This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
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Transplanting….

August 22nd, 2018

I’m always transplanting perennials and shrubs. Over the years I’ve found out what works and what doesn’t. When Northern Gardener asked for article ideas for the 2019 season, I recommended one about dividing & transplanting perennials.

Since they accepted, I’ve been out deciding what I need to move. I’ve transplanted a few roses, bronze fennel, and other various herbs so I can take photos of the process.

The things I transplanted last month are starting to leaf out once again and should be lush by the end of September. When we moved to Maine 6 years ago, I brought almost and entire moving truck filled with plants from my old garden. Every single one of them survived, which was amazing since it was early December when I dug them up.

Do you move plants frequently? Any great tips/tricks to share? Or any specific questions you have that I should definitely cover in my article?

A Week Off

August 20th, 2018

Sorry for not blogging last week, I had grand intentions of writing posts ahead of time to post while I was in Ohio. Preparations to be away got the best of me and I didn’t end up having time to write the posts ahead of time. We drove to Ohio last Monday and spent the week visiting with family. My brother drove up from Georgia and my dad had just arrived back in the US from South America. Since my sister lives close to my dad’s Ohio home, she was already there. Here we are at Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga National Park.

We went to the art museum, we went to gardens, we went out to eat, we laughed, we had a great time catching up. Then we had the privilege of attending the wedding of a dear friend on Saturday. All-in-all, a great week, albeit tiring.

Quote of the Day: Monty Don

August 11th, 2018

“The original plan for that part of the garden was to be a circular lawn surrounded by a yew hedge. I duly planted yews and mowed the grass but it was never convincing. Some things never fit, however much you want them to or however good idea they seem on paper. Making a garden is as much about finding it and letting it reveal itself to you as constructing or taming it.”

Monty Don in ‘Nigel’

Mr Chiots got me a copy of ‘Nigel’ for my birthday. We’ve been watching Monty Don on Gardener’s World for many years and have grown to enjoy seeing Nigel on there. We were pretty happy when Amazon added Gardener’s World to BritBox and we’ve been subscribing and watching ever since, not more YouTube! If you’re looking for a show to watch and enjoy gardening, give this a go. It’s worth every penny in my book. At the moment, the Kindle version of this book is only $2.99, so grab a copy while you can.

What great books are you reading at the moment?

Color Combinations

August 9th, 2018

Throughout the gardening season, I’m carefully watching plants in the garden for: color, form, structure, height, texture, and bloom time/window. As I work, I try to not which plants would make great combos in the garden in the coming years. This summer, I noticing that the ‘First Glory’ Veronica would pair perfectly with sweet while alyssum with maybe a bit of bronze fennel in there for added color and texture.


Next year, as I edit the perennial borders in front of the main vegetable garden, I’ll be creating this combination. I may also add lamb’s ears and some garlic chives to the mix to extend bloom time and add more textures and layers.

A few years ago, I discovered that I really like tithonia and verbena bonariensis together and have been growing them in combination ever since. This is not only a favorite of mine, but also of the pollinators, especially the monarchs. One of my all time favorite combinations is chives and lamb’s ears. I had them in my foundation borders in Ohio and LOVED this combo. I’m currently working on propagating chives and lamb’s ears to add a few of these vignettes throughout the borders here.

Last year, when we were visiting Kingwood Center in Mansfield, OH, I noticed this combination of bronze fennel growing up around allium seed heads. There’s something so wonderful about this mix, definitely a combination I hope to be trying in the gardens here in the future.

Plant combinations is one of the things I always notice when I tour other gardens, I’m always looking for options that appeal to me to implement here in the gardens of Chiot’s Run. There’s something wonderful and finding just the right mix that appeals to your specific tastes.

What are some of your favorite plant combinations?

Harvest, Harvest, Harvest, Repeat

August 8th, 2018

This time of year it seems the harvesting starting in full swing. Not only are all the summer vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers starting to produce in large quantities, the long term storage vegetables are ready to harvest as well. Over the past two weeks I’ve been slowly harvesting my garlic and onions.

This time of year we start getting more rain, so I’m always watching the weather to determine when I harvest these root vegetables. They definitely store best when they’re harvested after a dry spell. That means that sometimes they’re harvested a week or two early to avoid being drenched with an inch of rain during a summer thunderstorm. In fact, my garlic was harvested two weeks early because they were predicting a few weeks with lots of rain.

What are you harvesting this week?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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