“Really?’ Peggy took up Sam’s pruning shears. “What kind of cases?”
“Peggy!” Al shook his head.
“That’s okay.” Jonas put out his hand. “She wants her pound of flesh. I can handle it.”
She stopped pruning. “Not really. I’m joking. I understand what you’re offering. And I’m flattered, really. But I’m afraid I can’t help you. At least not yet. It’s all I can do to keep up with what I have going on now.”
“The job would pay,” Al added. “It’s not a lot, but it’s decent.”
“I’m thinking about giving up my place at Queens in May,” she compromised, looking out at the rainswept Saturday afternoon in Brevard Court. “Who knows what might come after that? Let’s talk about it in the spring. In the meantime, gentlemen, I’m late for an obedience course for my dog. Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone.”
RUE, STEVE, AND PEGGY sat down in the hard plastic chairs after Shakespeare’s obedience lesson was over, defeat etched on their faces. Shakespeare wagged his tail and looked at them like he was wondering what was wrong.
“Maybe there’s boot camp for wayward dogs like they have for teenagers,” Steve suggested.
“I’m sure he’ll catch on,” Rue assured Peggy. “He needs a few more lessons.”
Another woman came into the shop. She was in her fifties or early sixties. She carried a large orange tabby cat who eyed them all suspiciously. The woman was dressed in clothes that almost matched the color of her cat. Her streaked blond hair blended into the whole look.
Shakespeare immediately stood at attention with his tail stuck straight out behind him. He stared at the woman and the cat until Peggy got up from her chair to hold his leash, afraid he’d take a running leap at her.
“Don’t worry.” The woman laughed. “He’s fine. Just a little nervous. And very unhappy with someone named Peggy. Is that you?”
Peggy smiled and extended her hand. “That’s me. And you are?”
“Mrs. Roberts, pet psychic. And before you get any ideas, how do you think I knew your name?”
“My dog told you?”
“Exactly. Rupert is having some issues with you.”
Peggy glanced at the dog, then at Mrs. Roberts. “His name is Shakespeare.”
“Maybe to you. We don’t always name our pets appropriate names, do we?”
Not sure what to say, Peggy patted her dog’s head. “What kind of issues is Shakes—Rupert having with me?”
“He isn’t crazy about you leaving him all the time. And he wishes you’d buy him a different kind of food. He’s eating Purina now, right? He’d really like to try Iams.”
Peggy wanted to laugh, but Mrs. Roberts was impossibly right. She was in awe. “I did leave him to go to Philadelphia. He hasn’t been the same since I got back. But I couldn’t take him with me.”
Rue had been sitting there with her mouth open. She closed her jaw and stood up. “Peggy, you can’t believe this woman is communicating with your dog. Shakespeare needs obedience classes. Not a psychic.”
Mrs. Roberts smirked. “Take it as you will. Rupert says next time he’d like to stay at the man’s house.” She looked at Steve. “I believe he means you. He says you did a good job taking care of him, but he doesn’t like being in the big house by himself. He says it’s haunted, and he doesn’t like ghosts. Even nice ghosts.”
Peggy swallowed hard. She was trained to be a skeptic. But her Low Country upbringing included tales of witches and ghosts. As a child, she’d believed all of those stories. Something of that crept into her voice as she said, “Does he know the ghosts’ names?”
“No. Apparently, he only knows your name. He really loves you. He’d give his life for you. He just wants to stay with the man if you have to leave. And he wants Iams dog food. He says he wants the lamb and rice.” Mrs. Roberts smiled and gave her cat to Rue. “He needs a bath and his nails trimmed. I’ll be back at four for him. Mind you, be careful with him. He’s a little peeved today. There’s a cat outside he’d like to be friends with, but I just don’t want him hanging around with that street trash.”
With a last glance at Shakespeare, Mrs. Roberts disappeared back through the door, leaving a cloud of Chanel behind her.
“Well!” Rue sat down with the cat in her lap.
“Pet psychic, huh?” Steve looked at Shakespeare. “My name is Steve. You’re welcome to stay at my house anytime Peggy goes away.”
Peggy crouched down and looked into Shakespeare’s eyes. “I wish you could talk to me. Do you want me to call you Rupert instead of Shakespeare?”
The massive head shook negatively, the uncropped ears flopping up and down.
“I guess not.” Steve laughed. “The dog has spoken.”
