WHAT DO YOU SAY (AFTER ‘THANK YOU’) when someone sends you something thoughtful but, well, um, you’re just not an orange person? This latest doodle from Andre Jordan reminds me of all those holiday gifts I never wore but just couldn’t throw out, either. Of course, I actually like pink with orange, but then there’s no accounting for taste, is there?
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
Ha ha! I had some orange tiger lillies in one of my gardens when I moved into this house, and they got ripped out right away. I am not an orange person. I am a bad person. It’s ok though.
Got rid of one of those hideous orange azaleas shortly after moving into our place. Don’t feel bad about it at all.
Advice for Andre if there’s ever a next time: just plant ’em where the deer can get at ’em and that’ll take care of that.
Andre, I think we’ve all been the recipient of the well intended garden gift at one point or another.
“I’m still looking for the *perfect* spot” works well. As does…”those darn squirrels must have gotten to them, I was so disappointed”. Love the doodle…thanks for the chuckle this morning.
And uh…if you’re not doing anything with those lilies…
You plant those bulbs in some far corner of the garden and then, when your friend comes to see your garden the next summer and of course is searching for the great bulbs she gave you, you say you planted them front and center, but the darn squirrels must have moved them.
I ordered a red and white Rose once, and put Red Carpet border lilies around it. When they bloomed it turned out the rose was actually pink, and the lilies deep burnt orange. I am definitely NOT and orange person, but I did sort of learn to love the combination…in that spot.
Plant them in a pot. Put the pot someplace you don’t see it much, or at least someplace where there is no pink. If friend comes to visit, stick the pot in a prominent place. After visit, remove.
There’s orange and there’s orange. Some oranges are complex with depths of color. Some are dayglow and/or the color of Tang. The complex oranges can be very pretty.
Perhaps a certain level of age is required both to wear purple and plant orange! I’ve grow to love it and to seek it out for experimentation.
Go with the pot, as opposed to the squirrels. You could get more to replace those lost to rodent damage, if you tell the giver that.. But once you friend sees them blooming, then she/he will go on to new creative heights and the pot can disappear. And we won’t tell.
Yay Catjane! I agree with you . I have no qualms about planting anything orange. It gets a bad rap if you ask me. Some hoity-toity decided orange in a garden was in bad taste and now it has forever been banned from joining the other colors of the rainbow!. What’s up with that?
Oh, we all get those gifts don’t we?
Me? I think I would plant them kind of out of the way where I would not see them all the time but still make use of them. Like, behind the mailbox or by the barn or maybe in front of an AC unit or something.
Welcome, Janet. I agree; the loss-to-pests approach may induce more of same. Thanks for joining us, and do so again soon, yes?
Welcome, Camille. You are the kindest kind of friend, who tries to accommodate the gift. Impressive (and here we all are making up naughty stories). Don’t be a stranger; see you soon.
Welcome, MaryB. I love orange, truth be told (and even with pink). In fact, the trim of my house is orange, believe it or not. Great color; very uplifting, I think. Thanks for your encouragement and see you soon.
Thanks, Andre. Orange ‘issues’ are common. In past gardens, I systematically eliminated all traces of orange, but I’ve changed. Where I garden today, I have four main perennial and shrub borders, each with a color theme. One is all about foliage–kind of a japanese style garden. One is ‘hot’ – yellows, oranges, and classic reds. One is “cool” – blues, pinks, purples and pinkish-reds, and the third is whites only. I no longer hate orange, because it’s just beautiful and harmonious in the “hot colors” section of the garden. And the best part is that for just about any plant I want to try (or receive as a gift) I will be able to find a place in my garden where it won’t clash audibly!
I just blame it on the gophers, myself!! (and I like pink with orange too, as long as they are the right pinks and oranges!)
I had that happen…put them in a big pot up on the patio next to the door away from the other flowers. It made a very striking focal point…now I do it every year!!! Kim
Haha. This is too funny. Looks like we can all relate. I do have some prized orange lillies though. Not for the color so much, but because they were from my great-grandmother’s garden which came to my garden via my mother.
I have never felt so welcome. Thank you!
I adore your doodles
Welcome, Tolu; I know Andre will be pleased to hear that (and I am, too, but can take no credit :) ) See you soon again.
Haha, oh how I love all of Andre’s doodles. And this blog! I started a garden back home a couple months before I moved down to LA for college, and I miss it so much. I try to keep flowers in my room to lift my spirits.
Welcome, Shay. Thanks for your encouragement; we appreciate it. I can’t imagine leaving the garden, but school is a good reason. Good luck with it. See you soon here again, I hope.
No fair giving bulbs with strings attached.
You tell them about my squirrels, only you pretend they are your squirrels. When I say my squirrels dug up every bulb I planted, so that we don’t even bother with bulbs anymore, I am not kidding (to be sure these are bulbs planted in an NYC co-op garden, and New York squirrels are tougher than most) but you can say that with a straight face in this town and it won’t be a lie.
Unfortunately.
Welcome, Diana. I once planted 4,000 crocus, and by the time they were through blooming the first spring, not a one was still in the ground. I never tried crocus again. The ones not dug in fall were first beheaded while in flower in April, then dug up for good measure. Lovely. Thanks for your comment and hope we see you soon again.