Turning a den into a writing space?
25 days ago
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- 25 days ago
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The Writing on the Wall
Comments (22)Ingrid Although roses are...well..roses, swapping some decorative yet drought-tolerant shrubs and perennials for your not-so-heat-tolerant roses might salve your separation anxiety and enhance the beauty of the roses that are keepers. In the thread "Are Roses your Favorite Flower," I replied that roses reside nearest my gardening heart but then proceeded to list all the other flowering shrubs and perennials that serve to court my queens. My supporting cast of of fragrant and colorful companion plants plays a role similar to that of the white butterfly bush leaves in your 'President Carnot' arrangement. The silken rosy sheen of 'Carnot' is a thousand times richer because it is framed by the silver grey foliage of Buddleia davidii. A rose alone is like a queen without a country. Because my lot is about 75% smaller, I currently have half as many roses as I did at my last residence. Through the process of necessary reduction, I have discovered which roses are like air and water to me, which are those that truly sustain my soul when regularly encountered in the intimacy of my own garden. I have also learned which ones are lovely to visit but equally enjoyable from a greater sensual distance. It's wonderful that they're in the world, but I don't need to be with them every waking hour. I feel confident you will develop strong feelings for those roses which are your own true loves, the ones that display a developed sense of reciprocity and offer as much as you give. These will be the loyal ones, the ones that are steadfast and determined to stand shoulder to shoulder through the thick and thin of passing seasons. If you are like me, you will love a few roses of weaker constitution. You will embrace them flaws and all and tuck them into pots so that you may carefully dote and savor. I predict that rose relationships which are delicious but benign flirtations will cool, and if you are surprised by chance encounters, you will remember these roses as you do high school sweethearts. The pleasant memories will remain but the heartache of separation will be a distant memory. New relationships: if you are seeking more Buddleias, please let me know. In all my previous experiments, butterfly bushes have rooted like rabbits. I can offer B. davidii 'Black Knight,' B. davidii 'Harlequin,' and B. 'Lochinch.' Sharing your challenges: Annie's Annuals has so many plants I'd like to grow, but the poor buggers just croak in my cold, wet clay. They scoff at my amendment attempts. Some examples of hot dry climate perennials/annuals I'd like to grow but can't: Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies,' Eschscholzia californica (any please!), Agastache, Calochortus, Geum, any lavender but L. angustifolia and the odd L. stoechas (can't grow 'Night Wings' or 'Madrid Blue' to save my life), Oenothera (please forgive me all who are trying to eradicate this one), Penstemon, most sages, and Nemophila maculata 'Baby Five Spot.' I'd (almost) kill for the last one! Maybe you and I will have an opportunity to experience vicarious fulfillment as we post photos of our gardens from oh-so-opposite climates. If you successfully grow any of the above as rose companions, please do not hesitate to share. You'll hear my mixed sigh of envy and joy traveling down the I-5 corridor! With gardener's sympathy, Carol This post was edited by PortlandMysteryRose on Tue, Jun 18, 13 at 6:51...See MoreEditorial Comment Forums vr. Blogs: Complementing Writing Styles
Comments (0)It was suggested by a forum member that the only place that they were going to read my commentary was going to be on that forum. They seem to further infer that I was to post all of my commentary of hosta growing in the Hosta Forum (here). Rather than saying what I really wanted to say to them I responded by saying what I write below:â¨â¨ My blog (Hostas By Kelley) is my place to express my opinions of my gardening and the experiences of that gardening. I use that space to try to share with others my passion for gardening so that I do not monopolize forum space with many of my comments which might be viewed, or interpreted, as irrelevant. I use online forums to amend my knowledge and understanding of hosta growing. In my mind the two forms of social communication are equally valid. Forums are designed to be discussions of somewhat narrow topics. These topics can spread to interconnecting issues which in turn may cause the original posters topic to look unfocused if one does not read with a critical mind. In turn when a thread becomes to cumbersome a new thread needs to be created to siphon off subtopics that have become issues of their own. Making that break in topic takes a little skill and good timing to do as to not to disrupt the original topic that was intend to be posted. I view neither the Hosta Forum (here) or my blog to be the center of the gardening universe but rather two windows on to the hobby known as gardening. Having said that I need to make the comment on the fact that I really do not whine about the lack of feedback I get at my blog; which at this point is zilch. I am slowly coming to believe that blogs are for personal commentary; and forums are for questions and answers. The online mentality seems to have reinforced that viewpoint. YES I might be a +50 year old man who may have generational views on what communication ought to be in this age to electronics. I feel that my view point is evenhanded, and respectful of others opinions. As always feed back is always welcomed. Peter Kelley St. Paul, MN USA...See MoreGarden Writing, an uncertain art
Comments (6)John, well said. I've written a few articles for garden magazines and am careful to not write in terms of 'absolutes'. Gardening is not an exact science and is full of exceptions. I don't write you 'can't' grow this plant or one 'must to' do this or that. Just when you're sure a particular plant can't grow in your zone, etc. then you find some non-gardener has one merrily thriving beside the garage, completely neglected for the last 20 years. It's better to write about personal 'favorites' for a situation than 'best' plants. Or 'what works for me' rather than what one 'has to do'. This leaves room for exceptions to the rule and experiences outside of our own. We must also remember that in many ecologies we just don't have a long track record. Often only decades and not hundreds of years as in Europe. The wealth of knowledge that comes out of an English garden is valuable but toss in a few new variables and...? Any non-fiction writer's most important tool is their credibility. If readers think you are well grounded in facts and experience then you can be more creative in tackling more fringe topics. It's a bit of a no-brainer but I've found keen gardeners just like reading about gardening even when the topic is off season or not relevant to their own situation. In fact, many gardeners bemoan the lack of garden shows on television or gardening newspaper atricles more so in the depths of winter rather than in the height of the garden season....See MoreMay I see your Writing Desk?
Comments (51)Hadn't read Tina's post. True, if the chair bothers you, you could refinish it (or paint it...if you're not against painting wood!) I was looking at your pic again. Knowing how you love textiles, & especially homespun ones, you could put a seat cushion with ties on the chair. That would soften it. I'm not thinking about a thick cushion, but one that is very thin, maybe a hooked wool? Since you don't have a rug there, & there's a wood shutter rather than curtain at the window, a soft textile in the scene to break up all the wood might be nice. (I do see you have a doily under the plant!)...See MoreRelated Professionals
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