Why I Garden: Patricia Carpenter, Davis
By Dan Vierria, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.
Mar. 25–From the street, is it obvious you like to garden? Yes, people pull in and say, “I can’t stand it any longer; I want to see.”
How would you describe your garden? Probably country-style. A lot of little rooms, a little miniature train garden, a tropical garden, native garden, shady woodland garden, vegetable garden. Hopefully, it’s done well with transitions, lots of paths.
What plant are you most proud of? Rhubarb. I tried three or four times to grow it before and it always died. Everybody says you can’t grow it here in Davis, but I finally did. This year I’ll harvest.
Which body part suffers most from spring gardening? Nothing suffers because I don’t do anything dumb anymore. I’ve had back surgery and I was literally an invalid. I don’t take gardening for granted anymore. I wear knee pads; I don’t bend over. I do everything I did before, just not the same way.
What would you like more of in the garden? Ranunculus. The ranunculus crop is going to be a little iffy. There’s a rabbit out there causing me some grief.
What’s your strategy for weeds? If the paths are clean of weeds, you assume (the garden is) weed-free. I try to keep paths relatively clean so there’s the illusion.
What are you most anxious to grow this year? A special kind of sorghum that is sweet. I work with school garden programs and we tie it into the curriculum, geography, world history. I never could find the kind of sorghum you make syrup out of but I finally found seeds from Bountiful Gardens (in Willits). Supposedly you can cut off pieces and suck on them and it’s sweet.
What do you grow in containers? Tradescantia, pansy, a lot of succulents in an old wheelbarrow and in a couple of old boots. Mostly succulents.
What does gardening provide that other activities don’t? A good way to keep going – you’re always four to six months ahead in life, always looking into the future. And I cope with the world better because of gardening. When my kids were little, I hired a baby sitter (Friday afternoons) so I could garden. My kids are well adjusted because I had time to garden.
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