The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Author Archives: jmarkowski

Norfolk Island Pine

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I am by no means an expert when it comes to houseplants. In fact, you could call me clueless and I won’t be offended. As much as I love me some plants, I’ve never taken to those that exclusively grow indoors. But if I am going to keep a positive attitude about the colder weather and the inability to dig in the dirt, I figured it was time to dive in and educate myself on what can be grown/maintained inside my home.
I was in Lowe’s this past weekend and made it over to the Home and Garden aisles without a clue as to what I was looking for. Ornamental peppers? Nah. Some fern-like creature? Nope. I was ready to give up when I spotted what looked like a conifer. Hmmmmm. This can’t possibly be a houseplant, right? I read the label and saw the name Araucaria heterophylla – AKA Norfolk Island Pine. Interesting. Out came the phone and I quickly googled the name. I educated myself in about five minutes and for only $19.99, I figured let’s give it a whirl. 
In the Honda Civic it went and even though it scratched the back of my neck as I drove, it was worth it. I had that plant excitement in full effect and couldn’t wait to get her home. 
Here she is in what hopefully becomes the permanent location:    

I am enamored with the lush green foliage and the fact that it looks like a pine (but of course, is not a pine at all). The soft needles beg you to touch it:

It will be adorned with Christmas ornaments as it is the perfect “living” Christmas tree. My wife loved it as well so as long as I keep it healthy, it will stay where it is for years to come.

I’ve had some time to do some further research about my new purchase (is this a common houseplant that I’ve some how managed to never see before? Curious to hear your thoughts) and wanted to share what I’ve learned with you:

  • Native to Norfolk Island, an island in the Pacific near Australia/New Zealand
  • Unlike most conifers, it supposedly survives in indirect light
  • To aid in it’s survival, a misting is necessary to up the humidity level
  • Over watering is a no-no as it can easily lead to root rot since NIP has a weak root system
  • I’m staying away from any fertilization
  • If grown in it’s native habitat, it can reach up to 200 feet in height

What do you think? Any tips for me based on your successes/failures?

John        

    Thanksgiving weekend

    Posted on by Posted in Family .
    Grab your favorite beverage and kick back because this is going to be a long one today. 
    I considered breaking this post up into smaller versions but I know once I set foot back at work tomorrow, the long weekend will be a distant memory and I will have moved on. So you’ll just have to hang in there and do me a solid by patiently wading through this post. Gracias.
    One of the greatest benefits (or drawbacks, depending on your point of view) of hosting a holiday is it forces you to get your ass in gear to make sure the house is in good shape. Those small “yeah I’ll take care of that tomorrow” projects become a top priority. My wife is a saint for putting up with my lack of skills when it comes to “indoor” projects, but when forced to get something done, I usually pull through (assuming the project is a relatively easy one). While most consider hanging a picture to be an easy task, I get all sorts of pumped up when I pull it off; but I act all humble like it’s no big deal. Case in point:
    I hung this sconce after some serious mathematical calculations to make sure it was centered correctly:

    And hung this little vignette of bird art (in a grouping of three naturally). Trust me, they are all straight, this photo is an illusion:

                             
    It wouldn’t be a fair representation if I didn’t mention that my wife was about 98% responsible for all of the Turkey Day prep. She busted her hump and I just played the role of sous chef (but a damn good one at that). 
    Thursday arrived and we were ready to go. We had a smaller crowd this year (miss you Adam/Ali and Jay/Beck) but enough that a full spread was necessary. 
    To kick things off, the fire was started, even though it was in the 60’s outside:         

    My daughter took care of the place cards and through some mediation with the two kids, we were able to determine seating assignments:

    A sprig of rosemary tied to each napkin gave off a tremendous scent and set the mood:

    As did some wine, football, my roaring wood burning fire (never gas) and good conversation. I think the discussion here was about how awesome the sconces looked in the dining room. Or it was about how damn interesting this blog is:

    First course (and my personal fave) was butternut squash/apple soup accompanied with maple bacon and homemade croutons (my food photography leaves a lot to be desired, sorry):

    After a bit of a break, all of the food was out and it was time to gorge ourselves:  

    We pretty much ignored each other as we ate our asses off:

    It was a great day as we all enjoyed each other’s company without a care in the world. My mother and the two kids would appear to agree:

    My nephew entertained us all as only he can and it was a riot to have a young one running around in our house again:

    There may be no better sleep than the one had on Thanksgiving evening and this year was no exception. Wine/beer/food/tryptophan/pumpkin pie will put you into some serious REM sleep and it felt GOOD. And, we still had three more days off. Nice!

