аЯрЁБс>ўџ 68ўџџџ5џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС#` №ППbjbj\.\. .&>D>DПџџџџџџЄЄЄЄЄЄЄЄИ|||| ˆ И%Ж        Є І І І І І І $лhCЂЪ Є6  66Ъ ЄЄ  п ааа6Є Є Є а6Є ааЄЄа ” 06ЗСцoШ|LаЄ ѕ 0%ахbXхахЄад ’2hаšTюH   Ъ Ъ К   %6666ИИИФ|ИИИ|ИИИЄЄЄЄЄЄџџџџ Some Thoughts on Gardening By Bruce Griffith My father was an avid gardener in Connecticut, but as a full-time blue collar worker he couldn’t spend nearly as much time as he wanted to on his garden. He was pretty traditional in what he grew – the same sort of flowers you’d find in English gardens, since we (especially in New England) learned gardening from the English. So when I started, my mental model was my father’s garden – but even better. For some time I didn’t have the time, so I edged walks and carved out small beds by the doorway, etc. While he was alive and visiting, my father loved our early spring but just couldn’t figure out this clay soil in Rowan. I’ve fooled around with gardening for some time – vegetables mainly at first and in recent years, flowers. Growing vegetables was mainly utilitarian – for better food, and cheaper (at least in terms of out-of-pocket costs). Our new house, however, wasn’t ideal for vegetable gardening, though I’ve carved out several spots. Vegetables take sun, and I had shade. So I started small with a few garden areas and plants that would take shade. Many didn’t make it, but some flourished. I enjoyed those that did well immensely, and I started to think about why they succeeded. In the catalogs they all seemed equally adapted – all you get is the zones they grow in and whether they need full sun, part sun, mostly shade, etc. As I got deeper into the problem – and I’m an addictive personality – I got passionately involved in such things. I began to realize from my reading that my successes and failures weren’t just problems of my making. Plants have had millions of years to adapt to particular habitats, and my yard was radically different from many of these habitats. Most of the traditional garden plants originated in Europe, and few places in Europe are anything like North Carolina. The warm parts of Europe are dry, and the moist places are cool. That’s not Rowan County. So I began to notice where plants came from. Northeast Asian plants do well here – azaleas, camellias, peaches, balloon-flower, daylilies, and chrysanthemums, for example. But many of the strongest of my flowers turned out to have native roots. I guess what really convinced me was the frequent frost damage in spring to the non-native plants in our brutal late summer. Natives, on the other hand, glide through our uneven springs and flourish in the late summer – though not, of course, the same plants. So I got hooked on natives. I read about endemic species, checked catalogs, and started trying them. I garden mainly for therapy – physical and psychological. It gives me exercise, but more importantly it gets me in touch with the slower and uncontrollable patterns of nature. We’ve gotten to where we, living in cities, think that nature is an inconvenience to be “handled.” No gardener can think that. Nature is nature. Plants survive if they are adapted – if they are ready for whatever nature in a particular area gives them. I can’t and won’t cover my garden to protect it from frost or get out with a hose every dry day. I’ve learned a lot from my colleagues in Catawba’s Earth Management course. “Management,” by the way, means something different to me than it does to many of our students. I come from an environment in which people often said, “We’ll manage,” by which they meant, “We don’t have much, but we’ll balance our needs with our resources.” Gardening with natives seems to me to be not only an enjoyable hobby and a form of therapy cheaper than seeing a psychologist but also a way of using human resources to reverse the damage we did as we shaped our environment to suit our narrow goals. It takes what we have – our soil, our organic wastes, our native species – and restores in small areas the ecosystem our ancestors wiped out. Maybe some of my plants never were native in Rowan – if they aren’t adapted they won’t survive long and they certainly won’t reproduce. But many are flourishing and reproducing in spite of the hoards of insects and the capricious weather patterns here. Some do so well they threaten to become weeds. Others I’m protecting in hopes they’ll make it once they’re established. And others I’ll have to write off – they may do well somewhere in the Southeast, but my garden may not have a niche for them. I don’t give up easily on plants that ought to do well here. The soil, sun, and moisture may not have been right – another spot in the garden may have been perfect for a plant that dies. But I’m beyond sticking a plant in an inhospitable spot and trying to meet its needs. Gardening with natives is about knowing what they need and knowing your garden well enough to find the spots that suit them. Amending the soil is the easiest way to prepare their home; watering is a cop-out and should be considered only as a last resort; and climate is something you simply have to accept. Gardens need managing, but the key is following the patterns nature uses in perpetuating her healthy diversity. Using native plants has many advantages. In the first place, they are beautiful. Many of our garden favorites are derived from natives – phlox, coreopsis, monarda (bee balm), aster (michaelmas daisy), cardinal flower, and hibiscus are only a few examples. But beyond this they are adapted to our climate and resistant to our pests, and thus require less care. But I’m not a purist. I love several flowers that aren’t native, and working with them I’m trying to find those most adapted to their new home. I suppose it’s a fair trade, since some of my worst weeds, like honeysuckle, aren’t native either. I hope eventually to oversee the birth of a new variety of flower – Jefferson said nobody could do more for a nation than introduce a new plant worthy of cultivation.    a Ш()*§ OPОПїяычыуыпыпчлчзчгчыhghvЏhъJh†Bh{}hEєhИ/эhљfЯhb5hљfЯhИ/э5-.w Ѕ | Ї(њДОПєєєьььььььььььdhgdvЏ $dha$gdvЏПў,1hАа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %ААаАа а†œ@@ёџ@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DAђџЁD Default Paragraph FontRiѓџГR  Table Normalі4ж l4жaі (kєџС(No ListП&џџџџ-.wЅ|Ї ( њДОС˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€ПППџџ „ѕЁDЗ$…ѕЁьК$†ѕЁ„ ‡ѕЁЌК$ˆѕЁlX$‰ѕЁЬŠѕЁМ‹ѕЁ\ŒѕЁ#ѕЁФ $QQFCCfЁЁЇ[С \\QQQlІ­­dС 9 *€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags€place€=*€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags €PlaceName€=*€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags €PlaceType€9 *€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags€State€ sА  LPСDГСa)*§ OP&НОСLPС/х.|{š\oъJ Oe­%w6И% w ч . „q ЗO L| {}&'Œ-D’gpѓ.Sbѕvƒ6зnXo,u>ч’qЛ/jЁш(R§Т " уj!ЋT",#zy#l($Ž2%­G%нF)/Z)o*4*к;*+E*•t+ЭG-‚.ь?/ЂI/D[/Й_/g|/Ѓ#01СM2=C7S7 W9р[9О ;Ÿ;ј=<tt<fU=ЊH>ќn?Иy?ђ=@†BCѕC*DЮKEС'FнyF„HGяJG„ IH3IЕaI!$JрIK]kMtvOРPЅ4QQHQьeRWwR1SЦoS;'W89Xђ)YЂ?YуvY!Z]Rr]„^#^ON^Y_b@c4DcLc$LcјEeI~f60gЗEgъh’h~Zh:j]Tj wj№=mЗ6oэeoJ\p!q!qм5rвDrvs/uZ&uixy9xw