Gardening : Writing

Is gardening like writing?

This is what Carl Lennertz of HarperCollins Publishing wrote in his blog Publishing Insider:

"....every 5 years or so, I get a truckload of topsoil dropped off so I can elevate a corner of the yard or start a new flower bed. 

And it occurred to me, sleepily, that the sound of a shovel going into dirt is one of the most satisfying, tangible sounds, of all. 

'shoosh'

The shoosh of metal on dirt, then the creation of something new. 

And then it hit me that writing was like that, too. The sound of writing, the sense of building something, measurable bit by bit, and most of all, the going back and reshaping and redoing. "

Jan Johnsen - garden path

I wholeheartedly agree!
For me there is nothing more satisfying than physical creation: seeing a swimming pool and garden emerge from nothing more than a drawing.
Or a Japanese stream evolve from orange paint lines on the ground.

Or a delightful cascade develop from a plan.

Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

I share that subtle pleasure of digging and planting - although I do it with a professional's sense of urgency and need to complete a project on time...
but still the 'shoosh', as Lennertz terms it, is a comfortable sound to me, like an old friend's voice or rain on the roof.

Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

The shovel and rake are my comrades in arms just like the words that flow onto a page. In my case, each calls up the other.  I cannot put down the shovel nor can I stop the words that seem to tumble out like 1/2" gravel in a subsurface drain channel (Ha!).

Gardening is indeed like writing. Weeding, cultivating and enhancing are tasks that they share. If you neglect these steps the result will suffer.  Flowery prose must be pruned. Overstuffed plant beds must be edited.

So I agree with Mr. Lennertz's notion that the creation of something new is similar in both gardening and writing.  

Johnsen Landscapes & Pools

I originally wrote this post as I was writing, 'Heaven is a Garden' which was published in 2014 by St. Lynn's Press.

Kia Optima Sportswagon

The all-new Kia Optima Sportswagon, Kia's first ever D-segment tourer, will make its global premiere at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show (86th Salon International de l'Automobile) on 1 March. The car is inspired by the 2015 SPORTSPACE concept which was shown for the first time at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The Optima Sportswagon offers the striking exterior design and high quality interior of the 2016 Optima sedan, with the added practicality and appeal of a tourer bodystyle. According to Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe:

"The Optima has come to define Kia globally, and is credited with kick-starting the brand's design-led transformation. The SPORTSPACE concept from 2015 was a clear intention of where we wanted to take the Optima next, and the Sportswagon adds an extra level of style and practicality to the well-received sedan."

It should be noted that in Europe, two thirds of all sales are in the D-segment, and three quarters of all fleet sales in this class, are made up of tourers The car will be available with a choice of efficient and responsive gasoline and diesel powertrains, including a high-powered GT model.

The Optima Sportswagon is due to go on sale across Europe in Q4 2016.

Coleus - Gorgeous, Versatile and Easy to Grow

'Pineapple Splash' Coleus - photo by Jan Johnsen

I have had a love affair with coleus ever since I grew it in plastic pots on a windowsill in a small New York city apartment as a teenager.

Back then there were maybe 6 varieties of coleus available and I got mine as cuttings from adult friends. They were my introduction to plants ( followed by the hanging 'spider plant' - remember those denizens of all 'homey' restaurants in the 1970s?....)

Kong Coleus - photo by Jan Johnsen

Well, I have grown up and so has coleus...

The colorful foliage of coleus is making a comeback as breeders introduce new varieties to supplement the old faves.  The diversity of foliage color, leaf shape, and growth habit  - and the fact that coleus tolerates both full sun and part shade  - make them a great addition to any garden.

Coleus are great both in beds and containers...There are so many varieties to choose from - where to start?

I say look at 'Pineapple Splash', 'Inky Fingers' and 'Kong' coleus...Yellow, red and multi colored, in that order....

Inky Fingers Coleus from White Flower Farm

You can certainly try more but these three are a good bet. Coleus will overwinter inside and they will root from cuttings that you take...Easy! Easy!  And that is why I love coleus so much.  I like Easy...(perhaps that is why I lived in New Orleans for several years - 'The Big Easy'.)

My fave right now is Under the Sea Bone Fish Coleus from Hortcouture. Great Name.

Under the Sea Bone Fish Coleus

They mix well with others too:

Kong with Angelonia 'Wedgwood Blue' - Jan Johnsen

This lights up an Early Fall evening for sure....Jan Johnsen

Check out my other posts on Coleus - type in 'Coleus' in the search box to the right.....

question: is the plural of 'coleus' - colei?

Secrets to a Successful CHILD'S VEGETABLE GARDEN

 I reprint this post every year with new suggestions...time to plan

 3 secrets to a successful 

CHILD'S VEGETABLE GARDEN:

1. They should not be too demanding, 
2. They should offer fairly quick results
3.  The must not  require too much maintenance.

