Thoughts on a Garden

Where do I start?  One of my earliest remembrances coalesced my love of science and the garden...when I was very young, 3 or 4 years old, my parents had a large vegetable garden in my backyard and my brother and I would always be out with my parents in the evening as they planted, then weeded the rows until harvest.  I remember taking the weeds that they were pulling and replanting as many of them as I could in my sandbox - at first it started because I hated to see the plants die, but later I remember taking mental notes (the mental notes of a 3 yr old) regarding what weeds survived transplantation and which did not.  I remember to this day that lambsquarter wilted right away, but if watered would have a pretty high survival rate.  I was collecting my very first data!

Since then, I've been an obsessive planter and wanna-be farmer/part-time agronomist...I mean, I feel that I tend CROPS, not just a few vegetables, and I sometimes imagine a little roadside stand with 3 asian pears, 7 peaches, 2 cups of blueberries, 4 tomatoes, and an eggplant.  During the summer after my sophomore year in college, I was a tour guide at Monticello where I could definitely identify with Jefferson's agrarian roots.  To this day I have a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book on my shelves - and sometimes I like to think that my routine observations of my garden are similar to his daily, detailed observations.  His familiar quote:

"I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position and calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the production of the garden.  No occupation is so delightful as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." (Thomas Jefferson)

After having a garden in central Michigan and the panhandle of Florida, for twelve years now I have been planting an acre of land just off the coastal marshes of South Carolina.  This piece of land was decimated in 1989 (when Hurricane Hugo landed) all except for six gorgeous live oaks and a small southern magnolia.  Since I moved here, I've been constantly planting, and now little habitats are taking shape - the bald cypresses in the front, the camellias and azaleas and hydrangeas on the side, the fruit trees in the back.  I spend a little bit of time each day documenting this garden...and for this first post, I'd like to share the photos that I took today of a daffodil, native azalea (Rhododendron alabamense) and something I've always called Moses-in-the Cradle (but I don't know why).   More to come.

 

   

Comments

[Phoenix Rector]

Just wanted to thank you for your garden and the beautiful and stunning photos you've shared. While looking for images for my newsletter, I came across your Garden Journal by looking up September/Images via Google. . What caught my eye was an image of a beautiful yellow/orange daisy like flower... took a right click to open voila... When I scanned the orignal page, I was in awe of the beauty you've captured.

As my newsletter only goes out to less than 120 people thus far, may I use any of the photos you've displayed as background or article pictures? I'll be adding your link to my newsletter as well.

Look forward to hearing,
Phoenix

[Pam]

Hi Phoenix - and thanks for taking the time to look around. I just responded to your email.