WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY

Category: gardening | Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:41 pm

Slick Wyoming yard mud got the better of me about a month ago, took a flop and ended up with a dislocated, and fractured, left shoulder..couldn't have happened at a better time of year with gardening right around the corner! Now, I'm right-handed, a little bit on the thick-headed side, so am continuing to "do my thing" even if I am one-armed for the next few months..can't keep a fanatic gardener down despite what they say!
Have been prepping raised beds/containers; got some raking done; plants moved out into greenhouse and tomato seeds planted..finally. Can't use the left arm at all right now (had to have a plate put in and everything pinned back together), but have found working with just the right one ain't so hard after all, just gotta find a comfortable happy medium to do so and have at it!
Thankfully, I did a lot of work on the beds/containers last fall, so those were just a matter of re-working the soils and adding a few things, getting them ready for upcoming planting. Got some onion/garlic/shallot sets in other pots; have been keeping up with watering/caring for all the holdover plants and new starts: takes a bit longer than usual but haven't lost anything due to neglect on my behalf. Has been a real learning experience in one-armed tenacity: have had more trouble learning how to type or pulling up my britches then caring for the plants!
Brag time: last fall I put a hail-beaten Regal geranium (called Arista Black) into a large old galvanized tub out in sunroom in HOPES it wouldn't go by the wayside. Right now, it's 2 feet wide x 18 inches long..is actually cascading down front of tub..and counted 36 blooming heads on it, looks like the whole plant's just deep, deep red blossoms..is breathtaking! Had taken some cuttings from it that are now in 1-gallons pots and those, also, are alive with color. Have always leaned towards the zonal geraniums before, but these Regals have taken over as top priority for both the contained bushiness of growth and output of flowers. No "legginess" with the Regals; are a bit on the hard side to propagate; but overall, they can't be beat if you're a geranium lover. Most are bi-colored; blossoms look more like those of rhodies than geraniums; are very easy keepers. I highly recommend this variety for summer/spring/winter color, and recommend over-wintering inside. Try 'em..you'll love 'em!
Time to get back to "winging it"..I've got the WILL and know there's a way around a few chores, just gotta figure it out! Happy gardening all, W N S

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