My first venture in Joe Pye was timid, with only two plants. One got weed-whacked, but it came back. A couple bought Little Joe Pye and loved it, so I bought two Little Joes with my next order. They grew and bloomed.
Meanwhile I learned that Joe Pye can grow nine feet tall in the rose garden - and it did. Ranger Bob solemnly warned me about Joe Pye shading the garden even more effectively than Buckwheat dwarfing the roses.
The Carbon Cowboys reading this know how valuable root systems are to soil fertility, so Buckwheat and Joe Pye leveraged my efforts with wood mulch, paper, and cardboard.
The virtue of any tall plant is a deep root system that opens the soil to its water storage system. That means less run-off and more rainwater to build the plants.
They all have their timing. After the daffodil blooming, the rest of the garden was colorless. Joe Pye began showing its green in the rose garden, and Little Joe popped up in the blackberry weed section, a sunny area perfect for most plants and ideal for the squirrels' own berry harvesting. I lost the battle to blackberry canes last year and did a lot more to them this year. In putting in some calla lilies I found a long straight root which seemed to be the backbone of the blackberry network. I cut it.
I only have to consider previous years to see how hardy these plants are. Previously planted baby hostas are now hardy and ready to divide at the roots. The large hostas are even larger. I was only an amateur hosta grower. I worried that rabbits would eat all my hostas, and I am sure some tried. My neighbor gives them away, so I can move on to blue hostas, maybe.
Roses are budding but the exceptional cold spring frost-bit the first blooms. That is no loss, since trimming bad blooms away only encourages new ones. I have plenty of time to reverse the decisions of the past, such as planting the spirea bushes.
Plant are like pets. We think we are the masters and find out we are the staff, working for an intelligent and well designed, divine creation. Sassy Sue was born to protect and dominate her staff. She has trained me to add treats on top of her dog food, simply by looking up and asking "Where are the treats?" with her eyes. When I close my eyes for sleep, I expect her to order one more trip outside, one spoon of Frosty Paws, and one Pupperoni (since Frosty Paws are Frosty Paws and not legally a treat).
She times her afternoon walk to the period when Ranger Bob is most likely to be available. At 3 PM she makes herself a nuisance until she can run over and say hello, drink his outside water, and earn some treats (by barking commands at him). He tells her how spoiled she is and gives her "only eight."
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| Staff are never too young to be trained. |
