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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-05-06, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010. PAGE 19. Let your garden grow naturally says columnist Five steps to add spring decor Continued from page 18them around her house, and endedup having a severe rash across her chest for the wedding, a week later an article I wrote about Hogweed came out and she asked why I hadn’t printed it earlier.” Feedback usually comes that way for the gardening columnist. “I don’t get much feedback through The Rural Voice,” she said. “Most of the feedback I get is running into people during the course of my day, through the groups I’m a part of, or just on the street.” Hamilton Seeger believes that the most important aspect of successful gardening is a good community to share and learn with and from. “I used to have garden parties,” she said, “and people would come. It would be pot luck, we’d have the plants out, and no one could touchthem before they’d eaten and we’dshare in each other’s plants. People would teach each other how to grow them and it’s great.” When asked about the three most important parts of gardening, Hamilton Seeger was quick to say it’s about the where, the what and the who. “You have to start with good soil,” she said. “Treat the soil, put what you need to there, and start with a good foundation.” Keeping the ground and soil healthy can be difficult, but Hamilton Seeger has discovered a few tricks that can help, the best of which seems to be leaves. Bags of leaves and wood shavings are found around the Hamilton Seeger property, and they provide high-value mulch when the plants are mature. The mulch keeps the soilfilled with nutrients for the comingseasons. “Good structures need to be present; start with shrubs and trees and grow from there,” she said. Structure provides not only protection from the elements, but also provides shade, which can create variety in a garden. Some plants and flowers require lots of sunlight to survive, but others prefer the moist shade of a tree to thrive in. “And lastly, look to friends and family, or local groups like a horticultural group,” she said. “Ask with a smile and you’ll be surprised about what you get from people.” Hamilton Seeger’s own garden is a more naturally-occurring one, according to her. “Some people like their gardens to be very organized and have dirt-space around every plant,” she said,“but it doesn’t grow like that. I like mine to grow naturally and I don’t like moving plants, it’s not good for them, so as the garden has expanded, we’ve allowed it.” As for specific tips about the gardening lifestyle, and her garden, Hamilton Seeger said that it’s a balance between what you can do and what you can live with.“Like the hogweed, sumac canprovide just a great impact piece,” she said. “I have some by [my garden], but it’s sprouting up all over the place and I have to decide whether I’m comfortable with that natural progression or whether I want to try and keep it separate. That’s the choice, determine how much you can handle.” The arrival of spring has long been celebrated by people of every faith and from every corner of the globe as a time to say farewell to the cold and gray of winter and to welcome the return of warmth and color and the beginnings of new life. While spring is breathing new life into the outdoors, it’s also a perfect time to add a little seasonal oomph to your indoor environment. Here is an assortment of tips for brightening your home in celebration of spring. • Change is in the air. Spring is a perfect time to bring the outdoors in. Spring flowers, arranged either in one large bunch or in several mini- bouquets placed in nooks throughout the house are not only a visual treat, but emit refreshing springtime scents. • Brighten up. Adding seasonal touches to your home can be as easy as painting a piece of furniture, a single wall or the trim in the sunniest room in your home. The best colors for spring are light, clean, refreshing, and natural as opposed to either pale pastels or deep, color- drenched hues. Consider paint colors inspired by nature, such as shamrock, violet, slate and goldenrod. • Lighten up. It’s hard to imagine that spring has sprung in a room decked out in velvet or other heavy fabrics. Warm days and spring breezes call out for sheer or lightweight curtains, slipcovers in natural solid-colored or floral fabrics, and decorative pillows that bring splashes of color into the room. It’s not necessary to replace all of the fabrics in a room to usher in a new season. Sometimes simply changing out pillows and removing warm winter throws is enough. • Floor it. Don’t forget to give your floors a spring facelift as well. Substitute lighter cotton, sisal, jute or seagrass rugs in natural shades for the heavy wool rugs that feel so right when the weather turns cold. (Spring and summer are also perfect times to have wool rugs cleaned and/or repaired.) •Re-view. Shifting the arrange- ment of the furniture and decorative pieces in a room can have a major impact on its look and feel. During the cold winter months, it may be comforting to be nestled in a chair that faces a fireplace. 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