Weeds and World Problems in the May Garden

An established moss path is low maintenance, but it does need to be kept free of leaves and debris, and it needs to weeded once in a while. Weeding my moss paths in the woodland garden is a mindless, repetitive chore, and I enjoy doing it.An overview of the May woodland garden

I use a thick old canoe cushion to protect my knees while kneeling, and I take my time. I like to do this after a rain because weeds come up more easily. I use several types of weeding tools, depending on the weed. One of my favorites is a fishtail weeder that is perfect for popping small weeds out of the paths and for getting up the tap roots of plants like dandelions.The main moss path in the woodland garden

When I am weeding I let my mind drift. I listen to the birds. I make a mental list of other needed chores and plan future projects for the garden. I think about people I know, and in general I mentally solve the problems of the world as one weed after another succumbs to my efforts. If only world problems could be so easily eliminated. World problems do, after all, have some resemblance to weeds.A favorite view of the little bridge in the woodland garden

Summer arrived this month, and the air is thick and warm and laden with moisture. The woodland garden is a deep green retreat from the hot glare of the sun. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to enjoy sun rays that filter through the canopy. We have had plenty of rain this past week, and often the light sparks off leaves still wet with raindrops. I can almost imagine myself walking in a primordial paradise, except for the weeds, which quickly bring me back to reality.

More views around the garden this month:

Here is a view across the front lawn.The woodland garden is in the small valley on the far side of the drive.

Views of the front garden

A view across the lower front lawn near the entrance to our propertyA tropical storm is headed our way in the next day or so. Lots of rain, and more weeds coming! 

Happy gardening to you; and, while we can't solve all the world's problems, may we each do whatever we can in our little corner of the world to make the world a better place.   Deb

Grandmother's Garden at Sloss Furnaces

Long ago in another era, rivers of molten metal flowed out of Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama, during the production of pig iron, which was used for conversion into steel, cast iron, and wrought iron. Slag, a stony waste product, was discarded nearby, and for many years the colossal pile of slag continued to grow. Sloss finally discovered that slag could be crushed and sold for road and railroad ballast. The company also sold pulverized slag as "Farmer's Friend," an alkaline product similar to ground limestone, used to amend acid soils.

Silent now, Sloss has become a national landmark claimed to be haunted by specters of the past. In 1985, a six-room wood-framed cottage, built around 1905 by the Duncan family, was donated to the Birmingham Historical Society. It was moved to the slag area adjacent to Sloss Furnace to serve as a headquarters office for the Society. It also serves as an example of a type of house that would have been inhabited by furnace supervisors residing in Sloss Quarters. A three-room, shotgun-style home, similar to those used by managers and workers, is also on the site.

The Duncan house has a porch covered by 'Peggy Martin' rose.Grandmother's Garden was begun behind the Duncan house in 2006, as a project with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. But what to do with all that slag? Why, plant a garden on top of it, of course! We gardeners do like challenges, but initial efforts to till the ground broke the tiller blades! In 2007, raised beds were built. Underlaid with the porous slag, drainage is excellent, and plants that like alkaline soil flourish.

Grandmother's Garden represents a long-ago era when families ate primarily from home gardens. These gardens contained mainly vegetables and herbs used for cooking and medicine.Worker's house and vegetable gardenOrnamental plants usually were roses, hollyhocks, and peonies, and a few "porch plants" grown in pots.These are some of the roses at Grandmother's Garden.

I tasted mulberries for the first time in my life at Grandmother's Garden. The dark blue, ripe ones were very sweet and delicious. Now I want a mulberry tree!.Plantings at Grandmother's Garden reflect plants that were available to Birmingham residents in the early 1900s. An alternative to genetically altered crops, these "heirloom" plants are time-tested and easy to grow. In addition to evoking fond memories of bygone times, native Alabama heirlooms also are very well adapted to our climate and are often disease resistant.

According to the Birmingham Historical Society, research shows that heirloom plants also:

*taste better, with stronger flavor than modern versions

*provide greater yields

*help preserve genetic diversity

*require less chemical spraying

*help feed pollinators that find hybrid varieties less attractive

*support organic gardening practices

These photos of Grandmother's Garden give you an idea of the urban setting:

For more information about Sloss Furnaces and to see some interesting photos, read my previous post, Sloss Furnaces: A Blast From the Past.

Also, the photo at the top of this post is of an 'American Beauty' rose growing at Grandmother's Garden, which I photoshopped to give an artistic flare.