From The Beginning This Relationship Has Been Rocky

Commelina communis Asiatic Day Flower

From the beginning my relationship with Chez Cedar has been rocky.

My home ownership biological clock was ticking and I wanted a bigger home and yard for my family!

I wasn't so desperate that I would settle for just anything, but I did find myself thinking, "Not anywhere near perfect, but with a little work we can whip this place into shape!" So Chez and I embarked on our journey.

It became clear in those early years that
Chez and I weren't soul mates. There were many complaints. I talked endlessly with Mr. I Don't and friends about the flaws! Something had to be done or this relationship would continue to make everyone uncomfortable.

We sought advice, with endless trips to the bookstore for self help books. Our bookshelves were filled with early attempts to understand the problems.

Books like~~Complete Do It Yourself Manual (Readers Digest), Home Repair and Improvement Series (Time Life), The Home Decorator's Bible and my personal favorite Superwoman by Shirley Conran. Feng Shui, Wabi Sabi and A Gentle Plea For Chaos were tried and rejected!

No amount of complaining and grousing was going to make this relationship work. Real change had to take place! We had improved all we could by ourselves. We needed professional help.

The professionals arrive!

We saw Bruce. He was highly recommended by our dear friends. He was a relationship rehabber! It was clear to him that something had to change. He recommended getting rid of everything that was no longer working for us. He assured us that these changes would bring us a sense of calm and relaxation. We agreed to work with him. We tore down old walls that had kept us from communicating and flowing. With an open plan our communication improved....the boxed in feeling was gone. Ennui was lifted from Chez. Our relationship began to blossom.

Lantana with Gulf Fritillary

A few years later, when we felt crowded and needed a change, we called Nancy. She thought our connection to nature was out of whack; we needed to open up and breath. She said we needed to expand our presence in the universe. Positive affirmations were assigned. Cognitive restructuring was going to be necessary! She suggested reconstructive cosmetic surgery for Chez! He was looking tired. It was a big decision. Finally, after many consultations, we all agreed that it was time for a big change.

Early summer on the front path

The reconstruction was successful. Chez looked hip with his new porch. We could breath fresh air and commune with nature.

Bee and Salvia azurea

Blooming continued. We grew closer.

But still there were nagging moments. The fall of our discontent was upon us. We needed more guidance. Everything felt chaotic.

Before~ 2008

We needed a coach, so we called Sarah. She listened respectfully and suggested a few coaching sessions. During that time, she reminded me that change takes time. She suggested we begin looking at Clay and Limestone differently. She said that by making a few changes we could significantly improve Chez.

After~ 2008

She helped us focus and expand our vision.

Words like acceptance, cohesiveness, harmony, natural, openness, compromise and quirky were embraced*. We recommitted to our original vows of honoring the land; accepting the clay and limestone conditions, dealing with the dry summers and wet winters and celebrating cedar glade native plants. We opened our hearts and minds to exotic plants that would add quirkiness and fun to the landscape of our relationship.

Tricyrtis "Empress" Toad Lily

We dug in and committed to doing the work. The changes we are undertaking are often difficult, always stimulating and so much fun. Sometimes we get exhausted by the magnitude of the tasks. More often we are humbled that simple changes in attitude and vision could bring about a renewed passion and a deepening love for our home and garden!

Thank goodness there's help out there when you need it!

Gail

;-) My dear friends! Thank you for nominating me for several categories in the Blotanical Best of Awards: Most User Friendly, Best Blog Post (Have You Ever Wondered How Blogs Got Their Names) and Best New Comer Blog. What a delightful honor! Really! All the nominees and their blogs are fantastic. If you've never been to Blotanical or haven't signed up...this is a great time to pop over there to visit blogs from around the globe. You won't be disappointed.

my warmest thoughts for you all! gail

....I am hear to live out loud. Emile Zola

* Thank you Carol!

It's Harvest Time

What do you think of the recent harvest of Ordovician Limestone from the front garden?

It was 'grown' from a compost soup of microscopic organisms which accumulated at the bottom of the ocean that once covered Middle Tennessee.



Dug fresh, yesterday! It's rich in calcium carbonate. Tasty! Women of a certain age are very familiar with calcium!


Limestone is the major crop at Clay and Limestone.

We grow companion plants like

Goldenrod (Solidago);


Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseenses) which grows as a cover crop on limestone, along with Verbena canadensis and Baptisia australis.


Even our native Phlox paniculata and pilosa don't mind a little limestone growing at their feet.

One thing I have noticed about growing limestone, it hasn't any

problems sharing garden space with the Susans (Rudbeckia hirta). As you may well know, the Susans can run over other crops, but not limestone! It can hold its own against an assertive plant like Susan!

Many native plants grow happily alone side limestone.

