Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Succumbing to that garden quiz

Okay; I've seen this done now on three Texas garden journals. Now it's time to give it a go here. Thanks, Bookish Gardener!
1. Lilies: oriental or Asiatic?
Oriental, because those Black Dragon blooms seen in every yard are so impressive.
2. No-till or till?
No-till, because that's the lazy person's way.
3. Bare hands or garden gloves?
Gloves for prickers, but only then.
4. Garden tchotchkes, no or yes?
Well, I do like my Jolt-Cola airplane with the spinning propeller, bought from the old man who made it, just across from the old South Austin post office.
5. Clay or sand?
Who gets to choose?
6. Shrub roses or hybrid teas?
Scent is all.
7. Hollyhocks: single or double?
Single; is there a double anything that isn't an abomination?
8. Foliage: gray or glaucous?
There's neither here, but that silvery wild nightshade seen growing through so many cracks in the sidewalk is very handsome.
9. Hemerocallis: flava or fulva?
Hemerocallis of any kind is not a favorite.
10. Impatiens: double or single?
Neither, but single is preferred if a choice must be made.
11. Calendula or tagetes?
Calendula is very pretty here in the winter.
12. Arborvitae or juniper?
Juniper, marginally.
13. Spaded edge or "edging"?
In the land of St. Augustine grass, where it exists, it can be tamed by using one of those noise-free rolling edgers with the diamond blade, or even with hand shears. When people use a sharp hand blade and make a sharp edge, that's handsome. "Edging" is not attractive.
14. Asters or mums?
Asters.
15. Reflecting pool or coursing waterfall?
Moving water, always.
16. Morning glory blue or forget-me-not blue?
Morning glory, because it's more visible at a distance.
17. Lettuce: leaf or cos?
Leaf!
18. Hyacinth bean or red runner bean?
Hyacinth, because those seeds are so handsome.
19. Orange or pink?
Orange; in this light the gaudy prevails; furthermore, pastels remind of toilet-paper.
20. Garden bed shapes: formal or informal?
Informal.
21. Garden bed planting schemes: informal or formal?
Informal.
22. Hydrangeas: lace-cap or mophead?
As nineteenth-century as canna and, in contrast with canna, hasn't begun sneaking back into these affections.
23. Spirea japonica: dried flowerheads standing over the winter or in bloom?
In bloom, and this was a great spring for them.
24. Japanese beetle drowning medium: kerosene or dishsoap solution?
Never kerosene. Thank goodness these beetles have not been spotted in Austin; where they all but obscured grapes and peonies, it was useless to try to deal with them.
25. Garden stroll time: dusk or dawn?
Dawn patrol, but dusk also.

2 Comments:

At 12:54 PM, July 23, 2004, Blogger Kathy said...

I happen to think double bloodroot is beautiful, but I don't think it will grow in Texas, so you might not be familiar with it.

 
At 2:25 PM, July 23, 2004, Blogger Rantor said...

Bloodroot is beautiful, but I do prefer the single form. Are the doubles that you mention more of a semidouble form? The doubles that I dislike are along the lines of some of those varieties of daffodils, for example, that don't look at all like what is already perfect. Woodland favorites of mine are hepatica and yellow lady's slipper. They don't grow here, but I know them from St. Lawrence County.

 

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