Dispatch no. 72 - Updates Podcast

It's not negligence of you're yard! It's healthier for bees and wildlife to have clover and dandelion yards than grass actually. Pains me actually to see people using weed killer to get rid of these super beneficial plants lol!

Roses are technically a weed. They grow wild in Spokane Washington along the river. If you have root stimulant powder and take a cutting, you can propagate a new rose bush. I wish I could give you the fern growing in my vegetable garden. I've been trying to kill that thing and haven't been successful.

We used a sponge mop to scrub the wallpaper glue off the walls. Made a huge difference!

You can actually plant low clearance spreading ground cover like clover or other plants that are meant to choke out grass in order to turn your lawn into a grass-less lawn that you don't have to mow. I plan on doing that in the future to my own yard!

Amazing, that inkwell Sarah Bernhardt made! She was so talented as an actress and sculptress. Her voice was legendary, the “golden voice” I believe it was called. I have some books on her, including her autobiography (have been interested in her for years) and just yesterday finished reading (listening to a narration of) her Art of the Theatre. Actually, I think it’s the last or second last chapter where she talks about makeup. The narration is on Audible. SB stuff is up my alley! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying gardening!🪴🪏

I recommend suburban homestead on YouTube, Silas is in Maryland. He’s an artist and his garden and ideas are amazing and beautiful and mostly made from junk :) The Farmyard Garden (also YouTube) is a British channel. Claire has amazing energy. It’s exhausting to watch, honestly. But she has great practical tips and a big garden, both flowers and veg. She loves roses too and has a zillion.

oh yes! the universe demands those two extremes to be in balance🤣🌈 loving it! looking forward to see your all shades of black- gunnesex project!

Ooh I am actually a specialist in this! Ok so no, you shouldn't take plants from the nearby woods (though as long as it's not an endangered plant, you could take some seeds! At my organization we suggest people follow the Anishinaabe guidelines of the honourable harvest that Robin Wall Kimerer shares in her book which are don't take from the first plant you find, and take only what you need. However I'm not sure how easy ferns are to propagate.) The easiest option is you should take pictures of the plants, post them on the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library Facebook group and ask for an ID. Then you can get them from a native plant nursery near you. Cause they will be native ferns and most of them won't be available at your garden centre because most garden centres only sell stuff from Europe and Asia! So look for a nursery specializing in native plants. Prarie Moon nursery ships bare root seedlings if you can't find one closer to you. You can also reach out to me if you want some free/cost of shipping seeds (my organization sends free native seeds but like I said only really to Eastern Canada - but I can probably just mail you some independently if you like). Inaturalist can also help you identify what ferns they may be!

There are so few traditional garden plants for shade which is why hostas are everywhere, but there are a million native plants for shade.

You should join the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library for info! Sadly they don't send seeds to the US but if you add some native plants you will get some nice butterflies and native cute bees

You can kill sod by covering it in cardboard and woodchips. Woodchips can sometimes be sourced for free from arbourists. Then you can plant into the woodchips or cut through into the ground.

Pace yourself, Bianca. Take care and make sure your schedule works for you. It is your business. Plus selfishly, I don’t want you to burnout and quit making videos. :). :)

The book Lasagna Gardening is by Patricia Lanza. I think she wrote a container gardening book too. There is also a YouTube video where she demonstrates the method. It’s basically no-till gardening but I found her books both user-friendly and inspiring. Another author who specialized in New England gardens was the late Casssandra Danz, who wrote the “Mrs. Greenthumbs” series of gardening books. I never tried her methods because I live in a different climate, but I remember her writing got me excited about gardening after I bought my house over 20 years ago. As for roses, my most successful ones have been David Austin own-root roses. Pricey but they’ve done well with minimal maintenance. An annual layer of compost with mulch seems to be the magic ingredient to keep them flowering and healthy. I live in a drought-prone area of zone 8b.

