Meet Amy Mueller, 26 of Wisconsin, says her garden gives her a chance
to relax after a long day at work, "I spend my days at work thinking, in
the garden, I don't have to."
How did you first begin gardening? How long
have you been gardening? What motivated you to begin
gardening?
I began gardening in the Spring of 1996. The apartment I live in
has a side yard and a garden space. This was the first garden experience,
aside from picking vegetables in my mom's garden, that I ever had. The building
owners told me I could plant in the space available and I took full
advantage.
I wanted something nice to look at in the summertime, especially
after 5 years of living in apartments in the city. I grew up in the country
and was used to the natural wildflowers. My first garden was a real eye-opener
on nature. I was not prepared to be a gardener. I did not use any topsoil
and planting in clay made my plants look no bigger than the day I bought
them.
My second year was fabulous! I started my seeds on my own, indoors
in the early spring. Everything was ready to be planted on time. I bought
all kinds of gardening tools and lots of topsoil and turned the ground up
really well.
All the plants survived the transplant and made me realize that
I really liked gardening! This year, I have taken over more areas where the
annuals grew and planted perennials in their place.
My motivation is the chance to see my young spring plants stretch
out and grow and bloom for the summer. I have also planned out my garden
for fall planting and I am ready to start enjoying my garden for the summer,
now that the mulch is down and the plants are getting bigger.
What has gardening taught you about yourself?
Have you discovered parts of yourself through gardening?
I have learned to have more
patience. In the beginning, I thought that all you had to do to have a garden
was to go to the store and buy a flat of plants and they would take care
of themselves from there. I have discovered that I have a lot to learn when
it comes to gardening, but I am discovering that I have a real knack for
gardening.
For some, gardening is therapy. Is it like
this for you? If so, how?
I do consider gardening as therapy. It keeps me occupied and exercised
at the same time. Every night after dinner, I can go out and pull weeds,
deadhead the spent flowers and then just admire the beauty of it all. I find
myself relaxed in taking care of my garden and I can escape from my thoughts
of hectic days at the office.
What do you grow? Where do you garden? How
many acres do you plant?
I love to grow flowers. Right now I have over twenty different kinds
to tend to, such as, Vincas, Violas, Petunias, Pansies, Marigolds, Sweet
Williams, Cosmos, and more. I garden in my side yard garden.
My upstairs neighbor has taken over part of the space for container
gardening, but I prefer digging straight in the dirt. The space really isn't
that big, the main part of my garden is about six feet by twelve feet and
I have taken over several other spaces among the annuals (Iris, Rose bushes,
and Raspberry bushes) and connected it all with a curving border.
What is your favorite thing to grow? Why is
this your favorite?
My Favorite is my Sweet William Flowers. I bought them when I first
started my garden and they started out as six small plants with fuscia and
white fringed flowers. I let them winter over with out removing them or covering
them.
The next spring, they had tripled and were full of buds! I had read
that these were considered biennials, so I really did not expect what I got
this year. They had tripled in size again and are now full of blooms. I think
I picked out the strain of Sweet William that will come back as an annual,
but then again, maybe my gardening skills paid off. :)
What steps do you take to get your garden
ready every year?
I usually start planning my garden in March. I get out the garden
catalogs and my notebook and begin drawing the layouts of what flowers I
want where. I also get ideas for different colors schemes, but I find I like
the pinks and reds the best.
Towards the end of April, I go out and remove the leaf mulch from
the winter and turn the soil. I get about three bags of topsoil and work
that in around the bulbs and put down fertilizer. Next spring I will have
to do something different, as I am going to be planting about 150 bulbs that
consist of Hyacinth, Muscari, Asiatic Lillies, Crocus, Tulips and other spring
plants this October.
What advice do you have for those who want
to start gardening?
READ READ READ!! The more you know, the better your garden will
be. I asked for gardening books for Christmas and my birthday, the first
year I started to garden. I found I didn't have to study them like a textbook,
however I used them in reference to my situation and what and where I was
growing. A lot of patience and care goes into gardening, and common sense
is a powerful gardening tool.
Do you ever garden with others? If so, how
does it impact your relationships?
I can't say that I garden with others, as in alongside, but my neighbor
is a container gardener and my building owners live next door and they have
a very large garden. I find it gives us all a common ground when discussing
things and admiring each others work. And I sometimes seek them out for advice
in the garden, and they will do the same.
What are the joys of
gardening?
Watching the seeds sprout, smelling the flowers, and killing
slugs.
What mistakes have you made with your
garden?
One of the biggest mistakes I made, was letting the slugs and snails
get as far as they did with destroying some of my plants. I have a bird feeder
hanging over my garden and with the excess bird seed on the garden, it created
an environment that the slugs an snails thrived in. Before I could stop them,
they killed a lot of plants. I will be using more slug repellent to protect
my plants the rest of the season.
What books, television programs, videos, magazines
have helped you learn about gardening?
I have a Better Homes and Gardens book, and lots and lots of gardening
catalogs from the mail which help me in choosing the right flowers for my
Zone. I have a somewhat shady garden, so reading about what flowers grow
best there, helps me decide what to buy and exactly where to grow
it.
What challenges does your garden give
you?
I am challenged by my garden
by how many flowers I can plant and grow. With the space being tucked between
a garage and a two story building, I only get about five or six hours of
sun a day. So I have to take care in choosing plants that will accept small
amounts of sun.
How do you handle insects and other animals
that might interfere with your garden?
Currently I am trying to rid my garden of slugs and snails. I also
have an ant problem with my Vincas. The ants do not allow the flower much
time before they have eaten it entirely. With the slugs, I just laid down
a Cocoa Shell Mulch and I tend to sprinkle salt or dunk the slugs I come
in contact with. I also use commercial products, such as Ortho's Bug Geta,
which works well too. I currently have ant traps laid out for the ants and
I am exploring other options to rid them of my Vincas.
What have you discovered improves the quality
of your garden?
I have discovered that putting down a cocoa shell mulch, makes it
look "finished" with all the plants and flowers blooming.
Does your garden have a theme? A name? Is
it symbolic of something?
Well, my garden doesn't have a theme or a name, but it's just something
I really enjoy doing.
How much time do you spend on your garden
each day, or week, or month?
I try to spend up to two hours daily or more in the beginning of
the season and the end of the season. Although in the main part of the season,
I really can get by with only an hour or less. It depends on what needs to
be done.
What do you think about while you are
gardening?
I try not to think when I am gardening! I just like to concentrate
on the flowers and how things are doing. I spend my days at work thinking,
in the garden, I don't have to. |
