September 21, 2010

A Change of Heart : Renovation and Renewal Time at Garden Designers Round Table

I remember the exact moment the renovation bug bit me.  It was early September and I had rare 4-day Labor day holiday all to myself.  I was reading the latest edition of my GGG  ( Glossy Gorgeous Gardening ) magazine under the shade arbor, sipping a glass of Sweet Tea.   



"Are you tucking your vegetables in far corners because you think they're dull and ugly?  the garden article asked.  A nod and sigh to the tomato and peppers near the utility box. Think your garden is too small to grow them?   Umm , pretty small, lots of herbs in pots on the patio.   " Why not have a beautiful garden and eat it too? Vegetables, fruits , herbs  and flowers growing happily together in what the French call a potager .  Well I'm already enjoying the fruit of my prolific Asian pear tree, and the two grape vines I planted this Spring will produce their first crop next year, so if I plant an apple tree and some blueberries I'll have a home fruit orchard.

The more I thought about having an ornamental vegetable garden the more I liked it. The idea that the potager is an ornamental, four-season landscape that can be the center of attention even in a small urban plot such as mine was appealing.   Of course I also had visions of fried green tomatoes, okra,  succotash and a beautiful salad with nastariums and pansies.  So with this is mind I cleared my back 40 of most of its perennials and began my adventure in potagering ( is there such a word?  If not, there is now. We Southerners like to make up our own.)

With the exception of removing a huge 25 year old yew I'm proud to say I did all the grunt work myself and lived to tell the tale .  This 40-year-old body trapped in a 66 one wasn't even sore the next day, a true testament to what gardening and landscaping has done for me.

The fun part was selecting and planting the clipped boxwoods, 'Knockout ' rose shrub, two blueberries, coneflowers, ornamental kale and variegated sage.  Before planting I prepared the beds with my special recipe of alfafa humate and cattle manure compost, cottonburr compost and fine pines soil conditioner.  When passersby got a whif of it they thought they were in the country.  In a barnyard.  No matter how composted it is, cattle manure smells like a barnyard until it airs out.

 This is merely the beginning of an exciting gardening adventure . I'll need more potager- appropriate whimsicals such as Rusty the Rooster who now sports a bright red coat.  My collection of colorful gourd birdhouses will have a place on the garden wall.   Fall will be spent planting bulbs for Spring and securing a dwarf apple tree, Winter for planning the raised bed veggie and herb beds and Spring for planting . 

Busy with my new garden I lost touch with the real world.  Then out of the blue came a message from the Garden Designers Round Table :  This month's topic is renovation and renewal and you're on the list.  No kidding.  Very timely, y'all.  Here's my contribution :

New beginnings :  A peek at my potager .

" Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights " - Pauline R. Kezer

For more on renovation and renewal visit the Ladies and gents of the Round Table at :

14 comments:

  1. What a fun and rewarding project! Please be sure to share pics as you continue your adventure.

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  2. Thats really great. And I think if you can cook and eat out in your potager that is the icing on the cake!
    Wonderfull post.
    Thanks and best wishes
    Robert

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  3. "New beginnings" Yep, that's what it's all about! Looks like a fun project (and a yummy one, too), and I can hear the pride in your voice at tackling it yourself. Congratulations!

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  4. this post snuck-up on me a bit too...a busy week in a busy season...your garden looks great!
    BTW - you might want to check the links to other posts -- they don't seem to be working.

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  5. I love potager gardens! There is something so satisfying about the engagement of the senses when you get to sniff, eat, and enjoy your way through the garden like that. Nice!

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  6. Thanks, Rochelle. Argghh...couldn't get the links to work for some reason. I think they're okay now.

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  7. Yummy and pretty to look at! A great combination. Have fun with the new garden.

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  8. Carolyn, your photos are lovely! I think the current trend of mixing vegetables with ornamentals is spot on. So far I've only tried it with a few containers, but you're inspiring me to go a bit further.

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  9. What a beautiful garden, and I love the story you told of how you got there! Don't you just love it when a quiet moment turns into an 'A-Ha' moment?

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  10. It's so beautiful Carolyn! Beautiful kitchen gardens like yours will surely inspire many more people to try their hands at producing some of their own food.

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  11. What a sense of accomplishment you must be feeling! It has turned out very specially and uniquely yours! Nothing like having a vision and time to work come together! :-)

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  12. Your garden is so gorgeous! I love the stepping stones and everything looks so healthy. My flowers are all dying on my right now and I think I have to re-do a ton of stuff that I planted this year...I wish I could just tuck it all in the corner :) Loved the info--thanks!!

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  13. This is an inspiring post reminding us we can always start again on the whim of inspiration and good planning, and, yes, hard work. Well done!

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  14. Thanks for telling me about this post. Seeing your Asian pear tree in relation to your garden makes me want to get one immediately. :) I grew up eating Asian pear, it was a treat at our house. Like candy. I'm looking into getting a dripping honey variety, possibly for next year. The tree looks very close to your house, you have no problems with the roots?

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