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Composting.ppt
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Why we Garden
Each Gardener decides for him/herself why they garden and what they want to produce. Some have many goals which may include food, vegetable, fruits. Some are only interested in one crop such as roses, iris or daylilies. Still others want to make themselves an outdoor environment for eating, walking or other pursuits. Still others are landscape designers. What ever the purpose for the garden special skills will be required.
Each gardener must look carefully at their objective and should learn how best to achieve that goal. If more than one objective is desired then it becomes a juggling contest to try to fit all those objectives into one plan. Some gardeners with plenty of space may decide to have a number of different gardens each with its own plan but most of us must make that hard decision as to what to leave out.
It is for this reason that the garden plan should be designed first. However, many of us call our selves 'stick gardeners'. We find a plant we like and then must decide where we are going to 'stick' it. Of necessity this often means that the advance planning is forgotten. But one does learn much by this method as plants do not always like the place that they are 'stuck'. If they survive then they can be placed elsewhere where they may be happier.
I
for one, am devoted to Iris. I especially enjoy their rich blue colors and the
pinks and purples also delight me. They do extremely well in my sandy soil and
thrive in our bright sunshine. The flower beds are rotated about the yard and
there is always something new for me to try. Hybridizing new varieties is also a
favored activity as seedlings are always a surprise, even when they are not an
improvement over the parents.
Nearly every plant family has some organization that is particularly interested in promoting them. In most cases they also have taken on the tasks of keeping records of new hybrids. Many of them have web sites run by non professionals. Some require membership in order to view their pages but others do not. I will post a list of web sites that probably may be found with a minimum of hunting. Go to the Other Resources pages to find those sites.
02/01/2009