“You’re still going to bring him back for the rest of the lessons, aren’t you?” Rue asked.
“I will,” Peggy agreed. “Maybe he’ll be better next time.”
Steve and Peggy left with Shakespeare a few minutes later. “So who do you think is haunting your house?” he asked her.
“The house is almost a hundred years old,” she mused. “I suppose it could be anyone who lived there.”
The sunshine was bright on their heads as they walked out to the SUV in the parking lot. “Do you think John is there?” Steve suggested, opening the door for Shakespeare to get into the backseat.
“He could be.” She looked up into the brilliant blue sky and smiled. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Steve said. “What do you think he thinks about the two of us being together?”
“I think he’d be happy about it.” She got into the vehicle and closed the door. “Everyone seems to think he wouldn’t want me to be alone. I think if John were still alive, he’d like you. It stands to reason he’d like us to be together.”
“That works for me.” Steve kissed her after he got behind the steering wheel. He smiled up at the sky. “Thanks, John.”
Peggy’s Garden Journal
Winter
The cold weather months are always the hardest for gardeners. Nothing is blooming. The color is gone, and for many, so is their enthusiasm. We curl up on cold winter nights with our catalogues and wish for spring.
But now is the best time for you to take a good look at your garden. What shapes are in your garden?
Studying our gardens when there is no foliage can give us an opportunity to appreciate graceful limbs and soaring branches. Take a moment to notice the subtle shades and patterns of bark. The bare-bones shape of our trees and bushes should be as alluring to us as their leaves and flowers. If they’re not, this is a good time to change that image.
Deadwood can be removed at any time during the winter. Pruning live wood should be avoided during the coldest times but can be done in late winter. No need to apply a dressing on these cuts. The trees will be fine. This is an excellent time to determine how tall you want those bushes to be and examine positions for new growth. Create a charming path or stake out a new flower bed.
Winter can be a time of growth and beauty, if we allow it to be. As your garden slumbers, roots dig deeper to sustain spring and summer foliage. Take some time to acknowledge the cycle of life going on around you. Spring will come with its color and magic. But don’t allow the charm of winter to escape you unnoticed!
Peggy
Care and Feeding Guide
AMARYLLIS
This exotic, winter-blooming plant will provide huge, colorful blooms just when you need them most. It requires very little maintenance and will bloom within five weeks of planting. You can choose to buy them already planted or buy the bare bulb.
If you choose to plant, get a pot slightly larger than the bulb, put in some good soil, and set the bulb so its top will rise slightly above the rim. Tamp down well to remove air pockets. Water carefully at first, more as the stem begins to grow. Be sure extra water drains out of the pot.
You can also grow the bulb with water in a glass vase. Amary
llis vases are curved so that the bulb sits securely with the roots in the water.
Either way you decide to plant, keep your plant cool, about 68 degrees. It needs plenty of sun to flower. After it blooms, cut the flower from the stalk. New leaves will grow, although the plant will not flower again until next year. Water and fertilize regularly.
LENTEN ROSE
These dark green leafy plants with small, saucer shaped red, white, or green flowers will deliver a nice, colorful reprieve for winter gardens. They will herald spring, even in the snow!
They bloom from February to April and are extraordinarily hardy. The species is perfect as a ground cover and loves shady areas, even under trees. The soil can be slightly alkaline. It enjoys a generous amount of mulch and requires fertilizing every spring after blooming.
They look wonderful in pots as well as out in the open. They will grow to be about two feet tall and prefer to be left alone once they are planted, so be careful where you decide to put them.
Lenten roses can be planted during the winter months and still thrive in your garden!
CAMELLIA
Camellias are gorgeous, versatile shrubs with pretty, long-blooming flowers and shiny green leaves. They can grow up to ten feet or be trimmed back to grow in a pot. They grow outside from Long Island, down the Atlantic coast and back up the Pacific coast to Washington. They can survive temperatures as low as 0-10 degrees. They grow best in partial shade and well-drained, slightly acidic soil. They prefer to be wet but not soggy.
Camellias can be planted late fall through the early spring. Allow at least five feet between plants. Dig a hole at least two feet wider than the root ball. Fill the hole around the roots with a mixture of good soil and organic matter. Mulch with straw after planting. Water well and soak once a week during dry weather. Flowers will bloom in late fall to early winter.
