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The Flyover State Gardening Guide for Midwest Martha Stewart Rejects
- Aug 20, 2009 at 9:56 PM
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- Comments (8) Total Views (348) Everyone can see this journal post.
I hope you enjoy the virtual tour through my humble, Midwestern garden. While it will never approach the grandness of the grand gardens of glorious New England, if you just put your Martha-caps on and look reeeeeally, reeeeealy closely, I think you will see that beauty can be found even in our flat, lowly, corn-growing states.
Notice how this weeping geranium seems to burst forth with fresh, leafy, leaves to camouflage the nice, little, yellow leaves from droughty days past. It's nature's way of compensating for the un-Martha-like matrons who unwittingly toil away in parts of the country that...well...that really don't matter to the real world.
You'll also notice a spent flower head, hanging from the drably painted planter. In the Midwest, plain folk like to leave them hang there until the next tornado blows by because they are so deprived of beauty, sometimes it's the best they have.
You might think the focal point of this charming arrangement is the big-box-store urn. But look again. Notice the charming boot print left on the pavement? It's a nostalgic touch, evoking memories of Grand-dad's work boots when he would come home from his tedious, dead-end job at the steel mill and cuss out the hill-billy neighbors for blocking his driveway - again.
This delightful rubber snake adds a nice touch of whimsy to an otherwise drab porch. Don't you agree? Positioned, belly-up, he's a poignant reminder of the circle of life that extends even to children's toys. It's an in-your-face reminder that your kids are growing up fast and you are aging faster than a fine wine in a damp cellar.
When watering nice, cute, little containers, be sure to overdo it so that overflow carries rich soil to the surface below. You'll be able to smell it's loamy goodness if it's imported from the east coast.
I like to leave a few spider webs so guests arriving at the front door of my little cottage can enjoy then intricate patterns and the quirkiness of the sucked-hollow bug carcasses that hang from them.
Many Midwesterners choose not to dead-head their flowers, leaving them, instead to become the season's first line of defense in the form of home-grown, frost-protecting mulch.
A well-appointed Midwestern garden will entice many charming woodland creatures to grace your landscape. Here, my dogs, Lucy and Charlie, enjoy a good whiff of grace.
These delicious Sand Cherry leaves were too tempting for our little foreign friends, the Japanese Beatles, to resist. I like to leave the leaves. The intricately intricate patterns woven by nature's little munchers are reminiscent of hand-tatted lace fashioned by great grandma, who was, of course, from New England.
Coming Soon: I take you back out back to the back yard where Midwestern charm survives even the bleakest weather conditions.
Comments:
I am in New England, and I will tell you that mine look like yours- I also don't dead head them- and mine wait until nature removes the dead ones as I cannont be bothered!! I think your garden looks fab!!
Bwahahahaha.....dead head? I love your garden-mine looks kinda like yours except it consists of about 5 pots. LOL. But I especially appreciate the spider web beauty. And the lacy leaves. Perfect! Those of us in the flat lands of the midwest and upper midwest know our gardens. THANKS for your tour! 
Julie, have you been looking at my plants and front porch? Spider webs and spider egg sacs abound.
This journal is another winner.
LOL! Looks alot like my garden too :)
LOL!!!
We just upgraded (today) our Hoosier garden (AKA: Patio) with two potted mums, guaranteed to be dead from lack of water within two weeks. Today they sat under the empty mud-wasp nest that's on the wall of our home, and has been there since we moved in four years ago. I'd remove it, but the spiders like it for shelter.
I have 2 hanging baskets on my porch that are now a nice brown but a few tiny purple flowers pop up everytime I think about throwing them out- glad I am not the only one who relys on nature to care for my plants! Unfortunately nature did not provide enough wind with the rain for the hanging baskets!
From Anna,
Hi Julie, Loved your story. LOL.
Your friend,
Anna
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*giggle* Ain't life grand? I can't see my flowerbeds for the weeds, er, naturalization of the landscaping. :) Have a great day!
- crisak
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