The Senior Scene

As winter fades into spring, gardeners can’t wait to get busy in the garden.  Pruning, cutting back perennials and ornamental grasses and preparing the garden for spring planting are just a few of the tasks.  Keep yourself and the pollinators overwintering in your garden safe as you start the cleanup process.

Always prune with a purpose.  Start by removing any damaged and diseased stems from shrubs and roses. Watch for insects like swallowtail butterflies that overwinter in protective cocoons and the egg masses of some like the hairstreak butterflies. Prevent problems by destroying overwintering non-native pests like the gypsy moth. Search the internet and insect books for help identifying the good and bad guys you may find in your landscape.

Additional pruning may be needed to manage the size and shape or encourage better flowering and bark color. Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs like lilacs and forsythia if you want maximum flowering. Prune these shrubs right after flowering before they set their floral buds for next spring.

Keep yourself safe by wearing safety glasses and gloves. It’s too easy to focus on the task and end up with a stick in the eye. Heavy duty gloves protect and support your hands, allowing you to garden longer with less stress, scratches and bruises. Consider synthetic leather gauntlet style gloves like Foxgloves extra protection gloves (foxglovesinc.com) that protect hands and forearms from harm yet are supple enough to allow you to work efficiently. The breathable fabric is durable, machine washable and puncture resistant.

Lightly rake any debris off the lawn and add it to the compost pile. Check for damage and lightly tamp any disturbed areas back in place. Reseed bare spots so grass, not weeds, fill in these spots.

Brush leaves off the crowns of perennials but leave the rest in place for insects that spend winter or summer in the leaf litter. Plus, the leaves help preserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve the soil as they break down.

Pull mulch away from tree trunks and shrub crowns that may have shifted over winter. Keeping mulch off the stems reduces the risk of future problems that can lead to decline and even death of the plants.

Leave perennials and grasses stand as long as possible since many are homes for beneficial insects. Bundle grasses for easy cutting and removal. Once cut, loosely stack or stand perennial stems and grasses at the edge of the garden or natural spaces. This allows any insects still present to safely emerge when it’s time to move to their summer homes. Plus, birds will appreciate the easy access to nesting material.

Enjoy the changing of the seasons and the beauty of nature hidden among the plants in your garden. Protect yourself when preparing the garden for spring so you won’t lose time recovering from injuries. And keeping the pollinators and other beneficial insects safe will improve your garden’s health and productivity throughout the growing seasons.

 

Melinda Myers, who wrote this article, is the author of numerous books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Foxgloves for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.

The latest in a long line of recognition for Norm Dicks has come from Tacoma’s theater district, where newly unveiled plaques at Pantages Theater are in honor of his nearly 40 years as a congressman.

Dicks, 79, who was called upon on New Year’s Eve to be grand marshal of the First Night celebration’s parade in downtown Tacoma, was singled out by Tacoma Arts Live for his role in the revitalization of Tacoma’s Historic Theater District. He also supported the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities while serving as a U.S. representative from the 6^th Congressional District from 1977 to 2013.

“Norm Dicks’ leadership benefitted the residents of the district for decades, and we are pleased to provide a permanent recognition of his service,” said David Fischer, executive director of Tacoma Arts Live, the non-profit operator of the Pantages and other theaters.

Since leaving office, Dicks, a Bremerton native, has worked as a policy advisor for a Washington, D.C. law firm.

A visit to a community garden is a wonderful way to observe local vegetable gardening. Another way is to talk with a member and experience their connections and relationships to such a place.

A conversation with Robert (Bob) Jamison, treasurer with the University Place Community Garden (UPCG), took place Dec. 12 at his home in Fircrest. Bob lives a quarter of a mile from the Evergreen Primary School-located garden and enjoys walkingto work. He is one of the primary people who have taken up the specializedtask of weeding the garden paths. He considers it one of his main contributions.  

It is common to see Bob in red jacket and baseball cap, on his hands and knees, making a path look pristine. He has removed the spent raspberry canes and invasive blackberry thorny branches found in the community berry patch. His family members, upon visiting, arrive at the garden with hats and gloves, assisting in widening paths, weeding, and even addressing fencing to keep out the rabbits and deer. “The deer were tipping their heads,” he says, into his 4 x 12-foot garden bed until his daughter, Leslie, helped him lay some one-inch chicken wire over the top.  

Bob’s son, Dennis, discovered the garden on a walk. Soon after, Bob had a bed. Growing tomatoes and strawberries at home, he considered himself new at gardening at the time, but willing and “one of my better decisions.”

Bob is 92. His advice: Walk! He is grateful to have created a focus to stay healthy. Last May, he hiked in Yosemite with his brother Bud and son Brian.

Bob was invited to be the treasurer of UPCG, a non-profit organization, and has been on the steering committee for three years.

“My goal was to be mistake-free in the tracking and reporting. I think I was successful in that,” he said.

Leading many maintenance projects, he has provided significant support for UPCG to be a functional garden. Taking off the heavy garden shed door to reset the hinges with his son, Brian, is noteworthy. His attention to the hose bibs and hose maintenance has kept down on leaks and reminds us of our water stewardship in the hot, dry summers of our Mediterranean-type climate here in the Pacific Northwest. “Water the roots, not the leaves” is our mantra.

Kale is Bob’s favorite vegetable. The curly leaf variety is thriving this winter. Beets come in as a close second, especially the greens. You will also find strawberry plants as they continue to flourish in this season. The variety is a through-red. A longtime friend gave them to him years ago and have been transplanted from his yard to his full-sun community bed.  

Native plants at the garden have been a particular interest of his as he helped lay and monitor soaker hoses.

Earth Day 2019 had over 500 children from 24 classrooms visit the garden. Bob and the Evergreen principal planted a Douglas fir seedling at the north end of the garden. Flourishing as a habitat for birds and insect pollinators, this area complements the edibles.

Bob is pleased with his gardening experience and still supports the community. We are deeply appreciative that he found and took the path that led to University Place Community Garden. 

Judith Thierry, who wrote this article, is president of University Place Community Garden. Information about the garden is available at universityplacecommunitygarden.0rg.

The national Centers for Disease Control reports that not getting enough sleep puts people at a higher risk for a variety of health problems, including obesity, heart attacks, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, arthritis, depression, diabetes, and cancer. What’s more, Harvard Medical School states that sleep deprivation affects mental health.

There are more than 70 different types of sleep disorders, the most common one being insomnia, that cause difficulty falling or staying asleep. To beat them, here are some tips for getting restful, uninterrupted, consistent sleep.

• Create the perfect sleep space. It should be dark, cool and comfortable, and not have distractions. That may include room-darkening shades, removing the television from the room, or getting a larger bed.
• Stick to a routine. That will get the body in the habit of getting good sleep. Pick an ideal bed time and create a relaxing, nightly pre-bed routine, whether it’s doing some stretches, reading for half an hour, or something else that gets your body ready to rest and relax.
• Check your electronics. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that using technology in the bedroom an hour before bed is associated with a large number of sleep problems. Keep the technology out of the bedroom and stop using it an hour before going to bed.
• Get daily exercise. According to a study in the journal Advances in Preventative Medicine, there is mounting evidence that getting physical exercise each day will improve sleep habits. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity exercise.

Try Chinese herbal medicine. This traditional medicine has been used for thousands of years. DAO Labs says the formulas it makes aren’t habit-forming and help people sleep throughout the night and not be mentally foggy the next day.

Sweet dreams!

Source: DAO Labs, a maker of traditional Chinese herbal medicine formulas.