The American Camellia Society has a wealth of information for camellia lovers. Check them out here: http://www.camellias-acs.com/
GROW RADISHES!
In warmer areas, sow radish seeds in winter for an early spring harvest. Sprinkle seeds and cover them with ½ inch of potting soil. Keep the bed moist and thin seedlings to 3 inches apart. Harvest in six weeks.
COMPOSTING
Keeping your soil healthy should be every gardener’s concern. Poor, tired soil will give rise to tired plants. Consider composting as a good way to refresh and revive your soil. Compost improves soil texture, helps provide drainage, and supplements nutrients by encouraging earthworms and microorganisms. This should be done throughout the growing season, but a good time to start your compost pile is in the winter as you’re waiting for the warmer months.
What goes into a compost pile? Chopped-up leaves, dry grass, dead plants, weeds without seeds, and old potting soil. You can provide fruit scraps, vegetable cuttings, tea bags, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and shredded paper from inside your house. Don’t use meat, fish, bones, plastic, metal, fats and oils, dairy products, or pet waste.
To store your compost, you can build a pile on the ground if you have room, or you can use a composting bin that will cleverly create compost on your deck or porch without anyone knowing what’s inside. Compost should be damp but not wet.
How will you know if your compost is finished? It will have a dark, earthy smell, and the ingredients will be unrecognizable. In warmer weather, this happens faster, but your compost will break down in cold weather, too. There is no exact time frame. Just be patient.
What should you do with your compost when it’s finished? Use it as mulch in and around your plants. It will fertilize and protect your soil. Be sure to start filling up your compost pile or bin as soon as you empty the old one.
For more info on composting: http://www.compostingcouncil.org/
CONTROL WINTER PESTS
Warm, dry indoor air can lead to problems with spider mites on houseplants. The mites are barely visible to the eye. You’ll have to look for the problems they cause: stippling on leaves and fine webbing on new growth. They attack almost any houseplant. To control them, spray the plants with insecticidal soap two to three times a week. Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves as well as the tops.
ADD EXTRA LIGHT
Grow lights or high-intensity discharge lamps can be a very good way to give your plants enough sunlight to thrive over the winter months. Sometimes, even a window setting might not provide enough light for your plants. Consider setting up a grow light to add to the natural lighting.
This can also help when you don’t have enough windows for all of your wintering plants. Grow lights can make any shelf or other space a plant-friendly area. A good way to know how much light your plants are getting is to put your light on a timer to simulate the natural hours of sunlight.
FROST HEAVED PLANTS AND BULBS
Alternating freeze/thaw cycles can “heave” perennials and bulbs out of the ground. Wind and extreme temperatures can damage exposed roots. Watch for frost heaved plants and bulbs. Replant them or push soil around exposed roots. To minimize damage, cover beds with lightweight mulch or evergreen boughs after the ground has frozen.
Botanical Gardens at Asheville Asheville, North Carolina
“Dedicated to preserving and promoting our Native Plants. We are an independent non-profit organization housing a collection of plants native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Our admission is free, but donations are appreciated and memberships are encouraged. We are located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, one of the most diverse temperate ecosystems in the world. Our mission is the preservation and promotion of the native plant species and habitats of these mountains. We hope to increase public awareness of this region’s unique botanical diversity by maintaining gardens for the enjoyment of the public and by providing educational programs and research resources for the community. The BGA is open year round from sunrise to sunset for the enjoyment of the community, and no admission is charged for entrance.”
The Botanical Gardens at Asheville
151 W.T. Weaver Boulevard
Asheville, NC 28804-3414
Phone: 828-252-5190
http://www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
Tree and Shrub Catalogs
Wayside Gardens: http://www.waysidegardens.com
Reeseville Ridge Nursery: http://www.wegrowit.com
Meadow Lake Nursery: http://www.meadow-lake.com
Seeds for unusual trees and shrubs: http://www.raingardens.com
River Rock Nursery: http://www.rdrop.com/users/green/plantit/index.htm
Outdoor Accessories
Patio and outdoor accessories: http://www.kitchensource.com/pau
Yard and garden accents: http://www.plowandhearth.com
Outdoor living solutions: http://www.brookstone.com
Cedar furniture: http://www.cedarstore.com
Home of the outdoor armoire: http://www.krupps.com
Happy Gardening!
Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Page 29