On a personal level, this is all I had to contend with:
The potential loss of the arborvitae above may be a blessing in disguise as its neighbor will be on its way out as well, due to the dreaded bagworm:
My ‘Winter King’ Hawthorn is leaning a bit, but I’m hoping it will correct itself without much intervention:
All in all, I am blessed to have not suffered any other damage. We have so many others still without power and with temps in the 20’s last night, that ain’t so good. We were thrilled to have helped out our friends and family over the past week by simply providing warm beds and hot showers.
Now this is a gardening blog (or a weak imitation of one … see, still haven’t lost the self deprecation) so I’m back to my calling (slight sarcasm still here too).
One thing that has been capturing my attention, post hurricane and now that we have super cold temps, is this planter:
Not elaborate or dramatic by any means, but it is hard to take issue with seeing anything green and alive this time of year. And I think I may have nailed the thriller, spiller, filler equation.
I originally created this container back in mid summer as a space filler in shade on my front porch. I threw it together without much thought and stuck it in the corner. It was cheap and low maintenance.
Prior to Hurricane Sandy, I brought this container in the garage so it couldn’t operate as a missile during the storm.
After the storm, I put it out on my back deck, right in view out of the kitchen:
It’s amazing how something so simple can provide such pleasure. But then again, that is what drew me to gardening in the first place. It is a constant reminder to enjoy the little things. Good times.
I think this container, from this point forward, will serve as a reminder of all that transpired with Hurricane Sandy. And a reminder to enjoy all that we have, because you never know when your world can be rocked.
In fact, I may keep the “Leaning tower of arborvitae” as a backdrop to this container. It is too symbolic to remove it:
Later my friends.
John
Your simple container planting is quite beautiful. You fared well. So nice to be able to offer a place for friends.
The large trees that are uprooted are sad to see. Glad your garden had minimal damage. Can you hand pick those bagworms? I would give it a try.
It’s the little things in life, John that keeps all gardeners going. Glad you didn’t have much damage! Janet is right about the bagworms and handpicking. Get the kids involved. Or maybe it is an excuse to change things up! Take care. xo Nancy
Weather disasters like Sandy can dramatically change a landscape and a lot of lives. But in the same way, a humble planter can stand out amid the “mess” and be a blessing of joy. Yup, it’s a keeper.
Glad you all are alright and safe. Sad to see the large trees uprooted. Hate to see that. Sad. Love that with the planter. Simple with so much pleasure. =0)
Glad to see you had minimal damage at your house, and good on you for helping out as you can.
The hawthorn might need a little gentle help straightening back up. Its still small enough to accomplish that. Unless you want to leave it leaning as a reminder. We had a tree that leaned like that from Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis and it stayed that way until it died several years later from the trauma of the storms. Ours was a much larger short leaf pine, though.
Thought provoking post, John. Sorry for all the damage in the east but glad that you fared well and find solace in your beautifully simple pot. I hope everyone gets power back again soon!
Hi John. We heard here on Long Island that New Jersey also got the storm pretty bad so I am glad for you that you had minimal damage. Your Arborvitae and Hawthorn should be fine if you cable them. I had to cable mine after the last northeastern storm which did the trick. Hope you fare today’s storm as well and keep enjoying your simple planter….chicken soup for the gardener!
Mother nature does what Mother Nature does – she was here a long long time before we humans. Maybe like we gardners at the end of a season she was readying the earth for her future seasons and we humans were just in the way. I’m not sure whose at fault – Mother Nature whose done this for eons or us humans who continue to live in these dangerous areas. Terrible destruction and then to get a second whammy – my heart goes out to those that are stuggling.
Your little planter is just a reminder of the beauty of nature at this particular time. Personally I’d straighten the tree only because I’d be afraid that as it got bigger it would one day be on the ground.
Glad to see you pulled through relatively unscathed…and you’re awesome for helping out others without power…there’s nothing like a hot shower to make you feel human again!
Hi John,
Glad to aee your aense of humor and your garden remain eelatively healthy. Hope your heat returns soon! Keeping all those affected by the storm in our thoughts and prayers!