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The Gardens... There are a variety of
gardens scattered throughout Lakewood. Flower gardens, vegetable gardens, rock gardens and
even a secret pond with special plants. Something is always in bloom. Take a tour around
the grounds for a special treat. Originally started as an orchard, Lakewood is fortunate to have mineral rich soil and a moderate temperature. Plant it and it will grow! seems to be the norm. Our guests save their compost and in the spring it is added to the soil with wonderful results.
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Unique flowers such as this special Iris are scattered throughout our gardens! Whenever Doug or Kyle dig a hole, I follow behind
and plant a garden. I now have approx. 25 gardens as well as numerous planters and
wildflower fields. The blooms start to appear in mid-March and continue through to the
first hard frosts usually in December. Every year there’s something new, last year we
built a communal vegetable garden for our seasonal campers and ourselves. This was a big
success with an abundance of fresh foods to enjoy, I especially liked the part where other
folks did the weeding! In the fall when the apples were ready we gathered together
and made apple juice...mmmm good. We invite all of our guests to wander around and enjoy
the beauty, eat the fruit and if you must - pick the weeds. An
unbelievable week to put the garden to bed! Wearing t-shirts and shorts,
it feels more like Spring! Many of my earlier ideas worked out well this
season. The pots of Dahlias and Begonias that I planted in
March bloomed early and steadily all season (they still are!!). Doug’s
garden was also great. I planted lots of Gladiolas in baskets
for him. He likes to water a lot and the basket drainage made that okay. I
also keep planting more Bulbs…every time the local stores reduced the
price I’d buy more and plant! They kept blooming right up until last
week, when I dug out the bulbs for their winter’s rest. Another success
story was my Sunflowers. I planted many varieties including Giants
that a guest (thanks Richard!) gave me. These beauties grew over 15’
tall with huge heads. I’ve cut some down and placed them in the gardens
around camp and the house, and we are enjoying watching the birds eat them
up. As
a lot of the gardens reach the 4 to 5 year stage, I’m starting to think
about moving and controlling some of the plants. For instance, a Thornless
Blackberry that my daughter gave me has gotten so big that I’m
training it to be an Arbor. Also growing at an alarming rate is a
two-year-old Silver Lace vine. Blooming all season, it already has
outgrown the trellis it climbs upon and is working its way around a Cherry
tree and over a building…amazing!
Well, now the Sun is in the front yard. Time to put on my
sunglasses and head out. Happy Gardening! Sue
With the
unusual weather patterns this summer I’m learning first hand how plants
react to stressful conditions. We’ve had some very cold mornings (fresh
snow on the mountaintops), one day of hail, big winds and heavy rain. In
the veggie garden all are doing well except my Tomatoes are very
slow in developing, I do have a bumper crop on Spaghetti Squash! In
the flower gardens, the Hollyhocks, Roses, Cosmos and
late blooming Clematis are not quite as perky as usual, and I am
wondering if the second bloom I often get from the Primroses and Lupines
will happen. On the bright side, nothing can beat the Lilies down this year; they’ve been blooming since spring. One Stargazer (4 years old) is over 6 ft. high and fills the whole yard with it’s beautiful fragrance! Some other very happy plants are the Geraniums and Begonias I think they like the cooler nights. A guest gave me a Datura and its evening bloom scents the stairs to my porch (thanks Gail!). Well, time to go and start the watering procedure! Happy Gardening! Sue
Spring
Fever is on me… broken nails, aching joints and the constant sweet smell of dirt
bring me dreams of Summer Glory. Doug built me a cold frame this year and all the stories
you hear about how great they work are true. Only problem is that I’ve put so many
plants and seedlings in it that I need another one, soon! I’ve been planting all the
‘as soon as the ground can be worked’ type stuff and noticed the first radish
pushing it’s way up, an inspiration to plant yet more.
As
usual, I’ve been planning this year’s gardens while the snowfalls… looking
through the catalogs and dreaming. It seems so easy when I’m sitting in my favorite
chair, music playing. All the aches, pains and dirty fingernails of Spring forgotten -
while the gardens all grow in size and new ones are seen in my mind’s eye. Reality
will set in once the work begins, but for now it’s fantasy time! One thing I am doing
now however, is planting some Dahlias, Begonias and Gladiolas in pots for some earlier
blooms. My Gardening Group is deciding what to order in bulk. We all start different
things and then will share. This makes for a nice variety at reasonable prices. Hope
you’re dreaming Garden dreams. Until Spring - Sue
My
gardens have been doing very well this year in spite of a cooler than normal Spring. I had
some truly spectacular Irises - one peach colored one was huge and actually smelled of
peaches! Now the Glads and Dahlias are opening up, as well as a huge variety of
Sunflowers. Guests last year gave me some Giant Sunflower seeds and the flowers are
already over 10’ tall! Watering can take all day, so I really appreciate the rain
that does the job for me. The Veggie garden is producing bumper crops of Peas, Salad
Greens and Potatoes, with Beans and Squash coming on strong. This time of year I’m
glad I made extra pots to add around the yard when it needs extra color here or there.
