Fall garden…. whats in a name?

High Brow garden people will go on and on about the “Virtues of the Fall Garden”. The fall garden is nothing more than the things you managed to keep up all summer mixed with some new fall bloomers. I am a huge fan of Salvias because so many of them take the heat and bloom all summer. They are loved by humming birds and they come in many different colors. My favorite late blooming Salvia are both in bloom now. Mexican sage is tall with purple fuzzy blooms. Pineapple sage is red and very profuse in the bloom. These late Salvias are great for feeding the last humming birds prior to their migration. In my garden I have mix them in with the Lantana, the Dragon Wing Begonias, and Chrysanthemums in hopes that they will all be in bloom around the same time. If they do I smile big… if they come close to blooming in harmony… that is good enough. Eventually they will bloom, where the are planted! I can only hope to do the same!
Jane Dempsey – Bloom Where You Are Planted!

And Then We Had Rain…

So everyone knows it is gonna be really dry in late August and maybe even the first part of September… but both? 6 weeks of really dry weather? The drought comes at the end of the garden season, when all the lilies are finished, the tomatoes are harvested, and the coneflowers have gone to seed. Watering is fun when you are encouraging things out of the ground. A gardener is rewarded at the sight of blooming flowers but keeping root systems alive with the sprinkler is just draggin’ hoses to make for fake rain. And then it happens. The heavens open and give everyone an inch or two or three of rain in only a couple of days and the gardener’s spirit is alive again. The dust dies down, the birds sing, and the few remaining butterflies come out of their safe spot to catch those last summer-like rays from sun. The “dragger of the hose” feels rejuvenated and yes, this is why we garden. Congrats! We made it to fabulous fall.
Smart Jane Dempsey – Bloom Where You Are Planted!

Jane Dempsey's Farm - Fall Blue Skies!

Woodland Fairy Mushroom Garden Satellite Wedding Cake

Charming Anthropologie way to make your Wedding Cake unique and fabulous. These carved stumps make wonderful woodland mushroom cake stands to display a three tiered cake. Dried Hydrangeas finish the look. It is the perfect way to make an organic statement at your wedding or party!
Smart Jane Dempsey- Bloom Where You Are Planted

Start feeding your wild birds now…

Without my sweet wild birds in the gray days of winter I would be lost. This old rusty garden cart catches a ton of discarded seed from the feeder above it. The fat birds, plump I should say, feed here rather than try and squeeze onto a small perch like the little guys. So I wake to the sounds of all sorts of birds each morning. They are all over the tree, all over the feeders, in the cart and on the ground. Start feeding your wild birds now to encourage them to live in your yard. Black oil Sunflower seed is the best multi purpose food for all birds. TRACTOR SUPPLY has the best PRICE. Trust me, I go through 50 pounds a week! These sweet little birds with their hollow bones make it through each day and each night as they stay in the present moment. I don’t think they get all worried about tomorrow. I don’t think that they hold a grudge because of what a mean red cardinal said last week. They live for the now. They suggest to me to do the same!
Tractor Supply Website
-Smart Jane Dempsey – Bloom Where You Are Planted

Water Garden Basics… READ BEFORE YOU DIG!

Water gardens are fabulous! Used appropriately, there is no other way to make your garden feel more alive than installing the sound of moving water. That said focus on what you WANT out of a water feature prior to purchasing. I felt very motivated one Sunday morning to build a fantastic water feature in my yard, so of course I started digging. I dug a huge whole in my yard. That afternoon I wised up and purchased a water gardening book. There I read the golden rule, page one, chapter one, in big bold print, “Whatever you do, don’t get excited and dig a really big hole. Research first.” (palm to forehead) The book was right… My pond was in the wrong place, under the wrong trees, in the wrong light, and in the wrong shape.
It was quite the struggle to get that hole I impulsively dug into the pond I had dreamed of. The liner was not made to the dimensions needed, the pump was not up to par and to this day I don’t think the filtration system is correct. Even with its hidden faults, my pond is my absolute favorite aspect of my garden and I spend much of my time watching it change through the seasons. I yearned for a pond filled with fish and plants. What do you want for your garden? Water in the garden should be heard. Check back for other water options, from simple to complex!
Smart Jane Dempsey-Bloom Where you are planted!

