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By Barbara Elmore, HCMG |
Gardening Made Simple |
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A friend with a
beautiful garden near
Waco observes some
simple rules that are
worthy of passing on in
this information age
where life
seems to get more
complicated by the hour.
The friend, James Bays,
works hard at his
gardening but makes it
look like play. That's
likely because to him it
is play. "When it starts
warming up, I get the
itch to go out and dig
in the garden," he told
an interviewer from the
televised "Texas
Gardener" program last
spring. |
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Watching how he works
and seeing the wondrous
results he gets can help
gardeners remember that
although knowing how is
mportant, doing is also
a teacher. James, a
master gardener with
McLennan County Master
Gardeners, imparted his
simple observations on
the televised program (KLRU)
when it recently aired
the program filmed at
his home.
Several plants surround
James’ caladiums |
Here is his advice:
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Look at plants to get a
feel of whether they
will work.
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Grow them right.
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Keep them groomed.
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Get rid of what does not
work.
James lives his life pretty
much the same way as he
grows his plants, facing
challenges as they come.
When he moved to his
property years ago, he
found himself with an
unfamiliar gardening
dilemma: coaxing plants
to grow in shade. So he
went to work. He has no
snobbery about what
kinds of plants to grow;
he just looks for green.
From begonias to coleus
to caladiums to hostas
to passion vines and
roses, he puts his
plants in the ground and
moves them around as
needed. "Blooms are a
bonus," he told the
interviewer.
James Bays’ hostas |
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To get started, he built
up his planting beds to
get around the obstacle
of tree roots. Using
rich compost he makes
from the tree leaves, he
rarely needs to
fertilize. His
propagation is so
successful that he
contributes scores of
plants each year to his
group's plant
fund-raiser. |
He manages his rustic
garden on a low budget,
recycling everything –
plant cuttings, the
bricks used in his
paths, the pots he
transplants in, and the
precious rainfall that
trickles from his custom
irrigation system. He
also built a large
gazebo in his back yard
from juniper posts that
he milled. James's
advice and practice seem
worthy of passing on
during a time of
economic challenges.
Although gardening is
not for everyone – James
noted in the television
program that his late
wife Peggy was not a
"hands-on" gardener
although she enjoyed his
efforts – it is an
inexpensive hobby that
nourishes the mind and
body. Or as James said
about his advice, if you
do these things, your
garden will "look
right.”
Impatiens in Asian
jasmine groundcover |
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