{"id":3563,"date":"2020-03-28T20:51:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T20:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ongardening.com\/?p=3563"},"modified":"2020-03-28T20:51:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T20:51:07","slug":"social-distance-in-gardening-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ongardening.com\/?p=3563","title":{"rendered":"Social Distance in Gardening II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s\ncolumn follows last week\u2019s column suggesting three priorities for gardening while\nmaintaining social distance during this difficult period. Many print and\nelectronic media channels address the rapidly changing financial and health\nimpacts of the coronavirus pandemic. We\u2019re all greatly concerned about those\nimpacts but for the moment, let\u2019s just think about gardening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Care for Your Garden <\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    After\neach year\u2019s vernal equinox, many plants spring into growth and begin a season\nof vigorous development and delightful blossoms. Gardeners often can do well by\nsimply enjoying the season through frequent walls through the garden and\nobserving Nature\u2019s small miracles. A good garden has a few seats to accommodate\nreflection, perhaps with a cool beverage. Take occasional opportunities to\nmeditate about your plants and life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During\na recent walk garden walk, I was surprised that my Madeira Island Geranium\n(Geranium maderense) was blooming. I had cut it back after year\u2019s blooms. I\nunderstood it to be a biennial and expected to wait a while for more flowers,\nbut here it is. It\u2019s the most giant geranium, 4-5 feet high and wide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A
    This giant geranium displays an abundance of light mauve flowers.
    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"A
    Geranium maderense commands a 5′ x 5′ space in the garden. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    When\nyou can no longer resist do some weeding. Set aside an hour or two each day to clear\nweeds from an area that\u2019s large enough to make a difference and produce a\nGardener\u2019s Endorphin Rush, while small enough to complete within the budgeted\nhour. It\u2019s also good mild exercise to offset the stay-at-home doldrums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Landscapers might or might not be available for garden development and maintenance, but the National Association of Landscape Professionals<\/a> advocates classification of landscape services as \u201cessential.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In\nany case, most if not all garden centers and garden exchanges are closed\ntemporarily, so adding to your landscape might require swapping plants with\ngardening friends (while maintaining a healthy distance). <\/p>\n\n\n\n