NO SMART-ASS COMMENTARY FROM ME TODAY, not on this one. As doodler Andre Jordan paints a very clear picture of, there is more to life than meets the eye. Shall we look a little deeper?
doodle by andre: at the root of beauty
April 9, 2009
doodle by andre: anyone got dibber envy? 
doodle by andre: a snail’s space 
doodle by andre, wild bird of a feather 
Juicy Bits
name that weed I KNOW A LOT OF PLANTS by their proper names, but my “weeds,” not so much. These great weed-identification websites are helping me finally address them with the proper (dis)respect.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
tomato troubles STAY AHEAD OF tomato diseases with these organic tactics.
the edible garden GROW YOUR OWN 2010: my vegetable seed order.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
hellebore porn SEXY, EXTRA-EARLY, evergreen shade perennials I can’t garden without.
success with heirlooms CAN GRAFTING TOMATOES help insure a bountiful harvest?
the garden is a showoff 375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where did all my biggest frogboys go?
stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some fine spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).
speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.
12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here.
orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.
hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP, that do more than a week or two of showing off. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if it’s multi-season interest you crave.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony does its subtler, wonderful thing.
which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
tomato troubles STAY AHEAD OF tomato diseases with these organic tactics.
the edible garden GROW YOUR OWN 2010: my vegetable seed order.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
hellebore porn SEXY, EXTRA-EARLY, evergreen shade perennials I can’t garden without.
success with heirlooms CAN GRAFTING TOMATOES help insure a bountiful harvest?
the garden is a showoff 375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where did all my biggest frogboys go?
stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some fine spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).
speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.
12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here.
orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.
hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP, that do more than a week or two of showing off. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if it’s multi-season interest you crave.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony does its subtler, wonderful thing.
which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop.
never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus
years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts
for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not to, until I myself
am back in the soil.
2008-2010 Copyright © Margaret Roach Inc. - Powered by WordPress MU and WDS - site design kbs
Margaret you are responsible for some of my ordering this spring, does Brushwood nursery ring any bells? They had the rose that I have looked at in a picture in a very old book for years and wanted. I have no idea where I am going to put it, am trying to figure out arbor spots but in my little 70×100 yard, ummmmmm just not sure. Thanks again for the site, oh and in my old garden, in southern ct. I had a very nice quite large, by the time I moved, aesculus pavia, great tree, even managed to grow it in northern vermont when I moved there for six years. sarah
Andre, that’s simply gorgeous.
Welcome, Sarah, fellow lover of Aesculus pavia. And yes, Brushwood was a source I just discovered last year…lots of interesting things. I suspect you will get out the shoehorn, er, shovel and make a perfect home for that rose. :)
I have been visiting this site for only a few days, but I am so delighted to find a friendly, personal, sort of close-to-the-ground source of information about plants and gardening. I never seem to be able to get a grip on my garden, but I do love it! Maybe this will be my pathway to the knowledge and skills I need…Thank you for the possibilities!
Where is my head? I forgot to say, “I love Andre’s doodle!” We should never forget to credit what lies out of sight, below the surface…
It’s true for all things isn’t it? My grandmother’s favorite saying was “Beauty is only skin deep.” She would follow this up with, “Beauty is as beauty does.”
Plants and people. Without strong roots, we all fall.~~Dee
Welcome, Nancy, and you are welcome. Don’t worry about getting a grip on you garden as much as about loving it, which it sounds as if you really do. It’s not a contest; you win even if there are weeds here and there. :)
morning,
We have only been in our new house a couple of weeks, but we are dying to get on with sorting the garden – and to see what beauty lies beneath her, as yet unknown, surface.
We paint the kitchen, install appliances, and every evening
look to see what her previous owners planted.
WOW!
I am in a new home and as Andre said, I am looking each day to see what is sprouting. I see lots of green stuff, everyday I kind of figure out what it might be. Today with all of the sunshine, I know I will have more surprises when I get home.
Andre wish you joy in your new home.
Margaret, I was expecting a smart ass remark.
@Susan: I am sitting on my hands here, trying to behave. :)
Andre,
That’s exactly how I feel about the wrinkles on my face, which are looking more and more like those roots.
Welcome, Marion (my sister’s name). Yes, wow is about how I always feel when Andre sends over a batch of new doodles. Wow. I hope to see you soon again.
Well, I dont really understand what the picture has to do with the saying…but I like the quote anyways. It can be looked at two different ways:
First, “Beneath the surface, beauty lies.” meaning that inside each of us is beauty and wonder.
Second, “Beaneath the surface, beauty lies.” meaning that even the most beautiful of creatures can be ugly underneath.
Just my thoughts.
Welcome, Screwed Up Texan. I never know *exactly* what my dear friend Andre means, but I always *love* the essence of it. :) I think of it as meaning that the deepest parts (the roots), though perhaps unseen, are where the greatest beauty is. See you soon again.
Ah, so it is roots. My husband tried to explain to me that it was a hair folicle. Thanks for the explanation…great quote!
youda man andre