Bittersweet Fall Approaching and Diane Beresford-Kroeger Offers Bioplans for Gardeners
It's only the middle of August but it seemed like the end of September today as I spent most of the day starting the garden cleanup that I usually do later in the year.
When the 105-degree days left, they were replaced by mid-80's and rain predicted. That's not August! That's September.
At any rate, zinnias, tithonia, cosmos and nicotiana were deadheaded, weeds were pulled, daylily leaves were removed, fallen leaves were taken off daisies that look promising for a fall re-bloom.
The approach of fall bittersweet, isn't it? Does approach of the end of the gardening season make you sad?
TREES ROCK
Scientist, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, was interviewed by the New York Times and the column is at this link.
Beresford-Kroeger has degrees in Botany and medical biochemistry.
She said in the article that trees are chemical factories with complex strategies to survive. Their flowers contain oils to repel mammals but have fragrance to attract pollinators. Wafer ash trees protect butterflies by making them taste bitter to birds.
Her bioplan preference is to tie together aboriginal healing, Western medicine and botany into a reforesting plan for cities and rural areas.
U. Michigan Press has her book, Arboretum America, A Philosophy of the Forest.
The blog, Recreating Eden, says that Beresford-Kroeger is a gardener on 160-acres, who likes to use her medical knowledge to come up with ways to cure cancer and other diseases through her garden.
The blog says, "Having studied classical botany, medical biochemistry, organic and radio nuclear chemistry, and experimental surgery, Diana believes that the cures for cancer and other ailments can be found in her garden located in Merrickville, Ontario. Among her prized plants are 150 year-old morello sour cherries, chocolate smelling peonies and rare breeds of trees and plants long thought lost to deforestation."
In her book, A Garden for Life:The Natural Approach to Designing, Planting, and Maintaining a North Temperate Garden, Beresford-Kroeger urges gardeners to consider nature.
"If you garden do not forget nature. This is what the Bioplan is all about. The Bioplan tells you how to bring nature back into any garden. And by this I mean, you will bring back birds, butterflies, dragonflies, all the native pollinators, frogs and their cousins the snakes, mammals, and the kingdom of beneficial insects. All of these creatures need water, food, and a safe place if they are to stay in your garden. The ideas of the Bioplan are simple, but they are not being used. A garden is not just for flowers, in my opinion. It should have more than that to satisfy the soul. It should have diversity. A Bioplan brings diversity into any garden. For me, the first time a giant swallowtail butterfly decided to stick around the perennial border in the garden, I felt I was getting somewhere as a gardener."
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all gardeners could unite with her plan and fulfill her dream that we could collectively provide a place for nature, not just lawns, buildings and mega-farms?
When the 105-degree days left, they were replaced by mid-80's and rain predicted. That's not August! That's September.
At any rate, zinnias, tithonia, cosmos and nicotiana were deadheaded, weeds were pulled, daylily leaves were removed, fallen leaves were taken off daisies that look promising for a fall re-bloom.
The approach of fall bittersweet, isn't it? Does approach of the end of the gardening season make you sad?
TREES ROCK
Scientist, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, was interviewed by the New York Times and the column is at this link.
Beresford-Kroeger has degrees in Botany and medical biochemistry.
She said in the article that trees are chemical factories with complex strategies to survive. Their flowers contain oils to repel mammals but have fragrance to attract pollinators. Wafer ash trees protect butterflies by making them taste bitter to birds.
Her bioplan preference is to tie together aboriginal healing, Western medicine and botany into a reforesting plan for cities and rural areas.
U. Michigan Press has her book, Arboretum America, A Philosophy of the Forest.
The blog, Recreating Eden, says that Beresford-Kroeger is a gardener on 160-acres, who likes to use her medical knowledge to come up with ways to cure cancer and other diseases through her garden.
The blog says, "Having studied classical botany, medical biochemistry, organic and radio nuclear chemistry, and experimental surgery, Diana believes that the cures for cancer and other ailments can be found in her garden located in Merrickville, Ontario. Among her prized plants are 150 year-old morello sour cherries, chocolate smelling peonies and rare breeds of trees and plants long thought lost to deforestation."
In her book, A Garden for Life:The Natural Approach to Designing, Planting, and Maintaining a North Temperate Garden, Beresford-Kroeger urges gardeners to consider nature.
"If you garden do not forget nature. This is what the Bioplan is all about. The Bioplan tells you how to bring nature back into any garden. And by this I mean, you will bring back birds, butterflies, dragonflies, all the native pollinators, frogs and their cousins the snakes, mammals, and the kingdom of beneficial insects. All of these creatures need water, food, and a safe place if they are to stay in your garden. The ideas of the Bioplan are simple, but they are not being used. A garden is not just for flowers, in my opinion. It should have more than that to satisfy the soul. It should have diversity. A Bioplan brings diversity into any garden. For me, the first time a giant swallowtail butterfly decided to stick around the perennial border in the garden, I felt I was getting somewhere as a gardener."
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all gardeners could unite with her plan and fulfill her dream that we could collectively provide a place for nature, not just lawns, buildings and mega-farms?
Comments
I agree about the bioplan. Gardens should nurture all sorts of things. Pam was surprised at all the wildlife in my garden. I rarely use any chemicals and use natural pesticides only when I must. I do use Grass B Gone for the Bermuda. I think I may need to buy that book.~~Dee
Today I considered not watering the cucumber vines even though the leaves are starting to crisp. Just tired of all of it right now.