Perhaps you were left to explore, to taste, to roll, to laugh—an early imprint that would last a lifetime.
I was one of those children, who straddled a horse before I could walk; who was left in the garden to explore; who while running encountered a roofing nail in my foot; who inhaled a bee while running to see Papa George across the apple orchard — these memories imprinted before the age of seven.
I am now sixty-three.
Yet I still dig in the soil. Despite the aches and pains of pulled muscles, the cursing when bitten by dastardly insects, the relentless competition of weed populations, I continue to toil.
Could hardly wait to return to my hometown roots and establish my patch of ground —even while living in a tiny condo in a huge city, I claimed and cultivated the small area outside my door.
Another spring, another chore, another season to orchestrate. The miracle of cultivation never fails to call, inspire, reward, and sustain. I surmise that toiling in the soil grounds and otherwise nudges me to become more resilient.
This day I hear my mother’s voice of long ago—you can take the girl out of the country, yet you can never take the country out of the girl.
Now where is my spade?
the thing about renewal
08 Thursday Sep 2011
Posted in DIY project, DIY projects, garden, herb bed, Home Depot, landscape design, renewal
Tired herb bed June 2011 in central Virginia, zone 7a. This bed began in 2001.
Over a decade ago, this small patch was claimed out of the lawn and provides yummy ingredients for many of my annual pestos, while supplying host food (dill and parsley) for black swallowtail larvae.
Herb bed May 2011. Berms and swales were the first attempt in this herb bed, yet constant surface water from across the turf forced the assorted mulches onto the gravel, making this design a total failure. I originally had parsley, dill, French Tarragon, and chives placed here, just outside the kitchen door.
When I paused at this place early one summer morning, gazing with an objective eye, this workhorse herb bed appeared to scream time for renewal!
At first, I envisioned a bubbly fountain in the center of the bed where perennial chives and French tarragon are primary residents. These two herbal varieties survived a decade of surface water and blazing western sun, yet this year both herbs looked exhausted following their initial spring harvest.
Originally I used berms and swales as a stopgap — successfully for years — yet this year my plants needed intervention. Therefore I began dreaming, drafting, plotting, and Internet research.
I envisioned round shapes within the pie shaped bed to hold the hardy herbs. Over a period of sweltering summer weeks, prices and material availability shaped my decisions. First, I removed the sundial from the center of the bed. Second, a beautiful urn, lost in the lower garden, took center stage as the spilling sedum suggests movement. A real fountain was not in my budget nor did I want the maintenance.
herb bed renewal in progress one hot August
Third, round raised beds were not available, therefore I opted for shaped pavers easily obtained from a local home improvement center. These babies are not for the faint of heart, as each weighs 20# and I needed 48 or 840#!
The patient and helpful guys at the garden center loaded a cart as I hand-picked each paver; since each block would be highly visible, I wanted no chipped blocks. Along with this purchase, I collected bagged topsoil, pea gravel, and heavy-duty landscape cloth. This assortment was transported in three separate trips, so as not to do in moi or my eleven-year-old MPV.
French tarragon bed complete and I like it! Once the ground was level (+OR-), I rolled out the landscape cloth, then placed the pavers. When the pavers were in a happy place, the cloth was cut out of the center of the circle to expose soil. Then amendments began. I transplanted herbs as I went.
Once the pavers were placed and the cloth removed from the inner circle, sod busting came next on the agenda. For this, I used a sturdy pitchfork that dug twelve inches deep — the slender tines eased the heavy clay out of its fist-like grip.
slim tines of the sturdy pitchfork ease clay out of the ground so new topsoil could be added
In order to clean up the outer edges of the main bed, I raked back the wandering gravel and reused the tumbled blue-stone pavers from the first bed then added found river rock to detail the opposite eleven foot side. The pre-existing outer curved rim of the bed is a mini French drain filled with river pebbles.
side view of herb bed in transition…so sad.