    Friday was all about sleeping in,  followed by an excursion to the movies. It felt great to just chill and it felt great to eat the leftovers that night. All was right in the world.

    Saturday was an absolutely perfect weather day (upper 60’s) and we made the most of it. Even the bulbs were thrown off by the warm temps:      

    My daughter was ready to join me outdoors for some gardening chores and she couldn’t wait to show off her new tools:

    I also promised her I would share her cool “gardening boots” with you all:

    While she planted some acorns in some containers, I managed to perform some serious hard labor as I reduced my never ending topsoil mountain to this:

    Which looked like this only a day ago. It may not look like much, but that soil was damn heavy and wet:

    After busting my arse for an hour or so, I threw in the trowel (I may trademark that phrase) and took some photos of plants that were still providing some visual stimulation:

    Feeling this good about my garden and being outdoors this late in November was a welcome pleasure. Scratch that … family, good food, no work and the garden were a welcome pleasure this past weekend.

    Hope yours was just as enjoyable.

    John

    What I am thankful for this year …

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    My newly healthy 12 year old lab that may be the kindest creature of all time:  
    The invention of ornamental grasses which makes the fall/winter that much more palatable:
    The addition of native trees to my landscape (pats on back):

    Witnessing the beauty of nature up close and personal and exposing my children to it:

    The joy  I get from the interplay of flowers:

     The beauty of bulbs in spring when I really need it:

    The ability to know how to draw in creatures like this:

    And most of all, this gang:

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    John

    No more wishing the time away

    Posted on by Posted in Fall color .
    I’ve been known to complain a bit when it comes to the onset of fall/winter. As I get older, I appreciate the warm weather more and more and dislike the feeling of being trapped indoors more and more. Not to mention, I would kill to have additional months of “gardening” weather, where I can still dig a hole in the ground and move plants around at will.
    This past weekend, I was boring someone with my usual “I want to move south to better weather” diatribes. The woman I was speaking to felt the same way but she said to me “When I turned 50, I realized I had wished half of my life away and I vowed to not do it any more.” Shit, that hit me to the core. The reality is, New Jersey is my home, I love it here and my family and friends are here. Time to find a way to enjoy it all you dope! 
    So, in honor of my new found vow to make the most of every cold/frigid/barren day, I toured my gardens with an air of optimism that I hope to sustain throughout the gardening “off-season”. I’m sure I’ll break down and bitch and moan along the way, but I will take it one day at a time:                  
    This viburnum has taken on an interesting combo of yellow/red like never before: 

    I think “supergroup” Wilson Phillips said it best “Hold on for one more day”:

    Although they are relatively young, I’m loving the autumn color provided by the Panicum ‘Northwind’:

    I look forward to the snow, just to see how bright the red twigs of the … redtwig dogwood will look:

    Some creature will be hungry and stumble upon these berries which will make their day that much better:

    Nice to see some bright green growth still sticking around:

    What do you think? You buying my optimism?

    John

    586 days to go – what a score at lunch

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    After eating lunch today (Have you checked out my “lunch” blog? If not, click here), I had some time to kill so I hit up the local nursery to see what scraps might remain for cheap. To my surprise and utter delight, I found a bunch of two gallon sized Mugo pines for $10 a piece. Score!

    After I shoved the woman next to me to the ground so I could grab them all, I ran up to the cashier and was ready to run off to my car when a little sign grabbed my attention and nearly lead to me spontaneously combusting:

    50% off, big deal you say, right? Well the fine print read:

    50% off all gift cards. As an example, if you pay $100 you get a $200 gift card.

    Um, what? Can I mortgage my house for this card? You want my ’99 Honda Civic? Holy friggin crap!

    I won’t tell you the exact amount I purchased for the card, but will tell you the kids better forget the idea of going to college. And so what, they’ll be surrounded by plants. What is better than that?

