Here’s to You, Mrs. Robin
A rather brave (or should I say foolish) robin has built her nest a mere 3 feet from our back door, atop the garden hose coiled around a wall bracket and right by the patio where I do most of my gardening.
Not only do we go in and out of the door a lot, but we also own two large dogs, Jack and Sparky, who spend a lot of time on the patio. Oddly, they haven’t paid much attention to Mrs. Robin so far, but I suspect their interest will pick up quickly once her babies have hatched and started chirping.
I do like having her there. I can watch her through the back door, sitting on the nest, warming four pretty blue eggs. Whenever we open the door she flies off—in the daytime, at least; at night, nothing will make her leave that nest.
If we just sit quietly or work on the other side of the patio from her nest, she’ll stay put. But of course, I’m moving around a lot when I’m planting containers, and the minute I get anywhere near the back door, Mrs. Robin flies up onto the roof and chirps angrily at me.
I am hoping against hope that I don’t open my door a week from now to find Jack with a mouthful of baby robins. We’ll see.
I hope to post some photos of Mrs. Robin on her nest, but it’s going to be tricky to get anywhere in her vicinity with a camera.
Comments (0)Gardening with Dogs, Cats and Other Critters
One of my most pressing reasons to garden in containers is to keep out critters.
In my case, the critters include Jack (top right), a 90-pound shepherd husky mix who likes to keep busy, and his sidekick in crime, a 65-pound girl named Sparky who’s part border collie, part spaniel and lord knows what else. Between the two of them, they have dug up and dragged to death six dahlias, three fledgling raspberries, four tomato seedlings and five crocuses.
Let’s face it, dogs and gardens don’t mix. Dogs love to dig. Dogs, especially those with a hunting or working pedigree, love to carry things around, whether it’s your slippers or your daughter’s favorite stuffed penguin or a couple of tomato plants in bloom.
I tried fencing in the young plants, but it’s an ugly solution. And unless it’s very sturdy, fencing won’t keep out a large dog. I discovered that when I found Sparky dozing atop my irises, surrounded by collapsed chicken wire.
Comments (0)Potting Soil Isn’t Enough
I ignore common wisdom when it comes to the soil I use in my garden containers.
Many experts will tell you to use potting soil, plain or with a bit of fertilizer. Potting soil has many advantages. It drains well. It’s sterile and free of weed seeds and diseases. It’s lightweight, relatively speaking.
But potting soil bothers me precisely because it’s sterile. I mean, is dirt really supposed to be clean? To me, putting plants in sterile soil is a bit like putting animals in the zoo. Yes, they’re safe and well cared for, but they’re not in their natural habitat.
Comments (0)Why Container Growing Is Popular
For the past several years, gardening surveys have turned up the fact that container gardening is growing in popularity.
I’m not at all surprised to hear that. Start with the Baby Boomers like me. We’re no longer youngsters, and getting on our knees to grub around in the dirt can lose its appeal. Arthritis, bad backs, and just plain fatigue can make full-scale gardening difficult.
The container garden provides other benefits over dirt gardening:
- It’s easy to plant. Pack dirt in a pot and add a plant. Since you mix your own soil (or buy it premixed), you don’t have to fight with heavy clay or soil that’s too sandy or too wet. If you buy plants in larger containers, you don’t even have to plant your flowers. Just arrange the pots wherever you want them.