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The Country Garden...in the Midwest |
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A Place in the Country........finding the Genius Loci of the wide open spaces |
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The Fruit Garden Path
The path runs straight between the flowering rows, |
Garden Site Map Midwest Garden Tips: Working with nature involves the same thing that smaller scale gardening utilizes; just in larger amounts!
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Let the Land suggest your Garden StyleCountry gardens are somewhat different than city gardens. Besides the onslaught of the elements, the broad vistas create a demand on design. I remember a lesson from an English garden book I read: a plantswoman had an estate with a broad lawn that sloped down to a stream and had planted a rose garden within it. She remarked how she had toned down the colors, and almost regretted the planting altogether, since it was visually jarring to see the beds of color within the landscape. It is important to situate beds in such a way that they relate to the buildings and surrounding area. I also grappled with style, since a house's architecture
fits better with some forms of gardening than others. This is personal preference, of course, but I hate to see a desert-like garden with cactus and aloes in Ohio. So, when I looked at this flat landscape
with its old plain farm house, it seemed as though a few styles presented themselves. A rough interpretation of neat estate planting (analogous to the French provincial interpretation of Louis XVI), or an English
cottage style in contained areas, or a rustic freestyle garden were the choices I looked over. Tackling the WorkloadAnother need when you have large work areas is proper equipment, heavy duty and equal to the job. This is an investment that many gardeners overlook. High on my wish list is a combination vacuum/shredder, since the large trees can deposit limbs and leaves in back breaking amounts. If you are just beginning to garden I have page of garden tools advice. While one could run a country garden with hand tools, remember that in the past such gardens had many 'hands'. The modern answer to the limitations of the single handed gardener is ....POWER TOOLS. The words that bring a smile to every man's face, and women once they've tried getting a decent sized vegetable plot ready for the season! If you have more than one acre, with alot of grassed area, a tractor mower is necessary. Our first two years we kept breaking power push mowers, an expensive proposition. A tractor mower became a high priority. Tillers are needed if you have a vegetable garden area, and helpful in flower beds, sometimes. If you have hedges or large bushes, you may consider a motor driven hedge clipper, although I only wanted one when I did other peoples yards. My own gardening is the fuel-free sweat equity type (except for the mowing mentioned). My Garden in the Midwest One of the things I have most enjoyed, in my garden, are the seating areas; places of repose. I have a two-seater Andirondack under the sheltering branches of a large lilac, and two chairs by the little pond. These places are wonderful for meditation and intimate restful talks. every garden area needs a nearby perch ( a little birdie told me that). |
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