Gardens Live for Watering Cans and So Do I!

Bloom Where You Are Planted–Smart Jane Dempsey!

Whimsical Foam Flowers… Force your garden into bloom!

Have fun in your Garden! – Smart Jane Dempsey

Wonderful Window Boxes

The most successful window boxes I have ever planted have been stand alone. Nowadays the market is flooded with window box type planters. I always find fault with them. They are too shallow, to flimsy, made too narrow, do not drain well and crack in sunlight. Concrete boxes are too heavy, not long enough and rarely haven enough drainage holes. Wall mounted boxes sag from their supports, do not hold enough soil, or worse, fall down if they do hold enough soil after being saturated by a good watering. Wire baskets as window boxes, flat on one side, are a nightmare for ‘novice’ gardener. Their pre-made cocoa liners sag at the lip, allowing the soil to gush out from the top. The wall mounting is bad for exterior siding and window trim because moisture collects behind the basket. They dry out in no time suspended in mid air. Larger hay basket planters are doable lined with wire and moss but that takes time and must be doctored between seasonal planting.

Whenever possible I recommend the free standing window box. This can be made to fit any window. Free standing means placing the planter up on columns of stone, block or brick-a foot or so away from the foundation. Placement is up to you if your box is free standing. Maybe you can situate it out from under an eave for additional rain and sunlight. Boxes can be any size. To span the space of a triple window, consider a trough style with slanted sides. For a traditional look boxes can be painted to match the exterior trim color and filled with year round boxwoods and ivy. For a splash of year round color planters can be painted a bold bright color all their own. Boxes constructed of pressure treated lumber or cedar last a while. Metal inserts can be made to line your wooden planter for year after year longevity. The box must drain well with or without a liner. With a free standing design the drainage is a cinch with level columns and multiple drain holes.

The old fashioned charm of window boxes is obviously sought after with the designs on the market. Make it worth your time and money constructing your own. Remember-Enjoy nature, stay cool and Bloom Where You Are Planted!

Up and Over the Top in the Garden

I’m no genius.

So this new revelation is about the credit I receive for my design work. I deserve so little of it. I am a copy cat designer and I am not at all ashamed of it. I see what works well in other places and I duplicate it. At a fund-raiser the other day I found it interesting that a client gave me credit for a wall we built in his yard. In the small group of listeners he went on and on about my idea to not build a wall, but rather to stack large stones against an existing terrace for a support system. These boulders hold the soil in place as it is only five feet high. I appreciated the PR, but it was his suggestion. I simply agreed with him. That is the funny part. He wanted simplicity and I agreed with him.

Next thing you know I am the one with the great idea. I copied this idea. I see it in the mountains a lot. The stones land where they land and the soil backs up behind them. This is nature’s retaining wall. It works well . I copied her. It is such a time-tested idea. The best part about copycat design is nature is not trademarked. It does not have patent pending restrictions attached. It has a more 21st century data sharing policy. The images in nature have a problem when it comes to content that is quite the opposite of modern-day copyright laws. There is such an abundance of all this free content you can’t get anyone to notice it. That’s why some boneheaded designer like me can plant a tight grove of dogwoods in a small, dry, shady area with a few ferns and a rock or two and receive accolades. I copied the idea from the tight grove of native dogwoods I see in woods all over the Southeast. OK, so maybe my placement of the bolder was pure genius. But, for real and true, I am admittedly a copycat.

In closing, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I appreciate you taking the time to do so. Mind you this is

 trademarked material. Patent pending #334667865. All rights reserved. Duplication or reproduction of this material without the written consent of the boneheaded designer is prohibited by law.