Here are Heuchera villosa "Autumn Bride" and Amsonia hubechti with last year's crop of Ordovician Limestone.

This fantastic limestone has no natural enemies, doesn't require fertilizer and is drought tolerant! It is a practically perfect crop for Clay and Limestone.

We can't imagine gardening without it!

Gail

Cedar Glade: The April Visit, Part I

Hey there, is everyone ready for the official April visit to the Couchville Cedar Glade. It was a beautiful morning and we wanted to get an early start; rain was expected and you know what rain means in a glade...mud!

Last month, most of the glade was underwater and

dotted all around with water tolerant spring wildflowers. (Leavenworthia stylosa)
The sky was gray and it was chilly...late winter in the Central Basin. The green of Juniperus virginiana was prominent.


Here is the same shot a month later. (click on any photo to enlarge)

I don't know about you but, wow comes to mind. All the marvelous green and a wonderful blue sky. It was muddy, but not sticky gooey mud!


We'll be back to this very spot in May...but for now let's see what else the Glade has in store for us!

As you enter the Natural Area we pass through a grassland meadow. The grasses have greened up nicely. Later in the season we'll clearly see Little Blue Stem grass and other native grasses.



The trail is a mile loop through a different landscape then most of us are used to seeing...There is exposed limestone with native shrubs and trees that you may have in your garden...but here you'll see them in their natural habitat. Keep your eyes open for some surprises.


The green shrubs are Hypericum frondosum (Golden St John's Wort) and Rhus aromatica (Fragrant Sumac) both in my garden. They have lovely yellow blooms. The Sumac's not in flower or bud in the glade, but I have buds at home. My garden is a less harsh environment and a few weeks ahead of the glade.

Here is a closeup of the Rhus, check out those beautiful leaves.... Do they look familiar? Rhus is a second cousin, twice removed from its rather foul tempered cousin, Poison Ivy, and not at all an allergic agent!


The Hypericum frondosum or Golden St John's Wort is everywhere in the woodlands. Not yet ready to bloom, but looking good with its soft green color.


Just a bit more greenery from the Red Cedar-Hardwood Forests that are often found near Cedar Glades. The soil is deeper and inviting to pioneer trees like Red Cedars.




More exposed limestone on the trail, We leave the wooded trail and turn the corner....to arrive at this open field of shallow soils, exposed limestone and endemic plants. This is the glade or barren. If you look closely, you can see the wildflowers; some emerging, some budding and others blooming. This is the home of Tennessee Coneflower and....


SURPRISE! Verbena canadensis (Glandularia canadensis) growing in its native habitat. Homestead Purple is the hybridized form of this extremely hardy native. The sweet little white flower growing with it is Glade Sandwort (Minuartia patula). Both were growing everywhere, including the middle of the trails. Talk about tough plants.

Many yards within a mile or so of Couchville Cedar Glade have glady conditions; not much lawn, instead they have large stands of Glade Sandwort and Rose Verbena. Really lovely.

Another glade native is Glade Phlox (Phlox bifida). It's just beginning to bloom.

I expected the verbena and sandwort but was completely surprised to see Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) hanging out in the neighborhood. This was a first for me...I love Shooting Star, but have only seen it in cultivated gardens. I was thrilled to see this plant! This is why we have to continue protecting native habitats...but I shall leave that subject for now....




If this is your first visit you might not know what a Cedar Glade is and I quote myself here from an earlier post:
"... now a cedar glade is clearly a rocky, gravelly or grassy opening that might be surrounded by red-cedar forests or red-cedar/hardwood forests."

In a glade, you'll find 300 million year old limestone either exposed or close to the surface...and growing there are plants that have adapted to harsh conditions...very wet in the winter and bone dry in the summer. You wouldn't think anything can grow here but it's teeming with life!

I love this mosaic composition...and so does the Glade Sandwort.


Here is a big picture shot of Glade Sandwort...happy in full sun, limestone and shallow soil.




Sandwort growing in shallow soil on exposed limestone with emerging coneflower.The Red Cedar-Hardwood Forest surrounds the glade. The boulders were very inviting and seemed a good place to rest and think.



As we walked closer to the rocks, I was lost in thought; appreciating the stark beauty and wondering again, what early Tennessee pioneers felt about this difficult land.... my husband woke me from my daydream when he said, " Gail, look at this!" I looked up to see this!


Quite the surprise isn't it!

It had to be a group of scouts who found all these bones! They honored the rules and didn't take them out of the park and left them there for all to see.

Speaking of the hand of man...this glade has only been protected since 1995. There is much evidence that this beautiful park was once used by us as a dumping ground...


It's hard not to appreciate nature...


and easy to be disappointed with human behavior that shows no respect for it.




There's more to see in the glade, shall we meet back here tomorrow?

Gail