“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”

— Frederick Buechner

I’ve always imagined having a gardening friend. Like the author of The Secret Garden. We’d have coffee and chat about succession planting combinations that bloom from April to October. Or where to buy great plants.

The reality is that most of my friends don’t like gardening. It’s just another chore. Weeding, mowing, trimming. It’s a job to get done like taking out the trash.

Who on earth enjoys weeding?

On October 22, 2020, I published the first Garden Moxie newsletter because I knew there were passionate gardeners out there.

I was right. Thanks for being part of this gardening community.

Here’s six fun things I found to share this week.

6 Fun Things I Found This Week

1.  My last newsletter talked about Matt Mattus who grows 6-8 annual vines in containers each year to see which ones he loves most. I thought this was a brilliant idea and I’m doing it this season. 

I bought my seeds last week and my friend Carolyn shared this link if you want to grow vines next season too.

I’m growing:

  • Blue Crown Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea)
  • Canary Bird Vine (Tropaeolum peregrinum)
  • Blushing Susie Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata)
  • Purple Bell Vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineum)

I wanted to also try Firecracker vine, but it can’t be shipped to Michigan.

Photos courtesy Swallowtail Seeds

2. Helen Stewart is a Canadian artist with a home garden. She only grows plants she wants to draw and the results are incredible. This short documentary takes you on a tour of Helen’s garden and artwork.

3. If you’re curious how the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) preserves plants for the future, you’ll love this video about the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System This video was a real eye-opener.  I had no idea all this work was happening.

4.  The skeptical Nina Elder tried Bella Hadid’s TikTok salad and now I want to try it too.  I’m all about healthy, easy-to-make food. I’ll report back on the outcome.

5.  Birds are my favorite garden visitors. This season I got a bird bath heater. Yep. I’ve officially moved into the bird watching part of life and this article shares some great tips on how to set up your garden to help birds thrive.

6.  If you’re a science nerd that loves soil, you’ll like this article discussing how to measure the number of microbes in your soil.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. I hope you are finding quiet time during this hectic season. If someone forwarded you this newsletter, welcome.  You can subscribe by hitting that big green button.  Cheers!

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