(May 30, 2002)
Come Into The Garden
LIGHT & COLOR
By: Mary Michaelene

The following is an excerpted from Mary Michaelene’s book
Blossoms, Closer Than Reach
Have you ever noticed how light and color play games with each other?
At different times of the day, as the light changes, the colors take on a different intensity. The values change, as does the degree of lightness and darkness. My favorite time is in he late afternoon. There is a special kind of intensity. The colors are brilliant and the shadows are deeper. Maybe it’s the contrast that makes each color stand out with a special luminosity that is breathtaking.

The colors at that time of day are more translucent, as though you can see the soul of the flowers shining through. The light has to be “just right” for this to happen. You have to watch for it, or you’ll miss the specialness of each color.

“The garden” has a variety of colors. I like it that way. I’ve thought about planting just white flowers with splashes of red or purple as a contrast. I can picture it. It certainly would be dramatic, but it is a little homogenized for my taste. Besides, how could I go a whole planting season without pansies? Their brilliant colors light up the whole garden.

What about the bachelor buttons; the zinnias or marigolds and dozens of other plants that make the very air sing?

I position one plant to another with care. I consider the colors, textures, and heights so that one will show off the other. I don’t want to hide a little treasure amongst giants that would dominate it.

Don’t you love it when we are lucky enough to see the colors dancing in the light when a rainbow appears? Or when we see the beams of sunlight that show up when the clouds are just right? How about light bouncing off the water?

The colors of Lake Tahoe are well known. On a cloudless day, the blue sky reflecting on the water is so blue it’s almost too much to absorb. It’s as though heaven has come to earth. I also feel that way when I sit beside “the garden” as I catch glimpses of the lake between the trees and feel sheltered by the sky above.

Light and color. I Can’t imagine a world without it. It would be like a world without music or a face without a smile. Don’t you feel special because we have been given so much?

CARING FOR YOUR GARDEN

LAWN
(1 to 3 weeks)
Fertilizer & Epsom Salt
Mix - Spread
or
1 – Can Beer
1 – Cup Ammonia
1/2 – Cup Lawn Food
1/2 Cup Corn Syrup
Mix / Spray

VARMIT SPRAY
1 Can Beer
1 Cup Ammonia
1/2 Cup Dish Soap
1/2 Cup Lawn Food
1/2 Cup Corn Syrup
1 Can Coke Cola (regular)
1/4 Cup Hot Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
Mix in sprayer and spray
Every three weeks

BLACK SPOT & PLANTS (roses, etc.)
1 Can Beer (old or new)
1 Can Coke Cola (regular)
1/2 Cup Dish Soap
1/2 Cup Antiseptic Mouthwash (cheap brand)
1/4 Cup Instant tea (after use or used)

FOR GARDENS (3 weeks)
1 Can Beer (old or new)
1 Cup Ammonia
1/2 Cup Dish Soap
1/2 Cup Lawn Food
2 Shots Whiskey

FOR SOIL
1 Can Coke Cola
1/2 Cup Ammonia
1 Cup Dish Soap
Spray
Soak real good, then after a few days, turn ground over and spray again.

When making a cut on a rose bush, cut at angle and place toothpaste on cut. This keeps out fungus and disease

Place Tums or Calcium tablets and 1/2 cup Oatmeal on bottom of pot or bottom of plant hole before planting.

For Gardening Tips Email Clem at: sirechocjrm@webtv.net