Friendship Gardens - The Ultimate Forever Gift

Flower gardens are a great way to add beauty to our yards and homes. But a Friendship Garden just seems to bloom better and more brightly. It’s my belief that these gardens are so beautiful because the fertilizer that makes them grow is love.

If you are ready to start planting ‘Friendship’, listen in on how to get started growing the best garden anyone can have!

Transcript

I love gardens.  Whether it is vegetables, herbs or flowers, my heart is always lifted by the site of such beauty.  The colors, the textures, and the scents always bring joy to my heart. But there is one type of garden that will do more to lift my spirit than almost anything else, and that’s a Friendship Garden.

A Friendship Garden is simply a plot of ground where you plant cuttings, seeds, and divisions of flowers that have been given to you by friends. The first time I planted one was when I still lived in the city. A friend brought me a beautiful climbing hibiscus, and I planted it at one end of my front flowerbed. Another friend brought me some beautiful iris bulbs, and several of my gardening club friends shared other flowers, including a clump of Shasta Daisies.

When I still lived in the city, I had flowerbeds all around my house.  My friend Becky spent many hours helping me to plan, to prep and to plant.  One of the greatest things she did was share some things from her own garden.  A few other friends also contributed, and it wasn’t long before I had beautiful beds. Out of everything in the gardens, those gifts were the most precious.

When we moved to the farm, the first Friendship Garden contribution I acquired was a Lantana cutting from Mrs. Dorothy. Thanks to the birds, the children of that Lantana plant is growing in several places on my farm. I have also received irises that have spread and been shared with others.  Several folks have offered me seeds from the plants in their gardens.

One of the most fun additions to our Friendship Garden wasn’t a flower at all. Instead, a friend from Shreveport came out to visit one afternoon, and as he spent time down at the pond, he decided we needed to plant Cypress trees around the edge and sent us some he had grown in his greenhouse. Today, all but one of those trees are happy and thriving.

A Friendship Garden is a great way to keep the memories of friends alive in our hearts. As we tend to the plants, we can smile as we remember those who have already passed on and be reminded to connect with those who are still here. 

When designing a Friendship Garden, there are a few considerations you want to make:

·        What plants can be easily divided and shared

·        Which plants don’t like to be disturbed

·        Saving Seeds

The first consideration is knowing which plants are easily divided and shared. It stands to reason that primarily these plants will be perennials. Perennials are plants that come back year after year if maintained, whereas annuals only grow for one year. After that, they die off and need to be replanted.

But don’t give up on sharing annuals just yet. We’ll talk more about that in a bit.

When it comes to perennials, it is beneficial to dig them up and divide them. This gives the plant more root space, better access to nutrition and water, and allows more room in your garden.

 The easiest, and most popular perennial for sharing are bulbs, corms, and rhizomes. You may think these are basically all the same, but there are some differences. Bulbs include daffodils and tulips. Irises are rhizomes, gladiola and crocus are corms. You need to know this because there are different ways to divide them successfully.

When you think of bulbs, think about how an onion grows. Roots sprout from the bottom of the bulb, and the stem sprouts from the center. And just like an onion, bulbs have layers. 

To divide bulbs, use a garden fork or shovel, and carefully dig around the bulbs. Once they are out of the ground, brush the dirt off. Gently separate the bulbs. In most cases, the larger ones can be replanted immediately for next year’s blooms. Smaller bulbs can be discarded, or if you don’t mind waiting a couple of years for blooms, can be replanted.

Rhizomes, on the other hand, grow in clumps. There are two types - above ground, such as irises, and below ground, such as poison ivy. Above ground rhizome and should be planted slightly above the soil level. Many of the below soil level rhizomes are considered invasive, such as poison ivy, and are created to withstand inclement weather, fire, and even being walked on by humans and livestock. All rhizomes need a bit of extra care to prevent them from spreading and becoming invasive. 

Rhizomes have nodes, which send out roots into the soil. They often grow in clumps, which can be carefully divided by cutting the rhizome into pieces. The roots grow from the bottom of the rhizome, and the shoots of new plants grow from the top. 

To divide rhizomes, you need clean pruning shears or a knife. Look for places where the rhizome forks. Check to make sure each piece you want to cut is at least 3” long and has roots and leaves. Then carefully cut between the juncture of the fork. 

Corms are similar to bulbs, but mainly in appearance. Where bulbs have layers, corms do not. Freesia, Gladiolas, and Crocus are examples of corms.

To divide corms, dig up the plant and gently snap the corms where a natural juncture occurs. These can be replanted immediately, or you can store them in a dry place until you are ready to plant. 

In most cases, you want to divide your plants in the fall, and when you do, use a bit of bone meal when planting. 

Now that we’ve covered corms, rhizomes, and bulbs, let’s go back to sharing annuals. As you know, these are plants that grow, then die back each year, which means the actual plant can’t be shared. However, many of them produce seeds right before they die, and those seeds can be shared if collected and stored properly. 

To save the seeds, you first need to allow the flower to die on the plant. From there, you can gently remove the flower and tap the seeds onto a piece of paper. If the plant has a seed head, such as basil, you can place a finely woven mesh bag, such as muslin, over the seed head, and tie it snuggly around the stem, or just below the seed head. When the seeds dry, they drop away from the plant and into the bag. Break the stem off and invert the bag. Gently tap any remaining seeds into the bag. 

With all saved seeds, you need to spread them out on a piece of paper to completely dry, then store in a jar or envelope in a cool, dry, dark space.

 Also consider there are some plants that love to be divided, and others don’t. Some of the ones that like or need division are:

1.  Bulbs – day lilies, iris, tulips

3.  Perennials – astas, hostas, yarrow, shasta daisy

4.   Others – peony; phlox; purple cone flower; bee balm; astilbe

Flowers that DO NOT like to be divided are lavender, butterfly weed, rosemary, lupines, and evening primrose. Instead of dividing these, take cuttings, or save the seeds.

Flower gardens are a great way to add beauty to our yards and homes. But a Friendship Garden just seems to bloom better and more brightly. It’s my belief that these gardens are so beautiful because the fertilizer that makes them grow is love.

If you don’t have a Friendship Garden, find a place in your yard, and get started. Talk to your gardening friends and get them on board, too. Before you know it, you may have so many friends you’ll need to cultivate a larger garden, or just go ahead and till up your entire yard to hold them all.   

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Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting for the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.