But how to achieve this in a garden in the short few months before school is over in June?

 Go to kidsgardening.org and also check out the wonderful post on Yardday (click on name) then, prepare, prepare, prepare.

1. First, your veggie garden site has to have full sun for over 6 hours a day. This is a must! And morning sun is preferable over 6 hours of late in the day sun.

2. It must be relatively level and have soil deep enough to sustain plant roots and facilitate adequate drainage (about 16 inches deep at least). No 6" to bedrock or placed atop asphalt.

The soil has to be prepared beforehand - not by the kids, but by adults. 

The quality of the soil decides the success of the garden. Little kids cannot be expected to amend and prepare the soil in the correct manner...

The soil preparation stage is where most kids' gardens go astray.

The grown-ups must work the soil to get the ground ready for the enthusiasm of children with trowels and a bunch of seeds.  This is no easy task -  the soil has to be friable ( I love that word) and fertile. 

Woodland soil is not suitable nor is sandy soil...organic amendments will be needed (worm composting, anybody?)

check out Haven Brand Soil Conditioner Teas

3. Third, the arrangements for watering and weeding have to be addressed beforehand. Kids will lose interest after a while (summer sports are calling) and someone has to do it consistently...

If those three considerations are fulfilled then the kids' garden will be a great success! If not, it may become a short lived exercise....

What to plant?
Veggies for a kids' garden should be hardy, fun to look at and mature quickly before school is out in June...so what can we plant?

One idea is to choose varieties in unusual colors, shapes and sizes:

Aurora Mixed Orach   Greens in a mix of radiant colors, well suited to edible landscapes. Who says greens have to be green? Has a spinach flavor. Go here: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed. A great company.

"Easter egg" radish 
Ovals in shades of purple, lavender, pink, rose, scarlet, white. 25 days. Fast and easy to grow, radishes are best in cool weather.

Carrot Thumbelina

Round, golfball  gourmet carrots can be harvested after 60 days!

Ideal for containers or gardens with poor soils. Sweet taste and small cores make thumbelina great for salads, stews, snacks or hors d'oeuvres.

 Red Saladbowl - Oakleaf Lettuce 

Radiant burgundy, deeply lobed, delicate oak-like leaves form a rosette. Red Saladbowl matures early, holds its mild, nonbitter salad quality for a long time, and is slow to bolt.  seed with organic pelleting for fast and easy germination.

Potato - All Blue

Skin is purple and the flesh is blue.  A wonderfully flavorful potato with meaty flesh.  It is not a quick grower but the fun is in harvesting it in late summer...

one great way to grow potatoes - fill a tire with soil and plant the seed potato within this tire...add another one atop it as potato seedlngs emerge and grow about 8  inches and cover them with soil ..do it again with a third tire as they grow toward the light...

Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' Mix

A must for a kid's garden!This chard seed mix has stems in yellow, gold, pink and crimson.  They're best harvested young for salads. Ready to harvest in 60 days. Go here: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

And what about flowers?

Plant spring pansies for color and this:

Nasturtium Alaska Mix

These colorful and edible flowers tolerate poor soils and heat or cold. They grow on compact plants with attractive variegated foliage. Flowers and tender young leaves add color and a peppery zip to salads.  Big seeds are ideal for kids' gardens.

I hope this gets everyone starting to think about planting out those veggies...I got most of these photos from Burpee's Seeds. This well known company is a great on-line seed source as is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

click here: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog 

BMW's hands-free driving technology - BMW AirTouch

BMW recently unveiled their i Vision Future Interaction Concept Car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. They showcased some of the future teach that we hope to see sometime in the near future.

The Vision Car is based on the BMW i8, and it includes a first in hands-free driving technology which they call the BMW AirTouch. It allows you to control the entire in-car display with a range of intuitive commands that use your whole hand, without having to touch the screen itself. Sensors record the hand movements in the area between the central console and the interior mirror, enabling the driver or passengers to change the content displayed on the large panorama display. Simple confirmation selects the relevant menu item or activates an icon.

 AirTouch has another option to confirm actions - a concealed AirTouch button on the rim of the steering wheel. Within easy reach of the driver's left thumb, it lights up when a menu or icon can be activated. One tap is sufficient to activate the desired program or change a setting. A similar button is positioned in the side sill door area for passenger use, enabling them to use one hand to navigate through the menu, and the other hand to confirm inputs.

The intelligent AirTouch menu control system reduces the number of steps needed to make a selection. For example, when activating the phone pad, the system automatically brings up contacts or call lists to the top select level, so that a call can be made with just one further action. AirTouch recognises which selection and control steps are required next and displays them in advance. This allows the driver to concentrate on the road ahead, and offers additional convenient control options when the vehicle is travelling in highly automated mode.