Health & Gardening

We hear it all the time how good gardening is for folks . Fresh air and exercise and all. But what if health issues interfere with gardening? What if that very fresh air is the bane of one’s existence?

There have been wonderful garden adaptations for folks who have problems with mobility – raised beds, container gardens, adaptive tools, etc. But what of us who are plagued by the weather? What adaptations can we adopt?

I have eczema. Have had it since I was 12 or 13. Heat & humidity make it flare*. So, what am I and folks with eczema, psoriasis and other similar illnesses to do? I’m beginning to think that the answer is to garden in the fall, winter and spring. I’ve come to the conclusion that living in Missouri is the reverse of living in New York. Instead of huddling inside during the deep mid-winter watching the snow fall and reveling out-of-doors the rest of the year, I now know that I have to plan on huddling around the AC vent during the deep mid-summer and revel outdoors when the temperatures & humidity drops. (It’s either that or move to the high dessert; and, my beloved said he just doesn’t want to go there.)

I realized, belatedly, that there’s no reason I can’t put in that stone patio in November or December rather than June. Same with landscaping. There really isn’t that much snow here in Missouri. I have access to the ground for much of the fall, winter & spring. I just have to plan on getting out early in the day to take advantage of the shorter amounts of daylight. Funny to think that we get caught in our traditions of what can and can’t be done at certain times of year.

So, cold weather, bring it on!



*Please don’t send me ideas of remedies. Trust me, as a medical librarian, I’ve scoured the literature and have met with dermatologists.

The difference rain makes

I'd forgotten what rain does for a garden. After 4 years of drought, I'd begun to accept the 'concrete' soil and wilted Echinacea as normal. I hadn't put it together that the reason the Liquid Fence wasn't working on my hostas - the dear still ate them up - was because those hostas with their bitter dressing were some of the few green leaves that the deer came across. It's been a relaxing change to not have to water. It's also been nostalgic, a reminder of growing up in New York State, a much wetter place than Missouri. Now, if only the farmers could get their seeds in and the rivers would stay within their banks.

Hoping the good weather holds

I'm hoping that the good weather holds one more weekend. I have some white plastic lounges to clean and store for the winter. I learned the hard way that leaving them uncovered under the deck isn't a good idea. They were horribly stained by the oak leaves that collected on them over those cold wet months. Nasty looking lounges do not entice folks to sit on them more or less relax!

Yes, we do have a garage, but it isn't big enough to fit the lounges (along with all the other garden tools & accoutrement!) Our deck is quite large and provides some storage where we won't see the items stashed there.

Last year, after longingly looking at the chaise covers in the garden magazines, I drove myself to the West Lakes hardware store and bought a large sheet of heavy clear (translucent at least) plastic and white duct tape. At the back of the store, they have several varieties of plastic that you can buy off the bolt. Returning home, I quickly scrubbed the fall grime off of the lounges with my handy plastic brush and warm bleach water. Once they were dry, I stacked the two lounges & covered them with the plastic, cut it to fit and taped it on with the white duct tape, making sure to secure it underneath so that it'd make it through the winter winds. My husband & I then carried them under the deck.

When spring fully unfurled last April, I hauled out the lounges. The cover had held. The happy result was very little cleaning needed before.

Money & Time

I started a garden journal when I started in creating garden beds in the yard back in 2000. I quickly fell behind and then stopped with the journal, sad to say. (We'll see how long the blog lasts. Though I'm thinking that this could be sustainable as a weekend gardener. Given the day job, it's unlikely I'll get any time during the week to get dirt on my hands enough to fill daily posts.)

Back to the journal, one thing that I was tracking there was what I spent. Gardening is not a cheap hobby. True, one can cut costs and be a frugal gardener; however, if you have soil as poor as ours and dramatic weather, be prepared to spend. Perhaps it's for the best that I stopped keeping my journal. I'm not sure I really do want to know what I've spent over the past 7 years on plants, soil, mulch, and containers!

Reality

Lush flower studded vines vigorously climbing trellises, paths winding playfully through different garden rooms, bird gardens set with full feeders frequented by birds of varying sorts, this is how I see my yard. Rather like a magazine spread.

Then reality sets in. Take today for instance. I was all set to finish up a roll of film with pictures from my garden and dash it off to the local Walgreen’s to get developed. I was then going to put said pictures in this blog to go with this post. On top of that, as the weather was glorious here – neither too humid nor too cold and the ground wet enough for working – I was planning on getting out and into the dirt.

No such luck. My plans were felled by fatigue from the week and from allergies. All I managed in the yard was to fill the bird feeders. So, this post is for all of us gardeners, and would be gardeners, who have high hopes and rich imaginations. Our “real” gardens may not compare to the magazines, but the gardens in our heads best those glossy spreads every time.


(what my garden should look like http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/gardengetaways_122704.xml)

Gardening in Missouri

About a dozen years ago, I moved to the Midwest from New York State. It all seemed so wonderful at first, the early springs, hot summers and long easy autumns. Container gardening was easy as long as I remembered to water my few pots.

Then, I acquired a house & yard (a husband, children & pets, too). Then, the 2 year drought hit. Gardening in Missouri was no longer so idyllic. I've watched as not only the "cottage flowers" such as Bleeding Heart, wilted away, but also the prairie cone flowers.

I thought about giving up gardening. It crossed my mind to turn the yard into hard packed dirt and just have a barbecue pit. Maybe have one or two planters to go with the bug zapper. (Did I mention the mosquitos?)

But, I've determined that I'll see this gardening through and find a way to have a decent garden without moving out of state or going broke installing a watering system.