The soil was a hodge-podge of tough Virginia clay with years of amendments, yet digging strained every muscle/tendon in my upper body, so I took a few days off to admire my handiwork. Keep in mind this was a one-woman DIY project! Following rest and a few rain showers, I began the task of hauling and placing the pavers. Armed with both a rake, scissors, and one roll of landscape cloth — which helped create a blank canvas — I persevered.
this brand is super!
I liked the first circle, yet added additional pavers to the next two beds to enlarge. Over the course of one week, this bed was heaved and shifted into place, transplanting the herbs as I completed the next circle. Both the landscape cloth and pea gravel gave nice finishing touches, resembling icing on a cake.
project ongoing between rests! Adore that pea gravel! Such a nice finish.
Other than the heavy lifting, this project was highly enjoyable, budget-friendly, and the finished result pleasing to the eye…do you agree? Two years later, the herbs continue to thrive and the paver beds are as tidy as the day they were installed.
completed herb bed renewal August 2011. Pea gravel is nice touch!
The third and final circle (right) will grow annual herbs such as cilantro, dill, and curly parsley. They will look handsome planted in pie-shaped wedges within the circle. Perhaps rosemary will find this new environment habitable and continually remind me that “Rosemary is for Remembrance”.
Oh how true
the herb bed in June 2015. A real success story. Since then, I removed the outer rock border and stones blend together.
Here is a personal invitation for you to check out my recipes for chive/artichoke and kale pestos. Simply type the word pesto into the search bar on my blog site.
In closing, I assure you that having a healthy herb bed will provide both you and your family nutritious and simple food choices that are easy and fun to grow, even when space is limited. And if you have help and a F350, this project could be completed over a weekend! Plus, the French tarragon and chives featured here are now fifteen years old — lots of bang for the buck…Bon Appetit!
Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
the thing about rainy sundays
08 Thursday Sep 2011
Although I grumble about maintaining my home, it is my sanctuary. Whenever I seek a substitute, not one is found.
Organic grape galette made from my home-grown grapes. Yum!
Sunday is my favorite day of the week, as I dawdle, remain in my night-clothes until afternoon, wander the gardens in my robe, prepare a sumptuous breakfast, watch the bird box activity from the comfort of my bed, and this particular morning had the unique opportunity to photograph a black swallowtail as it emerged from its chrysalis.
One of my hobbies is raising butterflies. Four years ago I created a Monarch Waystation in my garden and host plants provide food and nectar for Monarchs, Swallowtails, Fritillaries, Red Spotted Purples, Skippers, Sulphurs, and Cabbage Whites. Every year is different and educational, teaching additional patience as I tend my creatures, both indoors and out. I recently switched to a digital camera format, and delight in the results. When I master the video portion, motion will preserve the grand events here at Swallowtail Cottage.
Verbena is a butterfly magnet and the scarlet runner lives up to its name
Nature continues to find me awestruck. I shall never outgrow her wonders. I will focus on beauty as it emerges and unfolds and find curiosity in each passing day. How many folks share their office for a short time with a Red Spotted Purple, a newly emerged Black Swallowtail, or a community of bashful mealworms awaiting a hungry resident Bluebird?
As for the gentle showers that fall this Sunday, they merely lengthen the tranquil mood of this day.
Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
the thing about March
08 Thursday Sep 2011
The month of March is paramount in my life, perhaps because March is my birth month. However, more importantly, March represents a time of rebirth, renewal, and hope.
This morning as I gaze onto the landscape, much of my view remains dormant and crispy brown, yet persistent daffodils appear without fail, pushing out of the soil despite whatever life or Mother Nature delivers. Robins returned by the hundreds last week, and the resident mockingbird who found her mate with lightning speed, now busily crafts her first nest. These magnificent events unfailingly prod “to do” lists while the remnants of the long winter past tug at me to rest, reflect, and live in the present.
Therefore for today, I shall merely glance at that chore list, observe the busy birds, slip back into bed with that unfinished book, recharge, and be thankful to be a part of this incredible world.
Sustainable living cannot be more personal, especially as we age…a reminder to do less and be more by preserving the source. Moreover, the source begins with each of us and that responsibility lies within.
Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
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