Yardening

In this time of shoulder season here in NC there’s a lot going on both in the house and out of it. Inside, we have all of the accoutrements of winter out- flannel sheets, warm blankets on the couch- because every third day it gets down to 36 at night. We also have our shorts and t shirts on hand, and end up kicking off the warm bed coverings half the time, because it’s somewhere between 60 and 80 during the day.

Outside, similar transitions are happening. It’s such an active time of year in the yard. Active for the plants, I mean. Me, I just sit there paralyzed, not knowing if I should take the chance and plant x, y, z plant or if it’s too soon, because….see nighttime temps. Or should I un-mulch the iris rhizomes so that they don’t rot later in the season. Should I leave the early weeds to rot where they are (free biomass/plant matter), or will I regret it come next year when they are even more present.

Non native plants are a little more needy, like this bearded iris. The title of this blog is not quite right. The wisdom is actually dry knees, wet toes, and it refers to plants like irises and how they like to be planted. With the tops of their rhizome root aboveground, but keeping what’s underground fairly wet. The high maintenance aspect is one of many good reasons to not plant non native plants.

The answer for what to do, is mostly just watch and see. A lot of gardening, for me, has been observation. It’s good to read all the things, know all the things, do all the things. But it’s never quite that simple. You can watch a million YouTube videos about how to do something, but your experience will be different. The most valuable lesson, to slow down and watch, has made the rest of my life more pleasant too.

Very few things in life are truly urgent. Now, I’m not saying “don’t act,” or “put things off indefinitely.” More that if you’re not sure what to do, nature will guide you. If you’re paying attention, you’ll see what happens when you don’t act and you’ll see what happens when you do. It’s a never ending shoulder season. Life is one big transition. I guess we should learn to enjoy the transition as much as the destination.

Happy Shoulder Season!