    John  

      

    588 days to go – I so kicked ass

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    Take a moment and carefully study the photo below:    

    That is the face of a determined SOB who faced some adverse weather yesterday morning but still managed to garden his tuckus off.

    Some additional observations on the photo:

    1. Notice the rain drops not only on the camera but on my forehead as well. Where I come from, we call that “determination”.
    2. Notice the beard. It says “I ain’t got no time for shaving and I’m one bad mutha.” No wet clay was going to stand in my way.
    3. Notice the hat with the Florida Gator logo. What am I 15 years old? Actually it is the only hat in the house that fits on my giant noggin.
    4. Notice the slight grin on my face. Welcome to my happy place.

    While it rained heavily early yesterday morning, I knew I had about an hour before I needed to get to my “real” job and there was no way I was going to miss that opportunity. Out came the wheel barrow and gloves and we were off:                  

    I have made a gargantuan effort this fall to plant more bulbs and that was the goal yet again. I had been scoping out potential bulb locales and knew where I was going to plant them before getting started (can you say “plan”, I rule!).

    The bulbs would fill in empty spots in the spring but would also be surrounded by emerging perennials that would hide the dying bulb foliage. The daffodils I planted in the empty spot below will be shielded by the catmint in late spring:          

    Three different bulbs were planted in an hour’s time; I was like a man possessed. Including the aforementioned daffodils:  
    And more daffodils: 
    And most exciting of all, I finally planted some allium bulbs and think I did a decent job of spacing them strategically throughout my front beds (repetition, repetition, repetition):  
    The grand addition of  more bulbs this fall is part of my initiative to create true multi-seasonal interest throughout my property. Typically, I shut it down by this time of year but I’ve made a pledge to go big and bold in the next year and a half. 588 days and counting and we’re only at the tip of the iceberg. 
    Hang on my friends!
    John    

    Wordless Wednesday – Vacation Part 2 – All About Oregon

    Two Guys at Lunch

    Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

    **SHAMELESS PROMOTION TIME**

    I have started a new blogging venture that is a complete departure from what I write here. The blog is entitled “Two Guys at Lunch” and can be accessed by clicking the link below:

    http://twoguysatlunch.blogspot.com/ 

    The blog is all about the food decisions and conversations my coworker and I have at lunch each day. We have been eating at the same place – Wegman’s Supermarket – for ten years now and we treat each lunch as a sacred event. Yes, I know that sounds a bit odd but I would love it if you would give it a shot. We’re in the early stages and it is a bit wacky but I think we’ll work out the kinks soon.

    Thank you!
    John  

    Vacation to the Northwest – Part 1

    Posted on by Posted in Family .
    The family and I were on vacation all last week in the beautiful Northwest (outside Portland, OR) visiting my in-laws and we could not have had a better time. We packed in a ton within a week’s time (trip to the coast, two days in Seattle) and are still in a state of recovery. I’ll need to keep it simple for today as I am doing my best to not doze off as I type this.        
    My in-laws live in the northern Willamette Valley which is one of the world’s best Pinot noir wine regions:    

    So it was a no-brainer to leave the kids at home for the day so my wife and I could do some serious wine tasting. And we rocked it.

    While it was an overcast and foggy day (and we expected as much), the scenery at the wineries was as fantastic as the Pinot:    

    I think my personal favorite was David Hill Winery where the tasting was held in an old farmhouse and our hosts could not have been more down to earth and gracious:

    We even shared a New Jersey connection with one of the women which lead to some interesting conversation.

    We did not make any purchases (which can be difficult to resist when you’ve been drinking) considering the effort to bring the wine home on the plane, but will be sure to order on-line now that wine can be shipped directly to New Jersey.

    Good times were had by all. More on our trip tomorrow when I’m capable of writing coherently.

    John          

    596 days to go – a little less ugliness

    Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .
    OK, I know I’ve found it difficult to find the time to not only create new garden “wonderfulness”, but even maintain what I’ve already got. Case in point: 

    There is no excuse for letting things get this bad. I feel nothing but shame and do not deserve to call myself a gardener. 
    Damn, that felt good. Time to move on.
    It’s all about priorities now. A single focus. If I have to blow off family functions or ignore my children, so be it. 
    While it isn’t much, I feel like I am on the right path. Even a slight improvement from the photos above is good:
    We’re going big and bold and there is no looking back.
    John