It’s nice to have time to smell the Roses and take folks on tours. Until next
time… Keep weeding and Good Gardening! Even though there’s still snow on the ground, I see the beginning signs of Spring when I walk around. The Hydrangea and Lilac buds are starting to swell and the Primroses look fresh green under their blanket of leaves. I’ve pruned my Fruit trees and feel the fever to cut take hold. I just ordered a long handled pruner, 52’ of reach. Wild Roses beware! I’m starting seeds and have found that those plastic pastry containers from the take-out bakery section (the ones with the clear lids) make great mini-greenhouses for starting seeds! This year I’m trying a few new things… Passion flower vine (very exotic looking!), Moon Flower vine (supposed to grow to 20 ‘) and Golden Moss (a yellow shade-loving foliage). I love the expectation of starting something new. Hope you’re all dreaming about this year’s gardening and the beautiful things we will grow. Good Gardening! Sue
The start of
Fall is always exciting… the mountains change colors daily with yellow lines like
ribbons covering the sides. The Virginia Creeper is turning brilliant red. It lives at the
pond where Kyle planted it some 3 years ago and it’s now wound it’s way 30ft. up
an old Cottonwood tree. The mix of yellow leaves, lime green moss and red is spectacular! With the
help of my friend Sharon, we harvested the vegetable garden and got a ton of produce. This
of course meant a lot of canning, curing and searching for yet another way to deal with
Zucchini. Now it’s a waiting game until the weather turns and the time comes to put
the gardens to bed. I still have a lot blooming with Asters and Chrysanthemums coming into
their finest hour. I love these hot days and cool nights, the invigorating crispness of
early morn. It’s been
very hot and dry here all summer and watering the gardens and yard has become a fulltime
occupation. That we’ve stayed as green as we have is due in a large part to our
guests pitching in. From our seasonal folks, to the ones who just drop in, everyone is
picking up hoses and watering their area. A heartfelt thanks to all whom have helped. Last year my aunt
Eunice sent me a surprise pack of Lilies, they started blooming this month and they are
incredible. Of course I misplaced the names for them but the brilliant pinks, bright
yellows and creamy whites are stunning to say nothing of their sweet scent. Another
success story are the Russian Red Sunflowers, which have grown to over 7’ and have
multiple blooms. I’ve discovered that these beauties like to be grown in containers
but they do need a huge amount of water. We’re eating
lots of garden fresh veggies and have recently replanted Lettuce, Peas, Spinach and Beets.
Here’s hoping that the season lasts long enough to have another crop. Until next
month - Good Gardening!
“Pruning is
Life” seems to be my statement these days. I am learning that a little prune is worse
than none at all, so have gotten quite aggressive with a lot of the shrubbery. As a bonus,
a very tall (6’7”) guest helped me for a day and brought a lot of plants down to
my size (5’)… what a great help! J We’re eating lots of fresh garden veggies
– Broccoli, Zucchini and tons of Peas. The Dahlias and Gladiola are just starting to
bloom and we should have a good show of these. As an added bonus, lots of the wildflower
seeds I’ve planted over the last few years are blooming and the banks look wonderful.
Happy gardening and smell those flowers!
When you walk
outside right now, the air is so scented it’s aromatherapy at its finest and most
natural! We’re at the brightest time of the year; in full bloom is Scotch Broom,
Lupines, Wild Roses, Columbine and Bridals Veil Spiarea. The rich purple and mellow
yellows of the Iris make a nice combination.
I think more happens faster at this time of year than any other. Weeds and grass seem to need to be dealt with daily and the flowers are bursting open. I'm spending long enjoyable days in the yard planting and taking reservations. I have been please with my seed throwing, theya re all up and the hills that I planted with wild flowers last year are starting to bloom. The Lilacs, Quince and Peonies will open in the next few days as well as the Scottish Broom, all of which will make an Unbelievable aroma. Well, time to get back at it - Good Gardening! Sue
Well, the early spring I thought was going to happen, did. I have been really busy trying to keep on top of the yardwork and ache in places I never knew I had. I love the freshness of this time of year, the lime green of new buds...One of my favorite spots in my yard is where the young daylilies are coming up, mixed in with them are hundreds of skillia, their purple complements the cool green wonderfully. Yesterday a camper asked me if gardening had always been my hobby. Hobby! I replied, this is no hobby - its an obsession! :-) From first thing in the morning when I rush out to see what is going to open up today, 'til last thing at night when I plan the next day's attack, and maybe watch a gardening show. Oh well, I know I'm not alone in this spring fever. P.S. Early a.m. on the 14th crisis! It's snowing, there's 2 inches covering all, panic is setting in. Be brave tulips, have heart daffs, be strong primroses, don't cry Sue.
I’m so glad we’re staying here this winter, because so far February had been an awesome month. Tons of sunshine, fluffy snow and mild temperatures, this combination has started spring early in some spots in my yard. There are irises and daylilies poking up, giving hope that winter is almost over. I’ve started some seeds and placed my catalog order. Kyle has been busy clearing a wild rose covered bank, we know that we’ll never get rid of them but it looks better just clearing out all the dead stuff. I have woken up my geraniums, this is one of my favorite things! First I put my Celtic music on real loud and then give all the plants I’ve overwintered their first drink since November... then I prune away all the dead growth and wait. It doesn’t take long before new leaves are growing and I even have one ready to bloom. Another sign of spring that we have had is the return of the herons. Like many of the birds we see, they come in early spring for a few weeks and then return on their way home in the fall. I only need one more sign before I’m totally convinced spring is here, that’s the first garage sale of the season. Who else has seen signs of the changing seasons? Thanks to all that wrote me last month, it’s great to hear about other gardens.
I love to talk gardening, so if you have any success or problem stories write me HERE. For more lovely garden pictures, please click on our Pictures link! Sue putting the Geraniums to bed in late
Oct. Lakewood Inn |
Sue's gardens report - October 2002
My biggest challenge
here is cutting things back and at the same time not losing the natural look. I foolishly
decided to try to tame some of the Scottish Broom and once started there is no turning
back. What a picky plant, whenever we get a snow fall I have to go out and shake it off or
the branches will break. At least I know I will be rewarded in the late spring with a
beautiful yellow show!