I am old so I have been gardening a long time. I haven't listened to your podcast yet. These are some thought I have from the comments. If you want to have roses, make sure there are no multiflora roses anywhere near your house. They get a mite that migrates to landscape roses and kills them. I had some gorgeous roses die before I found out about that. Now I am just waiting for the rest of them to die. It is inevitable. Also, if you want to revive soil, you should read up on how to build a lasagna garden. It's not a vegetable garden like the name implies. It's a way of improving the soil by putting layers of different things on top. It's a lot easier than tilling. You don't have to remove the sod. It was a popular book so they might have it at your local library. There is also a lot of info on the web. We have done it several times. Good luck with your garden.

Also (sorry double comment) I too hate mowing/have no room for a mower in my tiny London flat, so we planted a clover lawn and it’s brilliant! It’s super green, looks after itself, never gets too high or needs cutting. It will withstand some light walking but it’s not hardy like grass, so it may not suit you, but if it does, it’s also really cheap as it takes easy root from seeds. I scattered some wildflowers into my seed mix (in March), as well as some red clover (pretty flowering variety but more expensive), and it looks gorgeous now!

You could try a no dig method to turn grass into a bed! Basically you put down layers of cardboard and weigh it down so that the grass dies underneath and then you can just add compost (I think it’s called potting soil in the us?) on top of the cardboard and it all decomposes into a new bed of soil! Save yourself taking up the sod. Charles Dowling has videos on YouTube but I’m sure other people do too!

I like the cottage garden masterclass videos from suburban homestead :) he covers all the planning and design steps and shows many different plants that do well in different climate zones.

Bianca, I’m so very glad that you’re setting healthy work boundaries. This is huge! As you said, what’s the point of having a dream job if you work yourself to death. When there was no Thursday video, I hoped that this was the reason. Art takes as long as it takes. I’m a lifelong gardener and my current favorite resource is Monty Don’s Gardeners’ World. He’s in England though, which is very similar to my 8b zone here in Seattle. Good luck with your hydrangeas. They are finicky to get established in my experience.

I was talking with a neighbor about adding more plants to my front yard. Removing the lawn and such. I need to plan more, I’m death to plants. Anyway, she mentioned renting a sod remover from the local hard ware store after ripping out some with a shovel. She said she got so much more done faster, she would 💯 do that. So, if I ever rip up the yard, I’m going to use machinery.

I have some fine b&w check that I have been thinking for using for a big summer dress .... I am thinking gunne sax with a Swiss waist thing in black linen. Will watch and learn....

Oh WOW that is a sick inkwell! If I had a garden of my own I'd want some corkscrew hazel in it, they're such a Gothic looking shrub when bare. As the name suggests they're very twisty, and they're right for this climate zone. The dangling catkins in Spring look quite elegant too. Ohh damn I just googled it and they also have a variety with dark red leaves! I'm delighted to hear that you're making progress on the work-life balance thing and are not torturing yourself about the video release date! Have you not got a vintage ruffler attachment and narrow hem foot? I've got several of each and I also don't do ruffles often, but I have tried them and they're tremendous time savers, though the hemmer does take a bit of practice and experimenting.

Omg. I’m so excited! I never thought you would do a Gunne Sax! Woohoo! Cannot wait! I love Hammer Horror/Bohemian Goth aesthetic and when it’s hot, flowy dresses are my jam. And I could never fit into a real Gunne Sax! Lol.

Yes, under trees is very unfriendly. The soil is dry and hard, and near the street tends to be salty. You need to lay a new bed over top, with newpapers and deep fresh soil to have any chance at all. You can use an app called Seek to identify the successful locals, then check non-box-store garden centers, or ask local horticultural club for their next plant sale fundraiser. I have done some sneaky "rescue gardening" when an old house gets boarded up, but before demolition begins. Snagged a gorgeous dark purple clematis, unkillable peonies, solomon's seal, and staghorn sumac that way.

It's entirely random, but if you want to do roses without spending a fortune look at Trader Joe's and Aldi if there are any near you. My old landlord had some from both places and they were beautiful and a lot cheaper.

You made a replica Gunnie Sax?? Oh my heart. I cannot wait. I love her dresses.