The Imperfect Gardener

by Adina Sara

A Few of My Favorite Things

We've had more of our share of raindrops on roses this year and are now reaping the rewards. The roses have already been through several bloom cycles, and their season of color is still very young. Snapdragons and sweet peas are lush and thick, and they've just begun to show off.

Now that nature's automatic drip irrigation system is drawing to a close, it's a good time to be thinking of installing a system to nurture your plants through the dry months. Consider it the best gift you can give your garden.

Drip irrigation systems are easy and inexpensive to install. Nozzles come in a variety of shapes and functions small drip, soft spray, whatever is appropriate for the particular needs of your landscape. The right amount of water situated exactly where it needs to go will maximize the benefit for your prized plants and will not be wasted irrigating the weeds.

Don't listen to people who warn that the lines get mangled and clogged. They do. Attachments need to be changed as the landscape changes. New holes need to be punched in the main line and feeder lines extended. Old lines need to be substituted with plugs where old plantings were removed. Lines get buried, and you may need to hunt around a bit, wash off the old mud, to get some of them up and running again. If you loved playing with Legos, you'll probably be good at it.

Once the main lines are established, the fine tuning of individual attachments is part of the excitement of getting ready for a new gardening season. You can certainly pay someone to install a drip system, but it's worth a trip to a good hardware store to figure out what you need (bring measurements so you know how far the main line needs to cover), buy plenty of smaller feeder lines and a variety of spigots, and have some fun with it.

Heucheras and More Heucheras

I was introduced to the heuchera family (a.k.a. "coral bells") a number of years ago, searching for something to put in a large shady area that had the additional limitation of large tree roots to contend with. I started conservatively, with one unremarkable plant, doubting that anything could make it with so little sun.

Since then, I have come to discover endless reasons to love heucheras. Deep purple, mottled and lime greens, scalloped, jagged and striated patterns the leaves alone make them a valuable garden addition. The differing leaf patterns are matched with a multitude of soft colors, from reds to corals to whites, that shower an otherwise inhospitable ground with gentle, swaying blooms.

I am now buying heucheras by the flat. Their growing pattern is polite, that is to say, they do not sprawl and take over everything in sight but stay relatively contained, growing somewhat in girth, turning hard-to-plant areas into plush, multicolored carpets. They also attract hummingbirds, as if you needed another reason to love them.

Metro Garden Club

After a winter break, the Metro Garden Club is reaching out to neighbors interested in creating community through gardening. Offers to share plants, mulch, ideas, and resources are available on the Yahoo group TheMetroGardenClub\@yahoogroups.com. If you are interested in joining, contact Zorah\@comcast.net for information.